Archive for June, 2008

Khanted

Monday, June 30th, 2008

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Khanted (pronounced as Khan Taed) is a title with many meanings, originally “commander”, “leader” or “ruler”. Khanted also means “a warrior”. Presently Khanted(s) exist mostly in India and Central Asia.

The Ruling Dynasty

The Khanteds belong to a Rajput clan which ruled a number of kingdoms and princely states, including Jaipur, Alwar and Maihar, before India’s independence in 1947. The largest and oldest of these was Jaipur, also known as Amber.

The Khanteds were designated by the British as a “Martial Race”, just like all the other castes. The martial race was a designation created by officials of British India to describe “races” (peoples) that were thought to be naturally warlike and aggressive in battle and to possess qualities like courage, loyalty, self sufficiency, physical strength, resilience, orderliness, hard working, fighting tenacity and military strategy. The British recruited heavily from these “martial races” for service in the colonial army.


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Categories: Indian history stubs | History of India | Titles of national or ethnic leadershipHidden categories: Articles lacking sources from November 2006 | All articles lacking sources | Orphaned articles from December 2006 | All orphaned articles

Politics of India

Monday, June 30th, 2008

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India

This article is part of the series:
Politics and government of India

Union Government

Constitution of India
Fundamental Rights

Executive

President
Vice President
Prime Minister
The Cabinet

Parliament

Rajya Sabha
The Chairman 
Lok Sabha
 The Speaker

Judiciary
Supreme Court of India
Chief Justice of India
High Courts
District Courts

Elections

Election Commission
Chief Election Commissioner

Political Parties

National Parties
State Parties

National Coalitions
Left Front
National Democratic Alliance
United Progressive Alliance

Local & State Govt.

Governor
State Legislature
Vidhan Sabha
Vidhan Parishad
Panchayat

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Government of India Portal
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Politics of India takes place in a framework of a federal parliamentary multi-party representative democratic republic modelled after the British Westminster System. The Prime Minister of India is the head of government, while the President of India is the formal head of state and holds substantial reserve powers, placing him or her in approximately the same position as the British monarch. Executive power is exercised by the government. Federal legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of the Parliament of India. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.

According to its constitution, India is a “sovereign socialist secular democratic republic.” India is the largest state by population with a democratically-elected government. Like the United States, India has a federal form of government, however, the central government in India has greater power in relation to its states, and its central government is patterned after the British parliamentary system. Regarding the former, “the Centre”, the national government, can and has dismissed state governments if no majority party or coalition is able to form a government or under specific Constitutional clauses, and can impose direct federal rule known as President’s rule. Locally, the Panchayati Raj system has several administrative functions.

Contents

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Constitution of India

Main article: Constitution of India

The Constitution of India lays down the basic structure of government under which the people are to be governed. It establishes the main organs of government - the executive, the legislature and the judiciary. The Constitution not only defines the powers of each organ, but also demarcates their responsibilities. It regulates the relationship between the different organs and between the government and the people. It thus forms the basis of politics in India. The Constitution is superior to all other laws of the country. Every law enacted by the government has to be in conformity with the Constitution.

The governance of India is based on a tiered system, wherein the Constitution of India appropriates the subjects on which each tier of government has executive powers. The constitution uses the Seventh Schedule to delimit the subjects under three categories namely the union list, the state list and the concurrent list. The central government has the powers to enact laws on subjects under the union list, while the state governments have the powers to enact laws on subjects under the state list. Both the central as well as the state governments can enact laws on subjects under the concurrent list. However, the laws enacted by the central government under the concurrent list overrides the laws enacted by the state government when a conflict arises between those laws.

Central and State Governments

The central government exercises its broad administrative powers in the name of the President, whose duties may seem largely ceremonial. The president and vice president are elected indirectly for 5-year terms by a special electoral college. The vice president assumes the office of president in case of the death or resignation of the incumbent president.

The constitution designates the governance of India under two branches namely the executive branch and the legislative branch. Real national executive power is centered in the Council of Ministers, led by the Prime Minister of India. The President appoints the Prime Minister, who is designated by legislators of the political party or coalition commanding a parliamentary majority. The President then appoints subordinate ministers on the advice of the Prime Minister. In reality, the President has no discretion on the question of whom to appoint as Prime Minister except when no political party or coalition of parties gains a majority in the Lok Sabha. Once the Prime Minister has been appointed, the President has no discretion on any other matter whatsoever, including the appointment of ministers. But all Central Government decisions are nominally taken in his name.

