The Research Frontline – Journal (TRF-J) is a peer-reviewed, quarterly, online, and open-access academic journal, published by the Allahabad Academic Press, Prayagraj. The journal provides an inclusive and credible platform for academics, independent researchers, policy practitioners, early-career scholars, and public intellectuals to engage with contemporary issues of governance, economy, culture, society, and global affairs through high-quality research and analytical writing. At its core, TRF-J is committed to addressing persistent structural gaps within India’s research and policy ecosystem. Many existing academic journals remain constrained by high article processing charges (APCs), limited thematic scope, or prolonged publication timelines that often diminish the contemporary relevance of scholarly work. TRF-J aspires to counter these challenges by maintaining rigorous peer-review standards, ensuring transparent and efficient editorial processes, and promoting free and unrestricted access to knowledge that carries both scholarly merit and public value.
The Function, Role, and Challenge of Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) in Maintaining Research Ethics in Indian Universities
Institutional Review Boards (IRBs), also called Ethics Committees in India, are institutional regulatory bodies formally established in academic and research institutions to ensure compliance with accepted ethical standards for all research involving human participants. These committees are responsible for scrutinizing research proposals to evaluate the harm and benefits of studies, validate the sufficiency of informed consent, and safeguard the rights and welfare of research subjects. This paper gives a comprehensive analysis of the role, framework, efficacy, and problems encountered by IRBs at Indian universities. Further, the paper seeks to explore imperative role of ethical stewardship in university research through analysing regulatory models, university practice, and actual case studies. The paper points towards the immediate necessity of capacity development, standardization, and policy overhaul to enhance ethical oversight in Indian academia.
Institutional Review Boards, Ethical Committees, Ethical Standards, Human Participant, Informed Consent.
From Civilizational Essentialism to Ethno-nationalist Struggle: The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Beyond Huntington
Samuel P. Huntington's 'Clash of Civilizations' hypothesis did not merely predict the post-Cold War world order; it sought to define it, asserting that global politics would revert to inter-civilizational strife. In both political discourse and elements of international relations literature, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its broader regional spillovers are frequently erroneously subsumed within this paradigm, characterized as a quintessential fault-line war between Western and Islamic civilizations. This paper problematizes that ontological assumption. Drawing upon the theoretical frameworks of comparative religion, political sociology, and conflict studies, the paper contends that the conflict is sustained not by a monolithic clash of macro-civilizations but by historically embedded political antagonisms that resist any singular civilizational explanation. The paper further demonstrates that the events of October 7, 2023, and the subsequent escalation towards direct Iran-Israel-United States military confrontation between 2024 and 2026 do not merely fail to confirm the civilizational thesis but actively dismantle it. The conflict is not an intractable civilizational determinism but a hyper-localized collision of competing ethno-nationalisms, sustained by structural asymmetries and the primacy of state-centric realpolitik over civilizational solidarity.
Clash of Civilizations, Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Ethno-nationalism, Realpolitik, Structural Asymmetry, Abraham Accords, October 7
Beyond the Binary: Gender Diversity and the Transformation of Environmental Responsibility
The twenty-first century presents pressing challenges in environmental sustainability, with climate change and ecological degradation interacting with social inequalities. This paper explores the role of gender-inclusive perspectives in shaping environmental attitudes and behaviours, extending ecofeminist insights beyond traditional women-centred frameworks (Warren, 1990; Merchant,1980). Drawing on empirical evidencefrom Hampel, Boldero, and Holdsworth (1996), which demonstrates that adolescent girls exhibit higher environmental responsibility than boys even when controlling for socio-economic factors, and the United Nations Environment Programme (2025), which highlights gender-differentiated climate impacts, the study examines how socialisation, gender identity, and normative structures influence ecological engagement. Contemporary research on gender egalitarianism (Echavarren, 2023)further indicates that societies with stronger genderequality norms display higher environmental concern, supporting the integration of intersectional and nonbinary perspectives into sustainability discourse. The paper identifies significant gaps in understanding the ecological behaviours of non-binary and transgender populations and proposes avenues for future research, including policy development, environmental education, and participatory governance. By situating environmental responsibility within an inclusive genderframework, this study contributes to theoretical and practical discussions on equitable and effective ecological stewardship, highlighting the potential of new-age feminism to informsustainable practices and environmental policy.
Gender identity, ecofeminism, environmental consciousness, climateaction, intersectionality, gender-inclusive policy
The Complex Interplay between India's Ethnic Conflicts, National Security, and Grand Strategy
The handling of India's internal diversity, especially its ethnic conflicts, is essential to the country's rise to regional prominence. These disputes, which range from caste and language-based tensions in the heartland to Kashmir and the Northeast, threaten not only national unity but also the development and implementation of India's grand strategy. This essay examines the complex relationships that exist between India's changing strategic perspective, national security apparatus, and ethnic conflicts. It explores how the state tries to strike a balance between democratic governance and securitized responses, as well as how domestic unrest influences military deployment, diplomatic stances, and regional aspirations. The paper makes the case that a sustainable grand strategy must balance external assertiveness with internal pluralism through the use of interdisciplinary lenses from political science, security studies, and ethnic conflict theory. The results highlight the importance of narrative control, targeted development, and inclusive federalism as components of national security and strategic vision.
