ShodhKosh: Journal of Visual and Performing Arts

“I CONTAIN MULTITUDES”: ABJECTION AND AFFECT IN NAMITA GOKHALE’S THE BLIND MATRIARCH (2021)

2026-05-06T06:34:07+00:00

This paper examines the interconnected themes of abjection and affects in Namita Gokhale's novel The Blind Matriarch. The themes of abject and affect have procured substantial importance in interpreting the negotiation of marginalized bodies within patriarchal and postcolonial settings. However, Namita Gokhale's novel The Blind Matriarch is well researched, but there has been limited attention to the combined study of all three theories. The paper examines the abject in Matangi Ma’s embodiment. It analyzes affect as emotional structuring. Further, it explores semiotic and symbolic spatial dynamics. The paper uses textual analysis and Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis for identifying themes within the text. Using this methodology, the primary text, The Blind Matriarch, is examined through a theoretical framework that includes theories of the Abject and Affect and an analysis of semiotic and symbolic aspects. The key finding of the paper reveals that the aspect of Matangi Ma's blindness is both marginalizing and empowering, where Matangi Ma is seen as a site of cultural contradiction. She also undermines various common conceptions of power, visibility, and gendered subjectivity. The paper concludes by showing how Matangi Ma reconfigures socio-cultural marginality through theoretical frameworks. These findings contribute to feminist literary studies by stressing the role of affect and abjection in interpreting marginalized experiences.

OUTCOMES OF ECO‑SUSTAINABLE PRISON INFRASTRUCTURE IN INDIA: RESOURCE CONSERVATION, WASTE MANAGEMENT, AND SOCIOECONOMIC EFFECTS

2026-05-06T06:27:57+00:00

Indian correctional institutions face increasing pressure due to overcrowding, high resource consumption and environmental degradation. Integrating environmental protection measures within prison infrastructure offers an opportunity to promote ecological sustainability while contributing to socioeconomic development. This study examines eco-sustainable initiatives in Indian prisons, focusing on resource conservation, waste management systems, renewable energy adoption and water efficiency measures. The analysis highlights how green prison reforms reduce operational costs, minimise environmental footprints and enhance rehabilitation outcomes through skill development and environmental awareness among inmates. Case-based observations from selected Indian states demonstrate the potential of sustainable correctional facilities to contribute to national environmental goals and the Sustainable Development Agenda. The findings suggest that eco-sustainable prison infrastructure not only supports environmental protection but also fosters long-term socioeconomic benefits through employment generation, reduced recidivism and improved public health outcomes. Policy recommendations are proposed to strengthen environmental governance in correctional institutions

MEDIATION AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL ARBITRATION: ISSUES AND CHALLENGES

2026-05-06T06:12:49+00:00

“The method adopted by business parties to dispute resolution has shifted over the previous decade. While conventional conflict resolution techniques such as litigation and arbitration remain popular, commercial parties are increasingly turning to alternative dispute resolution methods to discover ways that better suit their commercial objectives and offer efficient and effective results. Mediation is frequently the solution. Mediation helps the parties to maintain control of the situation and focus on a commercial solution rather than legal action. It has the power to transform a commercial conflict into a business opportunity. As a result, mediation is a primary choice, with arbitration and lawsuit as backup options. In this paper, in addition to describing the features of mediation and how the process works, the benefits, and drawbacks of mediation are explored, as well as ideas for how to encourage mediation in business conflicts.”

SPECIAL ISSUE ON EMERGING TRENDS AND INNOVATIONS ACROSS MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH

2026-05-05T11:53:49+00:00

Dear Readers and Contributors,

The ShodhKosh: Journal of Visual and Performing Arts invites original research papers, review articles, and creative–critical contributions for a Special Issue titled “Emerging Trends and Innovations Across Multidisciplinary Research.”
In today’s rapidly evolving academic and technological landscape, research is increasingly transcending traditional disciplinary boundaries. The convergence of science, technology, humanities, arts, and management has opened new pathways for innovation, knowledge creation, and problem-solving. Multidisciplinary research not only fosters collaboration across diverse fields but also enables a more holistic understanding of complex global challenges, including sustainability, digital transformation, cultural dynamics, and socio-economic development.
This Special Issue aims to explore emerging trends and innovative practices across a wide spectrum of academic disciplines. It seeks to provide a platform for scholars, researchers, and practitioners to present interdisciplinary perspectives that integrate theoretical insights, empirical findings, and creative approaches. The issue encourages contributions that highlight novel methodologies, cross-sectoral applications, and transformative ideas that bridge gaps between disciplines.
Aligned with the journal’s commitment to interdisciplinary scholarship in arts, media, design, culture, and creative technologies, this Special Issue emphasizes the importance of inclusive and integrative research practices. Submissions are invited that engage with contemporary issues such as digital innovation, sustainability, cultural exchange, creative industries, technological advancements, and interdisciplinary pedagogy.
We welcome submissions that demonstrate scholarly rigor, originality, and critical engagement, contributing meaningfully to the advancement of multidisciplinary knowledge and innovation in the contemporary era.