Legislative branch

The constitution designates the Parliament of India as the legislative branch to oversee the operation of the government. India’s bicameral parliament consists of the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (House of the People). The Council of Ministers is held responsible to the Lok Sabha.

The government can enact laws and ordinances as required for the governance of the country. However, laws and ordinances have to be passed by the legislative branch in order to be effected. Parliament sessions are conducted to discuss, analyse and pass the laws tabled as Acts. Any law is first proposed as a bill in the lower house. If the lower house approves the bill in current form, the bill is then proposed to be enacted in the upper house. If not, the bill is sent for amendment and then tabled again so as to be passed as an Act. Even if the bill is passed in the lower house, the upper house has the right to reject the proposed bill and send it back to the government for amending the bill. Therefore, it can be said that the governance of India takes place under two processes; the executive process and the legislative process. Ideally, the governance cannot be done through the individual processes alone. After the Acts are passed by both the houses, the President signs the Bill as an Act. Thus the legislative branch also acts under the name of the President, like the executive branch.

Ordinances are laws that are passed in lieu of Acts, when the parliament is not in session. When the parliament is in recess, the President assumes the legislative powers of both the houses temporarily, under Part V: Chapter III - Article 335 of the Constitution of India. The government has to propose a law to the President during such periods. If the President is fully satisfied with the bill, and signs the bill, it becomes an ordinance. The powers of ordinances are temporary, and each ordinance has to be tabled in the parliament when the houses reassemble. The President also has the right to withdraw an ordinance.

State Government

States in India have their own elected governments, where as Union Territories are governed by an administrator appointed by the central government. Some of the state legislatures are bicameral, patterned after the two houses of the national parliament. The states’ chief ministers are responsible to the legislatures in the same way the prime minister is responsible to parliament.

Each state also has a presidentially appointed governor who may assume certain broad powers when directed by the central government. The central government exerts greater control over the union territories than over the states, although some territories have gained more power to administer their own affairs. Local state governments in India have less autonomy compared to their counterparts in the United States and Australia.

Judicial branch

India’s independent judicial system began under the British, and its concepts and procedures resemble those of Anglo-Saxon countries. The constitution designates the Supreme Court, the High Courts and the lower courts as the authority to resolve disputes among the people as well as the disputes related to the people and the government. The constitution through its articles relating to the judicial system provides a way to question the laws of the government, if the common man finds the laws as unsuitable for any community in India.

Local governance

Main article: Panchayati Raj

On April 24, 1993, the Constitutional (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 came into force to provide constitutional status to the Panchayati Raj institutions. This Act was extended to Panchayats in the tribal areas of eight States, namely Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Rajasthan from 24 December 1996.

The Act aims to provide 3-tier system of Panchayati Raj for all States having population of over 2 million, to hold Panchayat elections regularly every 5 years, to provide reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Women, to appoint State Finance Commission to make recommendations as regards the financial powers of the Panchayats and to constitute District Planning Committee to prepare draft development plan for the district.

Powers and responsibilities are delegated to Panchayats at the appropriate level:

  • Preparation of plan for economic development and social justice.
  • Implementation of schemes for economic development and social justice in relation to 29 subjects given in Eleventh Schedule of the Constitution.
  • To levy, collect and appropriate taxes, duties, tolls and fees.

Role of political parties
For other political parties see List of political parties in India. An overview on elections and election results is included in Elections in India.

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As like any other democracy, political parties represent different sections among the Indian society and regions, and their core values play a major role in the politics of India. Both the executive branch and the legislative branch of the government are run by the representatives of the political parties who have been elected through the elections. Through the electoral process, the people of India choose which majority in the lower house, a government can be formed by that party or the coalition.


Indian state governments led by various political parties as of 3 January 2008

India has a multi-party system, where there are a number of national as well as regional parties. A regional party may gain a majority and rule a particular state. If a party represents more than 4 states then such parties are considered as national parties. In the 61 years since India’s independence, India has been ruled by the Indian National Congress (INC) for 48 of those years. The party enjoyed a parliamentary majority barring two brief periods during the 1970s and late 1980s. This rule was interrupted between 1977 to 1980, when the Janata Party coalition won the election owing to public discontent with the controversial state of emergency declared by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The Janata Dal won elections in 1989, but its government managed to hold on to power for only two years. Between 1996 and 1998, there was a period of political flux with the government being formed first by the right-wing nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) followed by a left-leaning United Front coalition. In 1998, the BJP formed the National Democratic Alliance with smaller regional parties, and became the first non-INC and coalition government to complete a full five-year term. The 2004 Indian elections saw the INC winning the largest number of seats to form a government leading the United Progressive Alliance, and supported by left-parties and those opposed to the BJP.