India, Ethnic Conflict, National Security, Grand Strategy, Kashmir, Northeast India, Counterinsurgency, Strategic Stability
The Mind as Revolution: Psychological Reform Towards a Democratic Society
This paper examines the complex relationship between caste, gender, and democracy in India through the writings of B. R. Ambedkar and feminist scholars such as Uma Chakravarti. It argues that Brahminical patriarchy, deeply embedded in religious practices and legitimised through scriptures, continues to structure social relations and political life in contemporary India. Despite constitutional guarantees of equality and repeated political reforms, caste-based hierarchies and gendered domination remain firmly entrenched, limiting the democratic ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity. Drawing on Ambedkar's critique of social reform and Chakravarti's analysis of caste gender relations, the paper highlights how caste operates not only as a political or economic system but also as a deeply internalised social consciousness. Engaging with Frantz Fanon's theorisation of colonial consciousness and Antonio Gramsci's concept of hegemony, and with Gopal Guru's analysis of Dalit humiliation, it introduces the concept of psychological reform to emphasise the need for an inner transformation that involves unlearning inherited hierarchies, moral prejudices, and social instincts. The paper argues that without such psychological reform, democratic transformation in India remains incomplete and largely symbolic.
Caste, Ambedkar, Patriarchy, Reform, Democracy, Psychological Reform, Gramsci · Fanon
Interweaving Language and Culture: An Indo-Iranian Perspective
Language and culture are inextricably linked, shaping identities, communication patterns, and social practices. The historical and contemporary interactions between India and Iran provide a rich context to examine the mutual influences and shared linguistic-cultural heritage. This study aims to explore how language acts as a conduit for cultural exchange and identity formation between these two regions. A qualitative research methodology was employed, involving comparative linguistic analysis, textual studies of Indo-Persian literature, and interviews with bilingual speakers from both India and Iran. The study focuses on lexical borrowings, syntactic influences, and culturally embedded expressions in daily communication. Findings reveal a dynamic interplay of language and culture, where Persian has historically influenced regional Indian languages, particularly Urdu and Hindi, and contemporary cultural exchanges continue to shape multilingual practices. Patterns of linguistic adaptation reflect both historical ties and modern diasporic identities, highlighting the resilience and evolution of cultural narratives through language. The study underscores the importance of viewing language not merely as a communication tool but as a cultural repository that preserves and transmits collective identity. The Indo-Iranian case demonstrates how cross-cultural interactions enrich linguistic landscapes and foster intercultural understanding. These insights have implications for language teaching, cultural preservation, and comparative literary studies.
Language and Culture, Indo-Iranian Studies, Cross-Cultural Communication, Linguistic Heritage, Bilingualism, Cultural Identity
Water disputes between Afghanistan and Iran: The new regime’s (Taliban) perspective
One of the current issues is water scarcity, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. According to projections, nearly half of the world's population would live in places with acute water shortages by 2030. The Helmand River (Hirmand river), which is an international river flowing southwest of Afghanistan and eastern Iran, once again water disputes emerged between Afghanistan and Iran after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. The current study uses a descriptive-analytical approach to answer the following question: what are the elements that have contributed to the current scenario - the Taliban's water policy - and the Taliban's perspective on Iran's water rights? The research findings show various factors such as ideological differences, infrastructure built on the river, low volume of river water, and insufficient Taliban literacy of water diplomacy between countries. Helmand (Hirmand) is the only source of water for the Nimroz areas in Afghanistan and Sistan in Iran. The low volume of the river has caused people to lose their jobs and income due to direct and indirect reliance on Helmand. It is therefore suggested to both countries, compromise on a common understanding of the issue, and agree to work on a comprehensive water management plan.
Integrating Sustainable Development Goals into Local Governance: Practices, Challenges, and Opportunities for Indian Municipalities.
The integration of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into local governance frameworks is crucial for achieving India’s development objectives and fostering sustainable growth at the grassroots level. This research paper examines the practices, challenges, and opportunities associated with integrating the SDGs into the operations of Indian municipalities. Given the local governments' pivotal role in translating national policies into actionable programs, this study examines how municipal bodies in urban and rural settings are aligning their development strategies with the global SDG framework. The analysis relies primarily on secondary qualitative sources, including previous scholarly works, peer-reviewed journal articles, policy documents, and government reports, to construct a robust analytical framework. The paper further identifies underexplored opportunities to strengthen local governance, enhance meaningful community participation, and leverage digital technologies to address implementation challenges. It underscores the pivotal role of local governments in advancing the localization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in India and offers strategic, policy-relevant insights to strengthen institutional integration, intergovernmental coordination, and the coherent alignment of local development planning with broader sustainability objectives.
