Praying for Peace: Family Experiences of Christian Conversion in Bhaktapur

In Nepal’s public discourse, Christianity is often described as a divisive force, perhaps a plot by foreign powers to undermine the cohesion of Nepali society. In this article, I present ethnographic material from Bhaktapur suggesting that, at least with respect to family life, the social effects of conversion may often differ from this stereotypical picture. In Bhaktapur, I argue, conversion is more frequently a consequence of pre-existing conflicts within families than a source of new ones. Furthermore, in some contexts, the social, ethical, and ritual practices of Bhaktapurian churches can bring reconciliation to troubled families. In other contexts, conversion can heighten intrafamilial tensions, in particular through the commitment it brings to exclusivist theology. I explore how converts negotiate the conversion process and the tensions that precipitate and result from it, describing how familial power dynamics influence such negotiations. To give the reader a fleshed-out sense of the lived experience of Christian and part-Christian families in Bhaktapur, I give thick descriptions of the conversions of one church minister and his family, and of a church house fellowship in which post-conversion family tensions are discussed. Connecting this ethnography with wider research on Bhaktapurian Christianity, I delineate the competing forces at work in converts’ family lives. In light of the rapid growth of Christianity in Nepal, and the heated and sometimes violent nature of political responses to this, ethnographic research is urgently needed to examine not just the causes but also the longterm effects of Christian conversion; this will help to clarify whether patterns found in Bhaktapur are replicated elsewhere in the country

Magnetized strange quark model with Big Rip singularity in f(R,T)f(R,T) gravity

LRS (Locally Rotationally symmetric) Bianchi type-I magnetized strange quark matter cosmological model have been studied based on $f(R,T)$ gravity. The exact solutions of the field equations are derived with linearly time varying deceleration parameter which is consistent with observational data (from SNIa, BAO and CMB) of standard cosmology. It is observed that the model start with big bang and ends with a Big Rip. The transition of deceleration parameter from decelerating phase to accelerating phase with respect to redshift obtained in our model fits with the recent observational data obtained by Farook et al. in 2017. The well known Hubble parameter $H(z)$ and distance modulus $\mu(z)$ are discussed with redshift.Comment: Accepted for publication in MPL

LRS Bianchi type-I cosmological model with constant deceleration parameter in f(R,T)f(R,T) gravity

A spatially homogeneous anisotropic LRS Bianchi type-I cosmological model is studied in $f(R,T)$ gravity with a special form of Hubble's parameter, which leads to constant deceleration parameter. The parameters involved in the considered form of Hubble parameter can be tuned to match, our models with the $\Lambda$CDM model. With the present observed value of the deceleration parameter, we have discussed physical and kinematical properties of a specific model. Moreover, we have discussed the cosmological distances for our model.Comment: Published versio

The oral epics of the women of the Dandakaranya Plateau: a preliminary mapping

The aim of this paper is to fill in a small but significant gap in the growing scholarship on the oral epics of India by means of a preliminary mapping of some of the oral epics sung by th

Environmental Risk Analysis: Problems and Perspectives in Different Countries

The authors discuss various industrial accidents, which have led to growing concerns about the potential hazards and risks involved in chemical process industries

Wormholes in R2R^2-gravity within the f(R,T)f(R,T) formalism

We propose, as a novelty in the literature, the modelling of wormholes within the particular case of the $f(R,T)$ gravity, namely $f(R,T)=R+\alpha R^{2}+\lambda T$, with $R$ and $T$ being the Ricci scalar and trace of the energy-momentum tensor, respectively, while $\alpha$ and $\lambda$ are constants. Although such a functional form application can be found in the literature, those concern to compact astrophysical objects, such that no wormhole analysis has been done so far. The quadratic geometric and linear material corrections of this theory make the matter content of the wormhole to remarkably be able to obey the energy conditions.Comment: Published versio

Home gardens in Nepal

Home gardens have traditionally played an important role in the production of food, fodder, fuel, medicines, spices, flowers and building materials throughout Nepal. These small areas of land close to the homestead—often incorporated within a larger farming system—harbour high biodiversity, provide a large share of families food consumption and contribute income. Due to their small size, however, home gardens have been overlooked as a way of improving the nutritional diversity and livelihoods of poor rural communities. The ‘Home Garden Project’ in Nepal, set to turn this around. This publication is part of the Bioversity International’s series of Impact Assessment Briefs that aim to inform readers about the major results of evaluations carried out by the centre. The Briefs summarize conclusions and methods of more formal papers published in peer-reviewed journals