On 22 May 2004, Manmohan Singh was appointed the Prime Minister of India following the victory of the INC & the left front in the 2004 Lok Sabha election. The UPA now rules India with the support of the left front. Previously, Atal Bihari Vajpayee had taken office in October 1999 after a general election in which a BJP-led coalition of 13 parties called the National Democratic Alliance emerged with a majority.

Formation of coalition governments reflects the transition in Indian politics away from the national parties toward smaller, more narrowly-based regional parties. Some regional parties, especially in South India, are deeply aligned to the ideologies of the region unlike the national parties and thus the relationship between the central government and the state government in various states has not always been free of rancour. Disparity between the ideologies of the political parties ruling the centre and the state leads to severely skewed allocation of resources between the states.

References


India Portal

Further reading

  • Subrata K. Mitra and V.B. Singh. 1999. Democracy and Social Change in India: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the National Electorate. New Delhi: Sage Publications. ISBN 81-7036-809-X (India HB) ISBN 0-7619-9344-4 (U.S. HB).

Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_India
Categories: Politics of IndiaHidden categories: Articles lacking sources from June 2007 | All articles lacking sources | Articles lacking sources from April 2008

Odantapuri

Monday, June 30th, 2008

Odantapuri, also called Uddandapura, was a Buddhist vihara in what is now Bihar, India. It was established by king Dharmapala of Pala dynasty in the 8th century.It is considered the second oldest of India’s universities and was situated in Magadha, about 6 miles away from Nalanda. Acharya Sri Ganga of Vikramashila had been a student here. According to the Tibetan records there were about 12,000 students at Odantapuri. Our knowledge of this seat of learning is obscure, and we are not in a position to give more details. The university perished at the hands of the Muslim invaders. It is said they mistook the universities with their high walls for fortresses. They thought the Buddhist monks were “Shaven headed Brahmins” who were idolaters.


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External Links

  • The Six Buddhist Universities


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Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odantapuri
Categories: Defunct Buddhist monasteries | Buddhist monasteries in India | Buildings and structures in India | Ancient universities of India | Bihar geography stubs | Buddhism stubs

Indian Audits & Accounts Service

Monday, June 30th, 2008

IA&AS or Indian Audit and Accounts Service is an Indian Central Government service, free of control from any executive authority, under the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. The officers of the Indian Audit and Accounts Department serve in an audit managerial capacity. IA&AS is responsible for auditing the accounts of the Union and State governments and public sector organizations, and for maintaining the accounts of State governments. IA&AS is the government’s financial watchdog, and is a critical element in checks on the government. It role is somewhat similar to the US GAO and National Audit Office (United Kingdom).

The service has Principal Accountants General and Accountants General for every State in India. Generally, each state has one Principal Accountant General in charge of audit functions. In addition to Principal Accountant General, each state also has Accountants General in charge of accounts and entitlement functions ( Salary,Provident Fund, Pension etc). Bigger states may have an Accountant General (Audit) in addition to the Principal Accountant General.

Contents

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Recruitment and Training

Recruitment to the IA&AS is through the joint competitive examinations (the Civil Services Examination) along with the Indian Foreign Service, Indian Administrative Service and the Indian Revenue Service(IRS).

Once recruited to IA&AS, the officers are trained at National Academy of Audit and Accounts, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India.

The officers of IA&AS are required to acquire and possess not only the professional skills of an accountant and auditor but also the administrative competence to manage the staff of the Indian Audit & Accounts Department, which has a strength of over 60,000 personnel. Their job requirements include scrutiny of intricate contracts, understanding of tax and revenue laws, assessing the financial health of commercial corporations. Industry knowledge may be required also, grasping for instance the complexities of oil exploration or the working of an atomic power plant and comprehensively reviewing the effectiveness of implementation of country-wise schemes for rural development, health services, education etc.