Sustainable Development Goals, Local Governance, Municipalities, India, Challenges, Opportunities, Policy Integration
From Jokowi to Prabowo: Strategic Continuity in Indonesia–India Relations under Modi’s India
India and Indonesia occupy increasingly significant positions in the evolving Indo-Pacific strategic order. Yet, while much of the literature centers on major power rivalry, insufficient attention has been devoted to how leadership transitions within emerging middle powers affect the durability of bilateral strategic partnerships. This article examines Indonesia–India relations across the transition from President Joko Widodo to President Prabowo Subianto, situating this shift within the broader strategic trajectory of Narendra Modi’s India. It asks whether Indonesia’s change in leadership signals policy recalibration or reflects structural continuity in its engagement with India. Drawing on qualitative process tracing of official policy documents, joint statements, defence agreements, and elite policy narratives from 2014 to 2025, the article advances a neoclassical realist explanation of foreign policy continuity. It argues that Indonesia–India relations exhibit substantial strategic persistence despite domestic political transition. Rather than being primarily shaped by individual leadership preferences, bilateral alignment is sustained by converging systemic pressures in the Indo-Pacific, institutionalized defence and maritime cooperation frameworks, and shared middle-power aspirations for strategic autonomy within a rules-based regional order. Modi’s consolidation of India’s Act East and maritime strategies further stabilizes the structural environment within which Indonesia’s India policy operates. By demonstrating how systemic incentives condition—but do not eliminate—leadership agency, this study contributes to debates on foreign policy continuity, middle power diplomacy, and the resilience of strategic partnerships amid domestic political change in the Indo-Pacific.
The International Political Economy of Disinvestment in the Semi-Periphery: A Comparative Longitudinal Analysis of Power and Policy Evolution in India and Brazil
This study examines the evolving process of disinvestment in two semi-peripheral economies, namely India and Brazil. It critically challenges the neoliberal assumption that asset monetisation represents a straightforward laissez-faire retreat of the state. Adopting a mixed-methods research design, the study integrates quantitative data on fiscal performance and trade flows with a qualitative comparative case analysis of Air India and Brazil’s Embraer. Drawing on a comparative political economy framework, the analysis investigates how managerial sovereignty is reconfigured through the reciprocal pressures exerted by political elites, economic elites, and labour unions. The findings suggest that successful industrial transformation depends less on fiscal mandates and more on the state’s capacity to negotiate domestic institutional frictions and labour resistance. The study’s original contribution lies in conceptualising the triadic power dynamics among these actors and demonstrating how their interaction reshapes the state’s strategic position within the global economy. By contrasting the divergent trajectories of the Indian and Brazilian aviation sectors, alongside developments in the energy sector and bilateral economic relations, the study argues that economic policy evolution is fundamentally driven by power relations rather than merely technical reform processes.
Disinvestment, International political economy,India -Brazil Relations,Civil Aviation,NITI Aayog, strategic Realism, infrastructure reform.
Geopolitics as a Foreign Policy Determinant between India and Iran
Geopolitics has been one of the profound elements in determining relations among countries. India and Iran share close geographical proximity and centuries-old cultural linkages. Their peculiar geographic locations give them privileges and vast areas of cooperation. The changing nature of international politics, including the China factor, is pushing India to reinvent its ties with the West Asian region. The Iranian state is facing challenges at both the domestic and international levels. India needs Iran to reshape its ties with the region, establish feasible and shorter routes to Central Asian Republics and beyond and also to fulfil its energy needs. Iran is keen to find a reliable partner distinct from Western identity. In a way, they both need each other to achieve their respective desired foreign policy objectives. Considering Iran’s geopolitical location and the foreign policy preferences of both countries, this research provides a detailed analysis of different factors that affect their bilateral relations and also highlights the consequences and prospects in their relations.
Subject and Object dualism: Problematique of the discipline of international
The subject and object separation with its roots in Cartesian dualism constructs the realm of ‘the international’ as universal and cosmopolitan. Europe emerged as a homogeneous space embedded in modernity ushered by enlightenment and renaissance, invented static spatio-temporality, synchronic history and geography, and installed the rest of the world (object) in this montage of ontological singularity (Kumar, 2023). The knowledge was produced by the civilised West and engraved on the tabula rasa of inferior and uncivilised non-West. The politicisation and naturalisation of the vocabulary of the paternalistic eurocentric world view led to the construction of ‘the international’ as monochromatic realm. The thinking subject has in a way invented the whole world and therefore has power and agency over the world order. A multifaceted multilayered epistemic approach to international can ground the subject and object into a relational epistem of ontological multiplicity. The examination of problematique of subject and object have the potential to free the ship of ‘international’ from the firm docking of the Eurocentric harbour and anchor it to the pluriverse of knowledge. This approach can explain the absent silent thought of space outside West.
