The paper deals with the different ways in which 20th century Hindi writers introduced the theme of religion into their work. A selection of authors has been made in order to highlight some important issues connected with religion. As may be expected, basically two points of view are to be found, depending on the ideological stand of the writer – either politically committed or committed to man. Thus, whilst religion is deemed by one author to be a factor which divides communities, it is considered by another to be an important tool for exploring the human soul.
The morphology, physiology, behaviour and ecology of spiralling whitefly, Aleurodicus dispersus Russell (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) on different host plants differ greatly. The genetic differences between the A. dispersus populations on 17 host plants were evaluated in the current study. Microsatellite markers were used to identify the presence of host-related genetic variation among A. dispersus populations. Our research clearly shows that there is a significant amount of genetic divergence among the A. dispersus populations on 17 host plants in India. The spiralling whitefly on acalypha and calotropis were genetically more distinct than whiteflies on other host plants. Various population genetic parameters, like heterozygosity, Nei's genetic distance, fixation indices (FST), source of genetic variation in AMOVA, etc. indicate that populations of spiralling whiteflies differ greatly genetically, probably because the spiralling whitefly populations on the Indian sub-continent came from multiple sources. The results of this study have implications for the quarantine protection strategy against this invasive pest.
The early 20th century found both the Czech and the Indian society undergoing a transition which in many respects bore similar characteristics. Both the Indian and the Czech people were striving to achieve independence and both were looking beyond the borders of their countries to find encouragement and support for their cause. The people of the Czech nation, who had already sought self–determination for quite a long period of time, looked with sympathy on the similar struggle of the Indian people. The newly formed Czechoslovakia was now able to create new economic, cultural and social contacts and (later) political relations. The growing interest in India was most apparent in the Department of Indian Studies of the Charles University, in the Oriental Institute (Prague) established in 1922 and in the Indian Society launched at the Oriental Institute in 1934. The Czech scholars who focused on Indian studies, namely Vincenc Lesný, Otakar Pertold and Moriz Winternitz, among others, spent long periods of time in India, where they made contacts with leading Indian scholars, artists and national leaders. Some Indians who visited Czechoslovakia (Subhas Chandra Bose, Rabindranath Tagore and Jawaharlal Nehru etc.) developed deep sympathy and friendship towards Czechoslovakia and her people, which they especially expressed during the Munich crisis (1938) and in the following years.
The interest of the educated Czech public in India during the first phase of the Czech national revivalist movement spanning the first four decades of the 19th century was formed almost exclusively by leading personalities of this movement and the selection of themes connected with Indian civilization was largely subordinated to its ideological program. The predominantly linguistic and literary character of Czech emancipatory efforts directed the attention of leading Czech intellectuals towards the study of Sanskrit as a prestigious language of great antiquity and historical relationship to Slavic languages. Important topics during this phase of the movement included debates on the nature of Czech verse and metrics (with imitations of Indian meters), national “characterology,” comparative mythology and literary aesthetics. Selection of examples of alleged Indian parallels was subordinated to the perceived needs of national ideology with a relatively weaker link to actual facts and their original context. In this early stage the more “down-to-earth” motives of political advantage or economic gain were absent. From the 1840s the focus of attention gradually shifted from this naive and narrowly pragmatic comparatistic stage to a more informed and less biased interest in the classical Indian culture as potential source of universal human values and aspirations. Still, several early stereotypes persisted well into the twentieth century.
Ludmila Volná atempts to explain the problems associated with identifying the literature written by Indian authors in the English language. Indian writing in English is most often classified as belonging to "postcolonial literature", a term generally used for a field of study that examines how literature deals with the departure of a society from its colonial past and the exploration of the common features of postcolonial societies, or to "new literatue in English", a term that allows the possibility of concentrating on the significant features of a singular culture. In the second part of her paper, Volná characterizes Indian anglophone writing, which includes drama, poetry, and fiction. Volná discusses fiction themes and style, and analyzes new narrative techniques and styles in the context of traditional "realistic" writing.
