A Critical Analysis of Dissonant Heritage and Dark Tourism in India: The Case of the ‘Wall of Truth’ Memorial

For more than two decades, the concept of dark tourism has increasingly attracted the attention of both academia and the popular media. At the same time, there is evidence that there has also been continuing growth in the supply of dark tourism attractions and experiences, whether sites of or associated with mass death and suffering related to genocide, warfare or natural disasters, sites of individual death, or more educative or even playful places associated with death, dying and suffering. Consequently, not only does there appear to be greater interest on the part of tourists, for whatever reason, in dark tourism experiences, but also the diverse issues surrounding the understanding of dark tourism have been explored in a burgeoning literature on the subject within tourism studies and also in related disciplines. Nevertheless, a number of significant gaps in knowledge remain, not least with regards to research into the phenomenon in general and its related sub-themes such as dissonant heritage in particular, in non-Western contexts. Hence, the overall purpose of this thesis is to address this gap in knowledge. More specifically, the phenomenon of dark tourism is a concept that, in the specific context of India, has been largely neglected by academics. That is, the majority of the research into dark tourism has been undertaken through a predominantly ‘Western-centric’ analytical lens; the phenomenon is typically explored within a Western conceptual framework particularly with regards to culturally defined perspectives on death and dying. As a consequence, there remains limited knowledge and understanding with regards to the issues surrounding the establishment, management and interpretation of dark sites in India. Hence, though the case study of the Wall of Truth, a memorial established in recent years to commemorate the victims of the 1984 Sikh massacre, it seeks to make an original contribution to the dark tourism literature through both developing an alternative conceptualisation of the concept relevant to the Indian context in general, and to explore issues surrounding the management and interpretation of a dark site through the lens of dissonance in particular. Though reviewing dark tourism literature, relating to the significance of experiences within cultural understandings of death and dying of religious traditions and practices in India, the thesis first proposes an ‘Indian Thanatological Model’ to illustrate death and the consumption of dark tourism in India. In contrast to established models, this demonstrates that death in India is ‘ever-present’ and, hence, dark tourism offers a platform for Indians to consume death for either curiosity or education, to encounter the actual event, or to witness or engage in collective mourning. Building on this conceptual foundation, the thesis then goes on, though the case of the Wall of Truth and framed within a preceding critical review of memorials and memorialisation in India, to examine the concept of dissonance from the perspectives of identified stakeholder groups. This research is based on the application of qualitative methods within a case study approach employing in-depth semi-structured interviews as a means of generating rich primary data. Specifically, the research involves eliciting the views of key stakeholders with potentially different opinions on the WoT memorial. Thematic analysis is utilised to analyse the interview data. In so doing, a Dissonant Heritage Cycle model is proposed to demonstrate the cycle of dissonance, not only of the Wall of Truth but also potentially at any other heritage site associated with a contested heritage. Thus, the thesis adds an empirical dimension to the discussion surrounding the understanding of the cycle of dissonance at sites of contested heritage / dark tourism. In particular, the empirical research suggests that for memorials or sites of commemoration to be effective and to act as a catalyst of reconciliation, it is important that dissonance is minimised. This, in turn, suggests that it is important to understand the role of stakeholders within the development and interpretation of any site. In other words, the understanding of dissonance and means of addressing it is of vital importance to the legitimacy of a memorial site, thus contributing to the validity of any memorial as a place of reconciliation. Yet the research reveals that, in India, this legitimacy may be challenged by what emerges in the thesis to be the pervasive politicisation of memorialisation. In sum, this thesis contributes to knowledge and understanding of dissonant heritage both generally and within the context of India, whilst also offering an additional and original perspective on dark tourism and memorialisation

Plethysmographic variability index as a tool to assess fluid responsiveness in critically ill patients: a correlation study with inferior vena cava distensibility index

Background: In critically ill patients in the intensive care unit (ICU), early aggressive fluid replacement is the cornerstone of resuscitation. Traditionally employed static measures of fluid responsiveness have a poor predictive value. It is therefore imperative to employ dynamic measures of fluid responsiveness that take into account the heart lung interactions in the mechanically ventilated patients. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the reliability of one such non-invasive dynamic index: Plethysmographic variability index (PVI) compared to the widely employed Inferior vena cava distensibility index (dIVC).Methods: Seventy-six adult patients admitted at a tertiary care mixed ICU, who developed hypotension (MAP15.5% discriminated between responders and non-responders with a 90.2% sensitivity and 75% specificity with an AUC of 0.84 (0.72-0.96) (p<0.001).Conclusions: There is good correlation between PVI values and measured dIVC values at baseline and following a fluid challenge. Thus, PVI may be an acceptable, real time, continuous, surrogate measure of fluid responsiveness in critically ill patients

The compostability and direct land application of paper mill sludge.