dualism, decolonisation, eurocentrism, ontological singularity, subject, object, historicist teleology, relationality, knowledge
Saudi Arabia and Iran: A Realist Analysis of Power Competition, Proxy Conflicts, and the Struggle for Regional Leadership in the Middle East (1979–2026)
This article examines the long-standing rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran through the framework of realist international relations theory. The conflict is understood as a competition for regional dominance in a Middle East where no single power holds authority. Using the theoretical approaches of scholars like Mearsheimer and Waltz, the study looks at how both countries have tried to increase their power relative to each other. Their methods include involvement in proxy wars in Yemen and Syria, military expansion, and forming strategic alliances, particularly as American influence in the region has decreased. The analysis shows that while sectarian differences between Sunni and Shia Islam are often cited, these religious divisions are better understood as tools for political mobilization rather than the underlying cause of conflict. Iran's revolutionary ideology since 1979 and Saudi Arabia's recent assertive foreign policy under Vision 2030 are both explained as strategies to ensure national security and survival. Recent events, such as the fragile diplomatic agreement brokered by China in 2023 and renewed hostilities in 2025, support the realist prediction that competition will continue. The findings indicate that the region will likely remain unstable unless one state becomes clearly dominant.
Realism, Power, Regional Hegemony, Sectarianism, Religious
The Arctic’s Ghost Signals: GNSS Interference, Hybrid Pressure, and the Security Politics of Critical Infrastructure in the European High North
GNSS interference in the European Arctic is no longer a marginal technical disturbance. It has become a recurring feature of a region where infrastructure, mobility, and security are closely bound together. This paper examines repeated episodes of jamming and spoofing in the European High North and argues that they are best understood not simply as disruptions to navigation, but as politically consequential forms of hybrid pressure. Their significance lies partly in their effects on aviation, maritime movement, and emergency response, but even more in the uncertainty they create over intent, responsibility, and threshold. Read against the backdrop of worsening NATO-Russia relations and the decline of Arctic exceptionalism, these incidents encourage securitisation and visibly strengthen the politics of infrastructure protection. Yet such protective responses are not neutral. Measures introduced in the name of resilience can themselves be read as a strategic posture, deepening mistrust in an already tense region. The paper, therefore, argues that critical infrastructure protection has become part of Arctic security politics in its own right.
GNSS interference Hybrid warfare Critical infrastructure European Arctic Security dilemma
Patriarchy, Scandal, and Gendered Victimhood: A Critical Reading of the Epstein Files
The public circulation of the Epstein files and related disclosures marked a significant moment in contemporary discussions of sexual exploitation, elite power, and gendered violence. Yet, despite the scale of the revelations, the aftermath of the scandal reveals the resilience of patriarchal structures that absorb, deflect, and ultimately survive exposure. This paper examines how the Epstein case functions as a cultural text through which patriarchy negotiates scandal, redistributes blame, and reasserts power, particularly through the gendered framing of victims and accountability. Drawing on feminist theory, trauma studies, and scholarship on power, consent, and institutional complicity, the study analyses media narratives, legal discourse, and public responses surrounding the Epstein files. The paper argues that while the scandal ostensibly centres on systemic sexual abuse, dominant narratives frequently individualise harm, sensationalise female victimhood, and obscure networks of male power and institutional protection. The gender of the victims, predominantly young women and girls, plays a crucial role in how credibility, sympathy, and moral judgement are unevenly distributed, reinforcing long-standing patterns of victim-blaming and silencing. The study further explores how patriarchal systems endure scandal by shifting focus from structural exploitation to exceptional deviance, allowing elite masculinities, and enabling institutions to remain largely intact. By situating the Epstein files within broader contemporary debates on gendered violence and accountability, this paper argues that scandal alone does not dismantle patriarchy; instead, it often becomes a mechanism through which patriarchal power adapts and survives. Ultimately, the paper positions the Epstein case as a critical lens for understanding how gendered injustice persists even in moments of public revelation and outrage.
Epstein files; patriarchy; epistemic injustice; gendered victimhood; elite masculinity; feminist critical discourse analysis
Deception as an Institutional Discourse Practice: A Linguistic–Computational Model from Indian Courtrooms
Conventional research on phoney speech in legal circumstances typically views deception as a moral or cognitive defect at the individual level that can be recognised by consistent linguistic indicators. By suggesting that deception is an institutionally created discourse practice that results from the interplay of cognitive load, procedural limitations, and power imbalances in courtroom communication, this research proposes a theoretical reorientation. The study uses a mixed-methods strategy that combines qualitative forensic analysis with natural language processing techniques applied to specific Indian criminal court rulings, drawing on forensic linguistics, discourse analysis, and computational language modelling. Patterns of strategic ambiguity, evasive coherence, emotional modulation, and pragmatic indeterminacy are found in the testimonies of witnesses and accused individuals. To track how institutional forces influence communication behaviour, computational methods such as sentiment trajectory mapping, stance identification, and lexical dispersion metrics are combined with careful language reading. The analysis shows that deceitful discourse in legal contexts functions more as an adaptive, situationally sensible tactic conditioned by juridical norms and interpretive authority than as a sign of personal dishonesty. This study offers a reusable analytical framework for forensic linguistics and legal discourse studies by modelling deception as a situated, procedural, and culturally mediated phenomenon. This framework has implications for judicial interpretation, evidentiary evaluation, and the moral use of computational tools in legal contexts.
