Muslimanski prekariat v Assamu: Okužbe, migranti in Covid-19

This article examines the plight of migrant Muslim garbage pickers during the COVID-19 lockdown in India and their struggles to return home to Assam. Their financial hardships were exacerbated by social, political, and religious prejudices. Belonging to the Bengali-speaking miya community, deemed “Bangladeshi,” government authorities neglected them. The lockdown’s hyped-up anti-Muslim propaganda also reduced them to “corona jihadis.” The author reads their struggles as a case study of the Muslim condition in India and argues for civic engagement for redressing the condition of the marginal and vulnerable. The research was conducted through telephone and Zoom calls and in-person interviews.Članek obravnava stiske migrantskih muslimanskih smetarjev med popolnim zaprtjem javnega življenja v Indiji in njihova prizadevanja za vrnitev v rodno pokrajino Assam. Družbeni, politični in verski predsodki so njihove finančne težave še povečali. Zaradi njihove pripadnosti bengalsko govoreči skupnosti miya, ki izvira iz Bangladeša, se indijske oblasti zanje niso menile, okrepljena protimuslimanska propaganda jih je v času lockdowna obravnavala kot »korona džihadiste«. Avtorica njihov boj za preživetje obravnava v okviru splošnega položaja muslimanov v Indiji, obenem pa se zavzema, da bi civilna družba naredila več za izboljšanje položaja najbolj marginaliziranih in ranljivih skupin. Raziskava je bila izvedena po telefonu, aplikaciji Zoom in z osebnimi intervjuji

Perpetrators' Humanity: War, Violence, and Memory After 1971

How does love for home/nation become the site for intolerance and provoke violence against others? What precipitates the expression of this hate? Is shared humanity possible among erstwhile perpetrators and victims? Through the method of oral history, in this article I probe these questions by investigating the memories of perpetrators of the 1971 war of Bangladesh. A common and shared memory of perpetrators was the humbling experience of fighting a destructive war in which they lost nation as well as their human self. The mournful memories of human loss are explained as the destruction of insāniyat , which opens the space for acknowledging the divergent desires of nationalism that clashed with human ethics. Today, the nations of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh refuse to acknowledge the disastrous memories of 1971 because it unsettles state written histories. For perpetrators, however, the memories of violence are critical for understanding the meaning of sacrifice on behalf of nation, as well raising for them the question of ethical responsibility to victims. The moral dilemma is an “imprisoned” memory of the loss of insāniyat that cannot be articulated publicly because there is no place for it in Bangladesh and Pakistan. The fragmentary shards of perpetrators' memories express hope for renewing the commitment to insāniyat. This is a challenge and struggle in South Asia that is divided by mythical national histories and the politics of postcolonial nationalism. Without the rethinking of insāniyat at a public level, I'd argue the question of tolerance would remain submerged or become simply a document constructed at supra-national level without anchoring it within culture and society in South Asia

Assessment and prediction of cardiovascular risk and associated factors among tribal population of Assam and Mizoram, Northeast India: A cross-sectional study

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are major health concerns and the leading cause of mortality globally. In India, tribal people are limited to rural areas and often associated with undiagnosed, uncontrolled disease risk factors. In this study, we explore the CVD risk factors and predict the ten-year CVD risk in tribal populations of Assam and Mizoram, Northeast India. Methods: This community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Assam and Mizoram from 2019 to 2022. The details of demographics, socioeconomic status, and anthropometric data were collected, and participants were evaluated for cardiometabolic risk factors using serum samples. To identify cardio-metabolic risk-associated factors, we performed a logistic regression analysis. The ten-year CVD risk was calculated using the Framingham general cardiovascular risk prediction equations. Results: The study included 1812 participants from the villages of Assam (n = 708) and Mizoram (n = 1104). It was observed that Mizoram's tribal males who were overweight, >35 years of age, with higher systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and low levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) had a higher chance of developing cardiovascular disease over the next ten years. Multiple regression analysis revealed that age, gender, body mass index (BMI), smoking habits, and alcohol consumption were the risk factors that elevate SBP, DBP, blood glucose, and lipid levels and contribute to CVD risk among the tribal population. Conclusion: Our findings highlight distinct risk factors contributing to cardiovascular risks within the tribal communities of Assam and Mizoram. Hence, it is essential to raise awareness among the tribal population and educate them on adopting a healthy lifestyle