Himalaya, along with the Trans-Himalaya 2 , are imposing physical relief in South and Southeast A... more Himalaya, along with the Trans-Himalaya 2 , are imposing physical relief in South and Southeast Asia. Geopolitically, these mountain ranges with their passes have been contact-zones for different cultures, traditions, ethnicities and religions. These areas were also part of the Great Silk Route in ancient times, with many trade centres located along the way. The mountain passes allowed easy access to people and goods of diverse backgrounds from Central and Southeast Asia. They have been the most fluid and the most contentious zones in the past and also today, as they are also the borderland areas in the colonial and postcolonial times. These regions, with a permeable flow of religion, commodities and mobility, do not fit into territorial boundedness of empires and now the modern nation-states. These mountain spaces were appropriated differently by the dominant political groups in different periods of history. In the traditional Brahminic perceptions, Himalaya are sacred spaces, where the lord of vegetation, Mahadev or Shiva resides. Himalaya and trans-Himalaya are dotted with the sacred geography, where the pilgrims freely travelled in search of peace, meditation and liberation from worldly pursuits. In the brahminic imagination, the Himalaya emerge as "empty spaces", as the gods reside in "pure" spaces, unpolluted by
The article focuses on the transformation of the four hill stations of Simla, Darjeeling, Ootacam... more The article focuses on the transformation of the four hill stations of Simla, Darjeeling, Ootacamund and Mount Abu in the nineteenth century from summer stations to imperial capitals. The taking of hill sites was not uncontested though many official and individual English records convey an impression that it was ‘peaceable’. However, hill sites were not acquired without protracted negotiations with the local rulers. The article has used various lease documents and other incidental references to indicate the tensions involved in acquisition. Early developments are traced to accentuate the large-scale changes wrought in the late nine-teenth century with the declaration of these sites as imperial capitals. The political ramifications of such a move are explored along with the symbolic significance of exodus and its adherence to royal protocol. The main thrust of the argument is that the British were throughout conscious of their position as rulers and every action was calculated to strengthen their hegemonic position. The construction of roads, railways and bridges aimed at showing the ‘awesome’ technological superiority of the English in the eyes of the ‘natives’. While tracing the imperial developments, the article probes the tensions and contradictions of colonial urban development, especially with the coming of the imperial capitals. The earlier appeal of the picturesque was marred by the nature of activities undertaken by the English in the late nineteenth century. The very exclusivity which the English sought for themselves was neutralized by their need to provide urban comforts which involved the use of Indian labour. Congestion and fears of subversion and diseases, which threatened the British in the Indian plains, haunted them in the hills by the twentieth century.
The article focuses on the transformation of the four hill stations of Simla, Darjeeling, Ootacam... more The article focuses on the transformation of the four hill stations of Simla, Darjeeling, Ootacamund and Mount Abu in the nineteenth century from summer stations to imperial capitals. The taking of hill sites was not uncontested though many official and individual English records convey an impression that it was ‘peaceable’. However, hill sites were not acquired without protracted negotiations with the local rulers. The article has used various lease documents and other incidental references to indicate the tensions involved in acquisition. Early developments are traced to accentuate the large-scale changes wrought in the late nine-teenth century with the declaration of these sites as imperial capitals. The political ramifications of such a move are explored along with the symbolic significance of exodus and its adherence to royal protocol. The main thrust of the argument is that the British were throughout conscious of their position as rulers and every action was calculated to str...
Himalaya, along with the Trans-Himalaya 2 , are imposing physical relief in South and Southeast A... more Himalaya, along with the Trans-Himalaya 2 , are imposing physical relief in South and Southeast Asia. Geopolitically, these mountain ranges with their passes have been contact-zones for different cultures, traditions, ethnicities and religions. These areas were also part of the Great Silk Route in ancient times, with many trade centres located along the way. The mountain passes allowed easy access to people and goods of diverse backgrounds from Central and Southeast Asia. They have been the most fluid and the most contentious zones in the past and also today, as they are also the borderland areas in the colonial and postcolonial times. These regions, with a permeable flow of religion, commodities and mobility, do not fit into territorial boundedness of empires and now the modern nation-states. These mountain spaces were appropriated differently by the dominant political groups in different periods of history. In the traditional Brahminic perceptions, Himalaya are sacred spaces, where the lord of vegetation, Mahadev or Shiva resides. Himalaya and trans-Himalaya are dotted with the sacred geography, where the pilgrims freely travelled in search of peace, meditation and liberation from worldly pursuits. In the brahminic imagination, the Himalaya emerge as "empty spaces", as the gods reside in "pure" spaces, unpolluted by
This chapter explores young women's participation in higher education as a reflection of changes ... more This chapter explores young women's participation in higher education as a reflection of changes and challenges to the moral economy currently taking place in the Indian state of Punjab. With its renowned capitalist agricultural development as well as skewed sex ratios against females, we highlight how the metaphorical liking of girls and young women as 'paraya dhan' (others' property) outward bound from the natal 'nest' highlights the deepening and extending role of gendered patriarchal norms making women's education a potential risk to the moral economy of society. Thus, the moral panic surrounding the sex ratio and 'scarce women' in Punjab exists within a paradoxically broader moral economy in which potentially threatening impacts of women's higher education participation to the patriarchal social order are measured up against a deeply patriarchal social and economic base of Punjabi society.