Indian Ocean Diplomacy: Comprehending the Indian Vision Ahead
The Indian Ocean Region (IOR) has been a vital juncture in the connectivity for trade, commerce, and shipping. The waters of this region have served as shipping lanes for economic development, as well as a hub for disputes, conflict, and activity in the larger African and Asian plateways. India’s approach towards the region can be largely attributed to its geostrategic location, which also further promulgates foundations for its maritime security. This research paper focuses on India’s ambitions in the IOR and its geopolitical manoeuvres around the region, including an analysis of US and Chinese activities in the region before Trump's second term as president of the United States. The argument of the paper lies in the notion that the IOR should not be viewed through the lens of a single economy but rather, the individual voices and votes of each actor in the region. This intends to place India, not as a messiah, unlike China, developing focal points in maritime security, domain awareness, littoral state engagement, economic interests, etc., but rather one of their own whose interests in the regions are as significant as their people and their economy. It also showcases facets of India’s toolkit, approaches towards the region, and shapes the discourse for India’s future ambitions in and around the region.
Surge Mitigation and Optimization Strategies for Aviation Turbine Fuel Pipelines in India
The rapid growth of India’s aviation sector has driven an unprecedented increase in the demand for aviation turbine fuel (ATF). With domestic consumption escalating at double-digit rates annually, optimizing the pipeline infrastructure for ATF transportation has become imperative to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and mitigate environmental impacts. This paper critically examines the strategies for optimizing ATF pipelines in India, emphasizing the integration of advanced valve technologies, the implementation of surge mitigation strategies, and the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Through an extensive literature review and analysis, this study identifies key areas where current practices can be improved, explores the impact of valve sizing on surge phenomena, and highlights the role of high-quality pipeline materials. The findings provide insights into the sustainable development of India's aviation fuel supply chain, offering policy recommendations and future research directions aimed at establishing India as a leader in SAF integration.
Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF), Pipeline Optimization, Surge Mitigation, Sustainable Aviation Fuel
Mechanical engineering and Sustainability
Feminisation of Educational Marginality: Poverty, Early Marriage, and Access to Schooling Among Girls in Rural Bihar
The concept of the feminisation of poverty highlights the disproportionate impact of poverty on women and girls, resulting from gendered structural inequalities. This study extends the framework to the feminisation of educational marginality, in which girls in impoverished rural contexts encounter systemic barriers to schooling that perpetuate intergenerational disadvantage. The analysis focuses on rural Bihar, a region characterised by high multidimensional poverty, persistent gender disparities, and elevated rates of child marriage. It examines how poverty and early marriage intersect to reinforce girls' educational exclusion. Drawing on secondary data from NFHS-5 (2019-21), UDISE+ reports, and peer-reviewed scholarly literature, the study employs intersectional and capability approaches to identify exclusionary patterns. NFHS-5 data indicate that 40.8% of women aged 20-24 in Bihar married before age 18, with significant disparities: 63% among those with no schooling compared to 12% among those with higher education, 54% in the lowest wealth quintile compared to nine per cent in the highest, and 43% in rural areas compared to 28% in urban areas. These factors contribute to elevated secondary-level dropout rates for girls, which historically exceeded 20% in Bihar between 2018 and 2022, but have improved to an overall secondary dropout rate of 6.9% according to UDISE+ 2024-25, indicating recent progress despite persistent rural vulnerabilities. These mechanisms constrain agency, silence subaltern voices, and reinforce feminised precarity. However, declining child marriage rates and targeted interventions, such as educational incentives, suggest potential for positive change. The study advocates for intersectional policies that prioritise rural Bihar to promote girls' educational inclusion, amplify marginalised voices, and advance gender equality and sustainable development in high-burden contexts.
Feminisation Of Poverty; Educational Marginality; Early Marriage; Girls' Education; Rural Bihar; Gender Inequality; Intersectionality
ASEAN’s 2025 Enlargement: Significance and Challenges
ASEAN’s planned expansion in 2025 with the accession of Timor Leste, represents an important milestone in Southeast Asia’s regional integration. It reflects ASEAN’s longstanding vision of regional unity and its commitment to bringing all Southeast Asian countries under a single institutional framework. Beyond its practical implications, the expansion carries strong symbolic value, strengthening ASEAN’s image as an open and inclusive organisation. This enlargement presents significant challenges for both Timor-Leste and ASEAN. Timor-Leste continues to face serious capacity constraints, particularly in economic development, infrastructure, and human capital, which may limit its ability to fully comply with ASEAN obligations. ASEAN, in turn, will need to adjust its institutions, decision-making processes, and support mechanisms to accommodate a new member without undermining organisational effectiveness. Balancing inclusivity with effectiveness will therefore be critical. While ASEAN’s 2025 expansion offers important opportunities to strengthen regional solidarity and cohesion, its success will depend on phased integration, targeted capacity-building, and sustained support from existing member states and external partners. The paper discusses the opportunities, challenges, and policy implications of ASEAN’s expansion, with particular attention to institutional adaptation and capacity-building needs.