Sanctioned Strength

Sanctioned strength of IA&AS Cadre (As on 01.08.2006) Deputy Comptroller and Auditor General: 3 Additional Deputy Comptroller and Auditor General: 5 Principal Accountant General: 26 Senior Administrative Grade: 107 Junior Administrative Grade: 161 (Selection Grade 80 and Ordinary Grade 81) Senior Time Scale: 256 Junior Time Scale: 136

IA&AS Overseas

IA&AS officers mainly go abroad to conduct embassy audit i.e. audit of Embassies and High Commissions of India situated all over the world. However, IA&AS officers are seconded to Middle East (Oman, UAE) and African countries (Botswana) to serve in audit departments as specialists. Many also join the United Nations and its allied agencies for a short term.

External links

  • Official Government website
  • National Academy of Audits and Accounts website
  • Webpage describing the IA&AS in the NAAA website

Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Audits_%26_Accounts_Service
Categories: Government of India | Accounting in India | Indian Civil Services | Central Civil Service, India

The India Report

Monday, June 30th, 2008

The The India Report was prepared by Charles Eames and Ray Eames in 1958.

The Government of India had asked for recommendations on a programme of training in design that would serve as an aid to the small industries; and that would resist the present rapid deterioration in design and quality of consumer goods. Charles Eames, American industrial designer and his wife and colleague Ray Eames, visited India for three months at the invitation of the Government, with the sponsorship of the Ford Foundation, to explore the problems of design and to make recommendations for a training programme. The Eameses toured throughout India, making a careful study of the many centres of design, handicrafts and general manufacture. They talked with many persons, official and non-official, in the field of small and large industry, in design and architecture, and in education. The report emerged as a result of their study and discussions.

Following the report, the Government set up the National Institute of Design in 1961 as an autonomous national institution for research, service and training in Industrial Design and Visual Communication.

References

  1. ^ Founding of NID. National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, India. Retrieved on 2007-03-22.

External links

  • The India Report on the NID website

Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_India_Report
Categories: Economy of India

Hussaini Brahmin

Monday, June 30th, 2008

Hussaini Brahmin (Urdu: حسینی برﮨمن ) are a group sharing Muslim and Hindu religions. They are greatly influenced by martydom of Imam Hussain, grandson of Prophet Muhammad, at Karbala in 680 CE. During the month of Muharram many Hindus joined Muslims lamenting the death of Imam Hussain in Lucknow during the rule of Shia Nawabs of Awadh. Brahmins are the highest caste in Hindu hierarchy.

The small Hussaini Brahmin sect, located mostly in Indian Punjab, also known as Dutts or Mohyals. Unlike other Brahmin clans, the Hussaini Brahmins have had a long martial tradition, which they trace back to the event of Karbala. They believe that an ancestor named Rahab traveled all the way from Punjab to Arabia and there developed close relations with Imam Hussain. In the battle of Karbala, Rahab fought in the army of the Imam against Yazid. His sons, too, joined him, and most of them were killed. The Imam, seeing Rahab’s love for him, bestowed upon him the title of Sultan or king, and told him to go back to India. It is because of this close bond between their ancestor Rahab and Imam Hussain that the Hussaini Brahmins got their name.

The Hussaini Brahmins were once concentrated in the Rawalpindi-Jhelum regions of Pakistan. According to the traditions, the Hussaini Brahmins believe that their ancestor Rahab Dutt and his sons fought on the side of Imam Hussain at Kerbala and they were martyred along with the Imam. They remained Hindus but the tragedy of Kerbala was commemorated from generation to generation in their families and even now their clans observes it all over India, although the younger generation is less keen on such traditions.

The non-Muslim tribal Lambadi community in Andhra Pradesh have their own genre of Muharram lamentation songs in Telugu. Among certain Hindu castes in Rajasthan, the Karbala battle is recounted by staging plays in which the death of Imam Hussain is enacted, after which the women of the village come out in a procession, crying and cursing Yazid for his cruelty. This custom is known as Pitna Dalna.

See also

  • Azadari
  • Battle of Karbala
  • Day of Ashura
  • Commemoration of Husayn ibn Ali
  • Brahmin

Reference

  • Hindu followers of Muslim Imam
  • Hussaini Brahmins: Shared Truths
  • The joy of homecoming

Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hussaini_Brahmin
Categories: Shi’a Islam | Islam in India | Indian society

Dharmadam Island

Monday, June 30th, 2008

Dharmadam Island (Green Island) is a small 2 hectare private island in the Kannur District of Kerala, southern India. It lies 100 metres from the mainland at Dharmadam. This island, covered with coconut palms and dense bush is a beautiful sight from the Muzhappilangad beach. During low tide, one can walk out to it from the beach. Permission is required to land on the island as it is privately owned. Dharmadam, known earlier as Dharmapattanam, was a Buddhist stronghold.