Himalaya, along with the Trans-Himalaya 2 , are imposing physical relief in South and Southeast A... more Himalaya, along with the Trans-Himalaya 2 , are imposing physical relief in South and Southeast Asia. Geopolitically, these mountain ranges with their passes have been contact-zones for different cultures, traditions, ethnicities and religions. These areas were also part of the Great Silk Route in ancient times, with many trade centres located along the way. The mountain passes allowed easy access to people and goods of diverse backgrounds from Central and Southeast Asia. They have been the most fluid and the most contentious zones in the past and also today, as they are also the borderland areas in the colonial and postcolonial times. These regions, with a permeable flow of religion, commodities and mobility, do not fit into territorial boundedness of empires and now the modern nation-states. These mountain spaces were appropriated differently by the dominant political groups in different periods of history. In the traditional Brahminic perceptions, Himalaya are sacred spaces, where the lord of vegetation, Mahadev or Shiva resides. Himalaya and trans-Himalaya are dotted with the sacred geography, where the pilgrims freely travelled in search of peace, meditation and liberation from worldly pursuits. In the brahminic imagination, the Himalaya emerge as "empty spaces", as the gods reside in "pure" spaces, unpolluted by
The article focuses on the transformation of the four hill stations of Simla, Darjeeling, Ootacam... more The article focuses on the transformation of the four hill stations of Simla, Darjeeling, Ootacamund and Mount Abu in the nineteenth century from summer stations to imperial capitals. The taking of hill sites was not uncontested though many official and individual English records convey an impression that it was ‘peaceable’. However, hill sites were not acquired without protracted negotiations with the local rulers. The article has used various lease documents and other incidental references to indicate the tensions involved in acquisition. Early developments are traced to accentuate the large-scale changes wrought in the late nine-teenth century with the declaration of these sites as imperial capitals. The political ramifications of such a move are explored along with the symbolic significance of exodus and its adherence to royal protocol. The main thrust of the argument is that the British were throughout conscious of their position as rulers and every action was calculated to strengthen their hegemonic position. The construction of roads, railways and bridges aimed at showing the ‘awesome’ technological superiority of the English in the eyes of the ‘natives’. While tracing the imperial developments, the article probes the tensions and contradictions of colonial urban development, especially with the coming of the imperial capitals. The earlier appeal of the picturesque was marred by the nature of activities undertaken by the English in the late nineteenth century. The very exclusivity which the English sought for themselves was neutralized by their need to provide urban comforts which involved the use of Indian labour. Congestion and fears of subversion and diseases, which threatened the British in the Indian plains, haunted them in the hills by the twentieth century.
The article focuses on the transformation of the four hill stations of Simla, Darjeeling, Ootacam... more The article focuses on the transformation of the four hill stations of Simla, Darjeeling, Ootacamund and Mount Abu in the nineteenth century from summer stations to imperial capitals. The taking of hill sites was not uncontested though many official and individual English records convey an impression that it was ‘peaceable’. However, hill sites were not acquired without protracted negotiations with the local rulers. The article has used various lease documents and other incidental references to indicate the tensions involved in acquisition. Early developments are traced to accentuate the large-scale changes wrought in the late nine-teenth century with the declaration of these sites as imperial capitals. The political ramifications of such a move are explored along with the symbolic significance of exodus and its adherence to royal protocol. The main thrust of the argument is that the British were throughout conscious of their position as rulers and every action was calculated to str...
Himalaya, along with the Trans-Himalaya 2 , are imposing physical relief in South and Southeast A... more Himalaya, along with the Trans-Himalaya 2 , are imposing physical relief in South and Southeast Asia. Geopolitically, these mountain ranges with their passes have been contact-zones for different cultures, traditions, ethnicities and religions. These areas were also part of the Great Silk Route in ancient times, with many trade centres located along the way. The mountain passes allowed easy access to people and goods of diverse backgrounds from Central and Southeast Asia. They have been the most fluid and the most contentious zones in the past and also today, as they are also the borderland areas in the colonial and postcolonial times. These regions, with a permeable flow of religion, commodities and mobility, do not fit into territorial boundedness of empires and now the modern nation-states. These mountain spaces were appropriated differently by the dominant political groups in different periods of history. In the traditional Brahminic perceptions, Himalaya are sacred spaces, where the lord of vegetation, Mahadev or Shiva resides. Himalaya and trans-Himalaya are dotted with the sacred geography, where the pilgrims freely travelled in search of peace, meditation and liberation from worldly pursuits. In the brahminic imagination, the Himalaya emerge as "empty spaces", as the gods reside in "pure" spaces, unpolluted by
This chapter explores young women's participation in higher education as a reflection of changes ... more This chapter explores young women's participation in higher education as a reflection of changes and challenges to the moral economy currently taking place in the Indian state of Punjab. With its renowned capitalist agricultural development as well as skewed sex ratios against females, we highlight how the metaphorical liking of girls and young women as 'paraya dhan' (others' property) outward bound from the natal 'nest' highlights the deepening and extending role of gendered patriarchal norms making women's education a potential risk to the moral economy of society. Thus, the moral panic surrounding the sex ratio and 'scarce women' in Punjab exists within a paradoxically broader moral economy in which potentially threatening impacts of women's higher education participation to the patriarchal social order are measured up against a deeply patriarchal social and economic base of Punjabi society.
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