Capacity constraints, Economic development, Human capital, Inclusivity, Decision-making and Capacity building.
Embodying Empire: Wrestling, Masculinity, and the Military Labour Market in Mughal India
Military conflict was a structural feature of the Mughal Empire, requiring a constant supply of trained fighting men. While historians have examined the mansabdari system and the circulation of military labour in early modern North India, little attention has been given to the bodily practices that sustained this order. This paper argues that martial sports, particularly wrestling (pahelwani), played a crucial role in linking physical discipline, masculine identity, and imperial patronage. Through akhara training, daily drills (kasarat), and staged competitions at court, the Mughal state cultivated disciplined bodies that embodied imperial authority. Wrestling arenas functioned as theatres where strength, honour, and hierarchy were publicly displayed and rewarded. By situating wrestling within the broader military labour market, the paper demonstrates how martial training served both as preparation for warfare and as a pathway to social mobility and imperial service.
Culture, Governance, and the Divergent Political Trajectories of the Left and the RSS in Kerala: An Analysis in the Backdrop of Recent Local Self Government Election
Exactly a century back, in the year 1925, two ideologically divergent political projects were born in India: the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Communist Party of India (CPI). They both aimed for social change, but they had quite different perspectives on how culture, society, and political power interacted in Indian society. The society of Kerala accommodates these two ideologies in different parameters. This paper tries to argue that these two ideologies' foundational assumptions have led to a century-long imbalance in political outcomes, which is currently becoming more apparent in Kerala's local self-government elections. Based on historical analysis and political theory, the study argues that Indian communism's focus on material transformation and welfare governance, combined with its relative disregard of cultural embeddedness, has resulted in structural exhaustion. In contrast, the RSS's long-term investment in cultural organization and social presence has allowed for political expansion in the face of institutional and administrative exhaustion. This study places Kerala's recent electoral changes in this broader historical and cultural context.
Kerala Politics, Indian Left, RSS, Political culture, Cultural Embeddedness, Local Self Government Election
Middle East, an Emerging Playground for the Private Military Contractors (PMCs)
Contemporary Private military contractors (PMCs), as opposed to traditional mercenaries, are organised legal entities, corporate bodies providing diverse services, ranging from security guarding high-profile people and government officers, sensitive facilities like convoy escorting, ensuring goods and personnel transit in conflict regions, training, and advising states and other organisations. Their business is often professionalised and legally formalised. PMCs are important actors in the conflict-prone Middle East, where interstate and intrastate conflicts thrive, posing a challenge to the traditional state monopoly of violence. This follows a weak legal system that contributes to regional instability. The PMCs have been blamed for grave human rights violations caused by lack of cultural awareness among the personnel, exploitation of the personnel with unfair contracts, dangerous working conditions, and insufficient support, magnifying unrest and instability in the region. The major powers are increasingly using PMCs in the Middle East for strategic and financial benefits. For example, Russia’s Wagner Group has played a very strong role in securing its interests in Syria by supporting the Assad regime and helping with the acquisition of oil. Certain PMCs also show a unique blend of ideology with profit-driven warfare, complicating regional security dynamics which are now recognised as the “Jihadist PMCs” such as the “Malhama Tactics”. While PMCs have often aggravated instability, they also possess potential for constructive roles. This paper will attempt to understand the role of PMCs in the Middle East with special emphasis on Syria while taking a look at Jihadist PMCs.
Letters as Historical Sources: Practice, Method, and Preservation
Historians have long used letters as supplementary sources, valued primarily for the factual information they contain. This article argues that such an approach underestimates the methodological potential of epistolary materials and obscures the historical practices that shaped their production, circulation, and preservation. Focusing on Indo-Persian letter writing traditions in Medieval South Asia, the study repositions letters as a distinct category of historical sources that demand forms of reading different from those applied to chronicles or narrative histories. Drawing on historiographical debates, conceptual analysis, and a longue durée historical framework, the article traces the evolution of letter writing from early Islamic administrative practices to their institutional consolidation during the Sultanate period. By attending to genre, circulation, and compilation, the study highlights the layered mediation through which letters entered the historical archive. Methodologically, the article advocates reading letters as archives of practice rather than transparent records of events. It emphasises the importance of formal conventions, material conditions, and preservation processes. In doing so, it contributes to broader discussions of source diversity and historical method, suggesting that letters, when approached critically and contextually, offer valuable insight into the routines, relationships, and institutional logics of Medieval South Asia.