Dr. R Arul
Assistant Professor, Department of Commerce, St.Joseph's College (Autonomous), Tiruchirappalli, India
Email: arul_cc2@mail.sjctni.edu/arulfriends2005@gmail.com

Dr. Veto Dey
Associate Professor, Department of Management, T.John College, Bangalore, India
Email: vetodey@tjohngroup.com

Dr. Abdulaziz Nuhu Jibril
Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Bayero University Kano, Nigeria
Email: anjibril.age@buk.edu.ng / abdul3787@yahoo.com

Dr. Alireza Heidari
Ph.D., D.Sc., Faculty of Chemistry, California South University (CSU), Irvine, California, USA
Email: scholar.researcher.scientist@gmail.com

VD. Manoj M Jagtap
Associate Professor, Department of Rachana Sharir, YMT Ayurvedic College, Institutional Area, Sector 4, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra - 410210, India
Email: vdmanojjagtap@gmail.com

THEATRE OF INDIAN DIASPORA IN THE TRANSNATIONAL SPACE: READING TANIKA GUPTA’S PLAYS SANCTUARY AND FRAGILE LAND

2026-05-06T08:13:09+00:00

Theatre is a significant cultural production with a degree of performativity entrusted in a particular social context. This article examines the attribution of identity and hybridity upon theatre of Indian diaspora in Tanika Gupta’s Plays Sanctuary and Fragile Land (2003). Drawing upon the concept of diasporic space (Brah), hybridity (Bhabha) and transnational social field the article analyses the negotiation of second-generation British-South Asian subjective entity within the multicultural landscape of UK. It largely interrogates the metanarratives around the reception and production of political, economic and social traits, providing a separate space to an individual playwright where a free flow of dialogue can exist with its uniqueness. Gupta’s Sanctuary explores the bureaucratic violence and contingency of cross-cultural solidarity among the asylum-seeking mass, who believe in hopeful reconfiguration of home and belonging. Further, Fragile Land foregrounds the narrative in inter-generational conflict, oppression of gender, and fractured effect of hybridity, as the characters in the play are forced to choses between competing national and cultural affiliation. Thus, the juxtaposing of these two narratives the paper argues that here diaspora emphasises the strong and continuous cross-border linkages, delimiting the imaginary home while allowing migration to brighten the hope of transnational ties. The identity formation for migrant groups, in the case of diaspora, focuses on the collective identity based on their culture of origin. Transnationalism, on the other hand, strictly focuses on the mobility of the people, and based on that, their identities are constructed. This paper tries to understand the transnational engagement of migrants in analysing theatre productions and, thereby, the performance of the Indian diaspora in the United Kingdom. Tanika Gupta’s Sanctuary and Fragile Land records the obliterated transnational self into the hybrid conjunction of the second-generation immigrants but still casts a necessary dilemma of caste, religion, social formation and another such aspects.

MATERNAL HEALTH AND INSTITUTIONAL DELIVERY AMONG TRIBAL WOMEN IN ODISHA: ANALYZING SOCIO- CULTURAL BARRIERS AND POLICY INTERVENTIONS

2026-05-05T06:23:02+00:00

This study examines the critical public health challenge of maternal morbidity and access to institutional delivery for tribal women in Odisha, India. It identifies a complex interplay of structural, socio-economic, and cultural barriers—including geographical isolation, poverty, low literacy, and strong cultural beliefs—that severely limit healthcare access. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach across four tribal-dominated districts, the research reveals a paradoxical finding: while government schemes like Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) and Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK) have successfully increased institutional delivery rates to 76.5% among Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), a significant disparity in maternal mortality ratios (MMR) persists between tribal and non-tribal populations. This gap is attributed to a critical awareness deficit, with 65% of tribal women unaware of maternal health schemes, coupled with inadequate infrastructure, nutritional deficiencies, and persistent home deliveries (23.5%). The discussion concludes that merely promoting institutional delivery is insufficient. Achieving equitable maternal health outcomes requires culturally sensitive, multi-faceted interventions that address deep-rooted structural barriers, enhance community-specific awareness, and improve the quality and accessibility of healthcare services in remote tribal regions.