Dharmadam is located 8 km from the town of Thalassery.

External links

  • profile on KeralaBeaches.com

See also

  • Muzhappilangad
  • Muzhappilangad beach
  • Thalassery
  • Dharmadam
  • Kannur

 This article related to a location in Kerala is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dharmadam_Island
Categories: Tourism in India | Islands of India | Kerala geography stubs

49-O

Monday, June 30th, 2008

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49-O is a section of The Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, which governs elections in India. It covers the procedures to be followed when a valid voter decides not to cast his vote, and decides to record this fact. In recent times, the urban educated electorate has not turned out in large numbers in Indian elections. This has been attributed to disillusionment with the system, and a perceived paucity of good candidates. In some cases, voters with valid identification documents have been turned away because impersonators had already cast their votes. Recording one’s vote under Section 49-O is a choice that a voter can exercise to prevent electoral fraud, and misuse of his vote.

Since the ballot paper/EVM contains only the list of candidates, a voter cannot record his vote under Section 49-O directly. He must inform the presiding officer at the election booth. This violates the secrecy of the ballot.

Some recent articles suggest that in case the number of votes recorded under Section 49-O is greater than the maximum number of votes polled in favour of any of the candidates, a repoll is held. This is not explicitly mentioned in any of the sections of The Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961. okay

References

External links

  • The Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961

This article about the law of India is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/49-O
Categories: Suspected hoax articles | Elections in India | Indian law | Asian law stubsHidden categories: Articles with topics of unclear notability from June 2008 | Articles that may contain original research since June 2008 | All articles that may contain original research

Gandhi Jayanti

Monday, June 30th, 2008


Photo of Gandhi, taken in 1931.

Gandhi Jayanti is national holiday celebrated in India to mark the occasion of the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, the “Father of the Nation”. It is celebrated on October 2, every year. It is one of the three official declared National Holidays of India and is observed in all its states and union territories. The United Nations General Assembly announced on 15 June 2007 that it adopted a resolution which declared that October 2 will be celebrated as the International Day of Non-Violence.

Cultural Impact

Celebration

The day is marked by prayer services and tributes all over India, especially at Raj Ghat, Gandhi’s memorial in New Delhi where he was cremated. Popular celebration includes prayer meetings, commemorative ceremonies in different cities by colleges, local government institutions and socio-political institutions. Painting and essay competitions are conducted and best awards are awarded for projects in schools and the community,

Notes

  1. ^ Chaudhury, Nilova. “October 2 is global non-violence day”, hindustantimes.com, Hindustan Times, 15 June 2007. Retrieved on 2007-06-15. 
  2. ^ Gandhi Jayanti Webpage from Simon Fraser University, URL accessed April 15, 2006
  3. ^ “Several programmes mark Gandhi Jayanti celebrations in Mysore”, hindu.com. Retrieved on 2006-11-16. 

v • d • e

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

Family

Kasturba · Harilal · Manilal · Ramdas · Devdas · Samaldas · Arun · Rajmohan · Tushar · Gopalkrishna


Gandhi in 1931

Influences

Ahimsa · Ashram · Bhagavad Gita · Brahmacharya · Civil disobedience · Fasting · Hinduism · Jainism · The Kingdom of God Is Within You · Pacifism · Sermon on the Mount · Shrimad Rajchandra · Unto This Last · Vegetarianism

Life

Civil rights movement in South Africa · Bardoli Satyagraha · Champaran and Kheda Satyagraha · Non-cooperation · Chauri Chaura · Purna Swaraj · Salt Satyagraha · Vaikom Satyagraha · Poona Pact · Quit India · Assassination

Philosophy

Gandhism · Economics · Sarvodaya · Satyagraha · The Story of My Experiments with Truth · Swadeshi · Swaraj

Associates

Vinoba Bhave · Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel · Mirabehn · C. F. Andrews · Narhari Parikh · Ravi Shankar Vyas · Mohanlal Pandya · Mahadev Desai · Abbas Tyabji · Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan · Dada Dharmadhikari · J. C. Kumarappa