Reimagining Narrative Forms in Popular Hindi Cinema: OTT Platforms and Digital Storytelling Practices
This article examines changing narrative forms in Popular Hindi Cinema in the context of digital media. The storyline of Hindi films drew on myths, folktales, and theatrical traditions, resulting in linear narratives with clear moral structures. In recent years, filmmakers have increasingly moved toward more complex and layered storytelling, leading to the emergence of film series, cinematic universes, and long-form narratives. The article argues that the internationalisation of Indian cinema shapes this shift, changing audience expectations and technological developments. The rise of Over-The-Top (OTT) platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and others has had a significant impact on storytelling practices. These platforms support multi-season formats that encourage detailed character development, extended narrative arcs, and greater experimentation with pacing and structure. By analysing selected Netflix-funded films, the study explores how traditional narrative frameworks in Popular Hindi Cinema are adapted to the possibilities offered by digital platforms. The article demonstrates how digital platforms are reshaping narrative strategies in popular Hindi Cinema and contributing to broader shifts in Indian media culture.
OTT Platforms; Popular Hindi Cinema; Digital Media; Narrative Transformation; Transmedia Storytelling
Catalysts of Inclusion: The Contribution of CBID-Trained Workers to Disability Inclusion in Rural Karnataka
Community-based inclusive development (CBID) is the rights-based strategy for persons with disabilities (PWDs) to promote inclusion and empowerment at the local level. The University of Melbourne and the Rehabilitation Council of India collaborated to design this curriculum. Notably, several people in India are persons with disabilities, particularly those living in rural regions, and face several obstacles and challenges. In rural Karnataka, the CBID program trains field-level staff, namely Village, Urban, and Municipality Rehabilitation Workers, to enhance inclusive practices in various fields like livelihood, health, and education. This study will evaluate the contribution of CBID workers advancing disability inclusion in rural Karnataka. The study used quantitative questionnaires to gather data on CBID workers’ knowledge of the practical implementation of training efficiently, implementation strategies, encountering barriers, and tracking improvements. The study used a quantitative approach, a non-probability purposive sampling technique, and a descriptive Research design. 100 CBID workers from the rural part of Karnataka participated in this research. The result revealed that CBID workers have a solid understanding of disabilities, awareness, and promote community mobilisation and access. However, intersectoral coordination, accessibility, and ongoing community participation are still lacking. The study emphasizes that CBID implementations are potentially as well as difficult. Additionally, it ends with suggestions for improving infrastructure, expanding training support, and advancing monitoring mechanisms to strengthen the CBID interventions.
Community–Based Inclusive Development, Rehabilitation workers, Disability Rights.
Community–Based Inclusive Development, Rehabilitation workers, Disability Rights, Inclusive Practices, Empowerment, Persons with Disabilities
Modern Medical Science and Christian Missionaries: A Study of the role of St.Joseph Hospital Baramulla, Jammu and Kashmir
From the beginning of human civilization, dhawa (medicine) and dua (prayer) have interacted to influence healing across religions and cultures. Interdependence is profoundly ingrained in Kashmiri culture, shaping therapeutic ideas and practices. Christian missionaries disrupted this long-standing medical culture in the second part of the nineteenth century. Missionaries promoted allopathic medicine as a moral and civilizational endeavor out of religious duty and evangelistic ambition. Western medical expertise was institutionalized through hospitals and dispensaries in Baramulla, North Kashmir, to change healing landscapes. This shift is symbolized by St. Joseph’s Hospital’s growth from a small dispensary in 1931 to a maternity clinic in 1932 and a major hospital by 1937. Missionary medicine negotiated with local faith- based healing rather than replacing it. This study claims that missionary influence on dhawa and dua created a hybrid medical culture in Kashmir where modern medicine, religious belief, and indigenous healing coexisted in tension and accommodation, reshaping colonial notions of illness, care, and authority.
Dhawa and dhua, Christian missionaries, Baramulla, pregnancy
Protection of Children’s Rights in the Digital World- A Comprehensive Review
We are living in the age of digital technology which is deeply entrenched in our daily lives. These days we cannot imagine living even a day without digital technology including smartphones, computers, laptops and the internet. Many children spend their time using digital technology using different educational applications and digital contents which have now become one of the basic techniques of learning and education. Moreover, applications like, 'Siri', 'Google Assistant', 'YouTube Kids' and 'Amazon Alexa' are becoming daily companions of the children. Though the children in modern societies have received many benefits using digital technology but despite these benefits digital technologies carry risks and challenges that may violate their digital rights. The prevalence of concerns like cyber bullying, online exploitation, privacy violations and exposure to inappropriate content emphasizes how critical it is to safeguard the rights of children in the current age of technology. Though there have been legal frameworks for the protection of children's digital rights, however, it's just hazy that how effective such legislations and policies are in the protection of children's digital rights. This comprehensive review tried to look into the significance, challenges and interpretations of protecting children's rights in the digital world.