IMPACT OF SUB-COMPONENTS OF THE GLOBAL GENDER GAP REPORT ON INDIA’S GENDER EQUALITY: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY

2026-05-06T08:11:58+00:00

Gender parity has increasingly become a central parameter for assessing national development, prompting renewed attention to the factors shaping a country’s gender gap performance. This study investigates the influence of the Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI) sub-indices on India’s overall GGGI score over a recent twenty years period from (2006-2025). Using a comprehensive econometric framework, the analysis first assesses the normality and stationarity characteristics of the variables. A multiple regression model is then employed to quantify the contribution of each sub-index Economic Participation and Opportunity (EPAO), Educational Attainment (EA), Health and Survival (HAS), and Political Empowerment (PE) to the aggregate index. Diagnostic evaluations, including the correlation matrix, Variance Inflation Factor (VIF), and Tolerance statistics, are conducted to detect potential multicollinearity. The stability of model parameters is examined through the CUSUM test, and a series of residual diagnostics are performed to validate the reliability of the model. The results indicate that while the variables are initially non-stationary, stationarity is achieved after second differencing as confirmed by ADF (Augmented Dickey Fuller test) and PP (Phillips-Perron) tests. The estimated coefficients are found to be statistically significant and the regression parameters remain stable throughout the period under review. Although no substantial multicollinearity issues are observed, evidence of autocorrelation and heteroscedasticity is detected in the residuals. The findings underscore that India’s overall GGGI score is systematically shaped by its sub-index scores highlighting the pivotal role of sector-specific gender disparities in determining the nation’s broader gender gap trajectory.

THE ROLE OF VISUAL COMPOSITION IN COMMUNICATING NARRATIVE THEMES IN CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH CINEMA

2026-05-06T08:12:10+00:00

This paper examines the ways in which visual composition—encompassing cinematography, mise-en-scène, colour grading, framing, and editing rhythm—functions as a primary vehicle for narrative meaning in contemporary English cinema. Drawing on close textual analyses of selected British films produced between 2000 and 2024, the study argues that visual grammar operates not merely as aesthetic ornamentation but as a structurally integral communicative system that shapes the viewer's interpretation of theme, character psychology, and socio-political subtext. The paper engages with theoretical frameworks drawn from semiotics, cognitive film theory, and cultural studies, situating its analyses within the broader tradition of British realism while attending to newer cinematographic developments associated with auteur directors such as Steve McQueen, Andrea Arnold, and Joanna Hogg. By foregrounding the relationship between compositional choice and thematic expression, the study contributes to ongoing scholarly conversations about the distinctive visual language of English cinema in the twenty-first century.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF SUSTAINABLE MICRO AND NANO MATERIALS DERIVED FROM PLANT EXTRACT AND MICROBIAL STRAIN PRECURSOR

2026-05-06T08:12:21+00:00

This study presents thorough comparative analysis of sustainable micro and nano materials derived from plant extracts and microbial strain precursors, showcasing the transformative potential of Green Chemistry in nanomaterial production. By assessing the efficiency , yield and environmental impact of key precursors – such as Neem and Moringa leaf extracts, along with microbial strains like rochei and Bacillus subtilis. The research emphasis on the advantages of bio-based methods over traditional chemical approaches. A systematic optimization of the precursor concentration along with the synthesis parameters and phytochemical profiling, effective strategies were designed for enhancing the nanoparticle yield and its quality, reducing the ecological impact. The use of advanced characterization and sustainability indicators were incorporated highlighting the potential of different green pathways for scalable, eco-friendly nanotechnology. The survey not only contributes to scientific knowledge but also creates a stage for innovative, sustainable solutions in material science and environmental engineering.

A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE FUNCTIONAL OUTCOME OF INTERTROCHANTERIC FRACTURES TREATED BY PROXIMAL FEMORAL NAILING OR DYNAMIC HIP SCREW FIXATION IN ELDERLY

2026-05-05T08:12:16+00:00

Background Hip fracture is common among the elderly, particularly as a result of weak bones and falls. They tend to result in mobility and loss of independence.
Objective: The paper will compare two forms of surgery Proximal Femur Nailing (PFN) and Dynamic Hip Screw (DHS) in order to determine which one produces a better recovery.
Methods: There were 96 patients above 60 years old. They were separated into two categories one of which was treated with PFN and other one was treated with DHS. Harris hip score (HHS) was used to check their hip functioning at 1, 3, and 6 months. The rate at which the bone healed was viewed through x-rays.
Findings: Patients that underwent PFN had improved bone healing and hip motions as compared to those that underwent DHS. PFN had less complications.
Conclusion: PFN is more suitable in case of unstable fractures as it provides more stability and quicker healing whereas DHS is more effective in case of stable fractures.