M. Sc. Eng. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2014.Mpact Ltd strives for the environmentally friendly disposal of waste material generated by 3 mills, Mill A, B and C. Mill C makes use of unbleached bagasse pulp to produce fluting and corrugated packaging paper, producing an effluent sludge stream (PMSC) and a stream which contains the pith waste (pith). It was in their best interest to investigate the land application of this pith/PMSC blend as a suitable disposal option. Hence the scope of this study was (i) the preliminary characterisation of the pith/PMSC blend, (ii) investigate the compostability of pith/PMSC blend and (iii)to investigate the effects on soil properties when applying raw pith/PMSC blend to soil. The nutrient value of this pith/PMSC blend had not yet been quantified hence Chapter Three covers the preliminary characterisation of all the PMS samples.It was concluded that the moisture content in all samples exceeded the desirable range for composting due to the mill specific dewatering equipment. In addition, an inverse relationship between pH and EC was observed. The nutrient availability was also found to be dependent on the pH. Chapter Four investigates the compostability of pith/PMSC on a small and a large scale using porous bags in each case. It was observed that the composting materials in both the small and large scale composting experiments did not rapidly heat up at the beginning. It was concluded that the moisture, air and the volume of the composting material were the key parameters responsible for this. The compostability experiments were, however, successful in producing an end product that was within the desired specifications and limits. The direct land application of pith/PMSC (3:1) on soils was investigated by analysing soils treated with pith/PMSC (3:1). The application was found to be beneficial to soil after seeing an improvement in cation exchange capacity and C/N ratio. It was concluded that more applications of this will be beneficial to the soil and crops in the long run and N immobilisation will be prevented. A laboratory scale experiment was done to assess the effect of pith/PMSC (3:1) on soil in a controlled environment using an ASTM standard method. This involved the aerobic degradation of varying ratios of pith/PMSC (3:1) mixed with soil in bioreactors, with constant monitoring of air flow, CO2 production and biodegradation rates. This part of the study, however, was inconclusive.The hypotheses of the study were correct as the pith/PMSCwas degraded by composting into a stable, environmentally friendly end product and the addition of pith/PMSC to soil as an amendment was beneficial to the soil

Forearm bone mineral density in postmenopausal Indian women: correlation with calcium nutrition

Background: Osteoporosis is characterized by low bone mass with micro architectural deterioration of bone tissue leading to enhanced bone fragility, thus increasing the susceptibility to fracture. This study was conducted with the objective of measuring forearm bone mineral density in postmenopausal Indian women and to establish a correlation with indices of calcium nutrition i.e. dietary calcium intake, calcium supplements, serum calcium, serum phosphorus, serum alkaline phosphatase and serum intact parathyroid hormone.Methods: Fifty healthy, ambulatory postmenopausal women were selected and a prospective observational study was conducted to correlate the BMD with indices of calcium nutrition. Patient’s laboratory investigations (serum calcium, serum phosphorous, serum alkaline phosphatase and serum intact parathyroid hormone were done and BMD was assessed with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at non-dominant forearm; T-scores and Z-score were derived. Correlation analysis was done to investigate the relationship between indices of calcium nutrition and BMD.Results: The proportion of osteoporosis in forearm was 22%in the deficient group, 60% in the insufficient group and 18% in the sufficient group. Among the study group 15 subjects were osteoporotic by T score mid forearm where as 7 were osteoporotic with T score ultra distal forearm and 11 subjects had osteoporosis with T score total forearm.Conclusions: Out of all the indices of calcium nutrition, the correlation between the serum alkaline phosphatase and T score forearm was statistically significant

An Epidemiological study of malignancies in Jammu province, India a retrospective study (1999-2003)

Research Question: -To Study the magnitude, pattern and inter district variation of Malignancies in different regions of Jammu Province from January 1999 to Dec. 2003. Setting : - Entire Population of Jammu Province. Study Design: - A Hospital based retrospective study. Methodology: -The study was carried out retrospectively from January 1999 to December 2003. The year wise data was collected from the medical case files maintained year wise in the Department of Radiotherapy and medical record section of the associated hospitals. All the new cases from Jammu province reporting for the first time in the five year time period were included. Only the primary tumors were recorded. In case of multiple primary cancer in same person they were all counted as new. Results: : - The total of 4507 new cases from Jammu province were registered in five year time period. Maximum cases 2541 (56.37%) were from Jammu District. Among males from Kathua, Jammu, Doda , Udhampur and Rajouri Respiratory system and Intrathoracic organs were at the top (40.40%, 37.47%, 37.25%, 36.97% and 33.74% resp.). Female Genital organs followed by Breast cancer were the leading site in female patients from Kathua and Jammu District (41.31% and 16.90% for Kathua and 33.39% and 18.41% for Jammu. Conclusion : -The leading Site of Malignancies among Male and Females varied in different districts of Jammu province. This could be attributed to various cultural dietary and environmental factors