Historical Geography of India: From Indus Valley to Colonial Cartographies
The Historical geography of India reflects the profound transformation of spatial cognition, territorial organisation, and cartographic visualisation over several millennia, thus reflecting changes in political power, cultural paradigms, economic subsistence, and epistemic production. This conceptual investigation traces the history of the temporal trajectory between the Indus Valley Civilisation (c. 3300-1300 BCE) and the British imperialism of colonial cartography (until 1947) by utilising analytical tools of historical geography, postcolonial theory, and critical spatial analysis. During their antiquarian stage, the Indus Valley Civilisation was distinguished by advanced urban planning, where such cities as Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro are typical, with grid patterns, sophisticated hydrological systems, homogenous architecture, and strong trade connections as far as Mesopotamia and other far-off lands. In the theoretical frameworks of cultural landscapes and nascent globalisation, these settlements bring out a proto-urban geography that is based on riverine fertility and environmental adaptation, as opposed to the explicit territorial sovereignty demarcation. The Vedic and classical periods, through their successive mappings, followed cosmological mappings, which are reflected in the textual content of Vedic literature in which the subcontinent is visualised as a sacred land (e.g., the Sapta Sindhu and Bharatavarsha). Administrative road networks and spatial subdivisions were used to ensure spatial dominance because concurrent imperial expansions under the Mauryan and Gupta empires deployed these concepts to their administrative domains. The administrative cartographies were further stratified by medieval Islamic sultanates and the Mughal Empire, in which schemes like the revenue schemata in the *Ain-i-Akbar* reconciled the native knowledge systems on the one hand with the Persianate models of spatial aesthetics and state on the other.The period of colonialism marked a radical break, with European powers, which reached its climax in the British occupation, injecting scientific cartography in various measures, such as the Great Trigonometrical Survey (1802-1871). Based on Foucault's power-knowledge paradigm and Said's conceptualisation of orientalism, this paper criticises the use of colonial maps as an instrument of territorial inscription, extraction of resources, and epistemic hegemony, which obscured or subjugated already existing spatial stories and restructured India as a governable, limited zone. Through their synthesis, the paper highlights continuities (e.g., the centrality of rivers) and abrupt discontinuities (e.g., the dissolution of sacred-cosmological to secular-scientific cartography). It also highlights the postcolonial backlash on the modern geographical imaginaries, thus showing how geography has been constructed, challenged, and changed in the Indian milieu socially.This conceptual mapping continues the process of decolonising historical geography by prefiguring indigenous spatial epistemologies as possibilities of imperial legacies, and thus providing subtle contributions to the social construction and struggle over geography in the Indian context.
Historical geography of India, Indus Valley Civilisation, Vedic period; Mauryan Dynasty, Mughal Empire, Colonial cartography, Spatial theory, Postcolonialism, Territorial evolution.
AI and Digital Evidence in Indian Sexual Assault Cases: A Legal-Ethical Analysis
This research examines the integration of artificial intelligence in India's digital forensic landscape, with particular emphasis on its application in sexual assault inquiries. As India confronts escalating cybercrime rates and increasingly complex digital evidence, forensic laboratories in the country have begun implementing artificial intelligence driven solutions to process and analyse electronic data. The study investigates specific artificial intelligence tools deployed by agencies such as the Central Forensic Science Laboratory and state police cyber cells, including facial recognition systems, automated malware analysis tools, among others. The paper encompasses this analysis in the instances of sexual assault forensics, where substantial backlogs and manual processing methods contribute to delayed justice. It discovers how artificial intelligence models, including automated biological evidence analysis, accelerated DNA matching, intelligent evidence prioritisation systems, and unconventional digital evidence processing, can potentially reduce evidence dispensation time from months to days, enabling faster filing of chargesheets within statutory limits. The research further examines how these technologies can be integrated with existing initiatives such as the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal and the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) to create specialised pathways for rape and child abuse cases. Ethical and legal concerns are a major aspect when the usage of AI in forensics is put forward. The paper will sketch how the new Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023, deals with this amalgamation of AI and its interaction with India's constitutional framework, the new Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP), and the existing IT Act. Additionally, it analyses recent judicial attitudes toward digital evidence and also compares the usage of AI forensic tools in different countries and how the usage has helped the police and judicial authorise to speed up the justice process. The research concludes by proposing a comprehensive ethical framework tailored to guide the responsible integration of AI in India's digital forensic ecosystem, balancing the benefits of AI, including drastically reduced evidence processing times, heightened detection competencies, and expedited judicial proceedings, with essential protections to algorithmic transparency standards and vigorous data protection safeguards. By potentially reducing investigation timelines from years to months, AI integration offers transformative potential for delivering timely justice to sexual assault survivors, which can resolve key loopholes in criminal investigations.
AI forensics tools, Sexual assault investigations, Ethical considerations, Fundamental Rights, DPDP Act, Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023