The short war waged in the autumn of 1962 between India and China for disputed territory in High Himalayas had a long-term devasting effect on the relations between the two Asian powers. The present first part of a study recapitulating the genesis of the dispute and subsequent road to military confrontation maps the origins of the problem in the colonial period of Indian history, with particular focus on changes in British cdecision making in the evolving international context. The one-sided furthering of territorial claims in the absence of a strong and determined adversary led, paradoxically, to parallel exdistence of several alternative frontier lines with no fixed and clearly demarcated border in existence along the extended Indo-Tibetan boundary. The second instalment will follow the developments in the dramatically changed conditions after the emergence in the 1950s of India and China as two strong independent nations., Jaroslav Strnad., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The new power configuration that emerged in the regions of South and East Asia in the wake of World War II and the following decolonization process introduced new players to the game of international politics; the roles played by them were orten inherited from the actors of the previous era. it was the general framework of the bipolar world system and the Cold War that represented a new element in traditional rivalries, and which had the capacity to exacerbate problems that had previously lain dormant. The genesis and escalation of the India-china border dispute, interconnected with the status of Tibet, which was viewed by China as part of her own territory and contemplated by India as a semi-independent buffer state, serves as a classic example. On the Indian side, the problem was further aggravated by the inability of the government to coordinate and fully control the activities of its iontelligence. The article follows the gradual development of the ambiguous approach of Indian foreign policy toward its northern neighbour and the silent Indian acquiescence of the involvement of the United States in the Tibetan issue up to the first bloody border clashes in 1959., Jaroslav Strnad., and Obsahuje bibliografii
This paper takes into consideration the role of myth and religion in Kr̥ṣṇā Sobtī’s novel Zindagīnāmā [A book of life, 1979]. The introduction highlights the composition of Śāhjī’s household, where people of different faiths live, and explores the fellowship among Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs, which was a distinguishing feature of Sufism in pre-partition Panjab. The introduction is followed by a section which deals with the core theme of myth and religion. Three main myths are dealt with in the narrative: the Islamic myth of Khvājā Khizr; a Hindu myth based on the concept of avtār; and the Hindu myth of the sun and the moon. When compared with the myth, however, it is religion which plays a more important role in the novel. The paper analyzes the subject of religion through three main characters: spirituality, through Śāhjī’s younger brother, Kāśī Śāh; religion in everyday life, through Śāhjī’s wife, Śāhnī; and human love and divine love, through the young Muslim girl, Rābyā̃, with whom Śāhjī falls in love. Her name recalls the greatest woman Sufi mystic poet, Rābi‘a of Basra (c. 717-801), who introduced the concept of Divine Love. As the theme of divine love is closely linked to Sufism, it is the love-romances of the Panjabi Sufi poets, in particular, that are incorporated into the story.
The article introduces a contemporary and highly controversial Indian politician, Narendra Modi, who appears to have had a tremendous impact on the political culture of India. It provides a brief account of his life, identifies the greatest achievements of his governance in the Indian state of Gujarat, and thereafter, references the most sensitive issues conncted with his existing political mission, as well as his personality traits. Since the article is written some months ahead of the upcoming elections to the Lok Sabha, the Indian parliament, Modi is presented here as a front runner for the post of prime minister., Zdeněk Štipl., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
The paper considers mainly the issue of nationalist radicalism and Hindu extremism in India. Inthe independent India, the close connection between politics and religion became a detonating mixture thathas been one of the main reasons for the escalation of some conflicts in that country. In spite of some legislativechanges, inter alia, the 42th constitutional amendment, the Indian state didn’t create mechanisms of separationbetween politics and religion. Moreover, the process has become impossible due to the weakening of theIndian National Congress religious radicals taking the power. The authors illustrate a necessity to split politicsand religion and a danger of the religion politicization with examples of inter-communal violence in differentstates of India. There are some parallels between India and the modern Russia, and negative experiences ofIndia could be useful for Russia who also clashes with challenges of nationalism, extremism and terrorism.