Prevalence of Mental Distress and Addiction Habits among Medical Undergraduates

Introduction: Medical education across the globe is perceived as being inherently stressful leading to mental distress in medical undergraduates. Among all psychological problems, stress is one of the common problems faced by medical students. Stress is a situation that leads to tension, pressure or negative emotions such as anxiety, depression and anger. Exposure to chronic stress can lead to both physical and mental illnesses. The stressors among medical students are academic, social, personal and financial. Psychological distress among students reduces their self-esteem, quality of life and academic performance. They may engage in potentially harmful methods of coping with stress such as tobacco, alcohol and substance abuse. Objective: The present study was conducted to determine the prevalence of stressrelated problems among medical undergraduates using DASS 21 scale and also to find prevalence of addiction habits in relation to stress. Methods: It was a cross-sectional study done among medical undergraduate students. Prevalence of psychological mood disorders was assessed by using DASS-21. A pretested and predesigned questionnaire was also prepared assessing correlation of mental distress with sociodemographic characteristics and addiction habits among medical undergraduates. Results: Prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress was found to be very high among medical undergraduates with prevalence being more in females as compared to males. Hostellers were found to have more mental distress as compared to day scholars. As compared to females, males were more engaged in addiction habits mostly consumption of alcohol. Conclusion: Family support, counselling lessons and various other methods of stress management should be given to the medical students to decrease the stress level and make them aware of healthy ways of living

Parasite helminthes, class cestode, diagnosed by hooklets on FNAC

Parasitic infestation is a common cause of morbidity in several parts of the world. Helminthes constitute a significant number of parasitic diseases, out of which large number of cases are due to cestodes. Cestodes can affect various organs, including skin, subcutaneous tissue, liver, brain, spinal cord, orbit, muscle, gastrointestinal tract and heart. Parasites are routinely diagnosed by histopathology, serology, radiology and stool examination however FNAC can also serve as low cost out-patient procedure for diagnosis of certain parasites especially in cases of sub cutaneous nodules. Subcutaneous nodule is a relatively uncommon presentation and is often misdiagnosed clinically. This study includes case series of five cases of subcutaneous parasitic infestation by cestodes that were diagnosed by FNAC

A Critical Review of Pharmacological Actions of Haritaki (Terminalia chebula Retz) In Classical Texts

The drug Haritaki (Terminalia chebula Retz.) belongs to family Combretaceae is used since ancient time for therapeutic purposes. It has been widely used in the traditional Indian medical system of ‘Ayurveda’ for the treatment of a variety of ailments. Ayurvedic scholar Acharya Bhavprakash described the Haritaki as first drug in Bhavprakash Nighantu. It is called the "King of Medicines" in the Tibet and is always listed first in the Ayurvedic materia medica because of its extraordinary powers of healing with a wide spectrum of biological activity. Haritaki has five Rasa (taste) except Lavana (salt), its Vipaka (taste after digestion) is Madhura (sweet) and Veerya (potency) is Ushna (hot). Due to these virtues the plant performs various pharmacological actions such as Rasayana (rejuvenating), Medhya (brain tonic), Deepana (appetizer), Aampachana (digest Aama or toxins) and SrotasShodhana (cleaning the channels by detoxifying the metabolic waste). It helps to improve physical and mental health, prevents degeneration, extends youth and delays aging or rather reverse the aging process. Nowadays different modern researches have revealed its chemical components and pharmacological activities. Main phyto-chemicals of Haritaki are chebulic acid, gallic acid, corilagin, chebulagic acid, ellagic acid, chebulinic acid, triterpenoids and anthraquinones. It performs various therapeutical actions like; antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-diabetic, hepatoprotective, anti-mutagenic, anti-proliferative, radio-protective, cardio-protective etc. This paper presented a comprehensive review of T. chebula especially its pharmacological actions on the basis of ancient texts as well as modern literatures

Reduced graphene oxide contains a minimum of six oxygen atoms for higher dipolar strength: A DFT study

The present work focused on the reduced graphene oxide contains a minimum of six oxygen atoms for the higher dipolar strength. The ionization potential and electron affinity decreased only for the six oxygen atoms based graphene. The six oxygen atoms based graphene have the highest dipole moment. The reduced graphene has 0.25 eV bandgap, which is very suitable for electron transfer. The six oxygen atoms based graphene leads to the least gauge including atomic orbital (GIAO) rotational tensor; however, it has the highest isotropic polarizability difference, diamagnetic susceptibility tensor difference, paramagnetic susceptibility tensor difference, and total susceptibility. The C-C bond length has increased only for the six oxygen atoms based graphene