Legacy

Gujarat Vidyapith · Kashi Vidyapeeth · Jamia Millia Islamia · Gandhi Peace Prize · Artistic depictions · Gandhi Jayanti · Gandhigiri

Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gandhi_Jayanti
Categories: Holidays in India | Secular holidays | Indian society | Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

North American Bengali Conference

Monday, June 30th, 2008

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The North American Bengali Conference is an annual conference held in North America to celebrate Bengali culture. It is usually held around the weekend of, preceding or following July 4. It was one of the first annual conferences for people of South Asian descent in North America. During the event, people discuss various issues affecting the Bengali and Bengali-American community including cultural identity, the future of the community, addressing unique issues affecting the community, networking opportunities, social gatherings, class re-unions, movie showings, literary readings and cultural performances dealing with Bengali culture.

Contents

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History

Created in 1980 by the Cultural Association of Bengal, the North American Bengali Conference began as a cultural conference that brought together the growing Bengali diasporas of North America. The conference has grown from a gathering of local and regional Bengalis to include attendees, speakers, and performers from all over the world. The purpose of the conference is to create a resurgence in Bengal’s role in the Indian sub-continent and establish a role in the North America. It’s goal is to shift the paradigm of the conference from a focus on socialization and entertainment to more of an emphasis on the exchange of ideas to create a cohesive Bengali identity. The annual conference attempts to have Bengalis organize themselves in a single voice in order to put forth and execute the community’s goals for current and future generations alike.

NABC Youth and Next Generation

NABC Youth is a sub organization of NABC that tries to bring together the youth participating in the conference to help promote a common identity and cultural awareness for the age group. It is unknown when exactly a formal youth organization was set up, but events geared towards the younger generation have been around since the beginning of NABC.

In 2005 at its 25th Anniversary, the NABC decided to create the NABC Next Generation as an evolution of NABC Youth. The thought amongst the organizers was that the 2nd generation of Bengalis had grown beyond the age to be considered “youth” anymore. Thus, they created the Next Generation program to reach out to the unique issues faced by 1.5 or second generation Bengalis born in North America.

Criticism of NABC

Despite its rather large gathering, many feel that there is a lack of understanding of Bengali heritage within the 2nd generation of the Bengali community and beyond. First generation programming has been criticized to not reach out to the 2nd generation to entice them to learn more.

This divide amongst the generation has been prevalent amongst the population as both generations differ considerably with the definition of Bengali culture. Much of the 2nd generation do not pursue traditional or modern Bengali performers but rather elect to follow the better marketed Bollywood movies and Punjabi bhangra dances. Most of the 1st generation, and a small but vocal segment of the 2nd generation, feels that Bengali culture should be authentically Bengali and void of other non-Bengali adulteration. They claim that simply promoting a Bengali performer, many of whom perform other acts not of Bengali origin, does not qualify as promoting Bengali culture.

Furthermore, although NABC is officially secular, most of its participants are Hindu and descend mostly from the state of West Bengal in India. Greater Bengal includes the sovereign nation of Bangladesh, which is mostly Muslim. There has been noticeable Muslim and/or Bangladeshi participation in NABC but not nearly representative of the entire greater Bengali population. The primary reasons for this involve the hostile geopolitics of the Bengal region, with Hindu Bengalis generally suspicious of the militant Islam-dominated Bangladeshis, and suspicions of Hindu Bengalis post the 1971 Bangladesh atrocities.

Past/Future NABC Venues

  • 1980
  • 1981: New York
  • 1982
  • 1983
  • 1984
  • 1985
  • 1986: San Francisco area - Santa Clara Convention Center
  • 1987
  • 1988: Atlantic City - Atlantic City Convention Center
  • 1989
  • 1990
  • 1991 Boston area - Lowell, MA
  • 1992: Toronto
  • 1993
  • 1994: Chicago - Hyatt Regency O’Hare
  • 1995: New York Metro Area - White Plains, New York
  • 1996: Houston-George R. Brown Covention Center
  • 1997: Philadelphia area - King of Prussia
  • 1998: Toronto- Metro Toronto Convention Centre
  • 1999: San Francisco area - Santa Clara, California
  • 2000: Atlantic City - Atlantic City Convention Center
  • 2001: Boston area - Lowell, MA
  • 2002: Atlanta - Georgia World Congress Center
  • 2003: Los Angeles - Long Beach Convention Center
  • 2004: Baltimore-Baltimore Convention Center
  • 2005: New York City - Madison Square Garden
  • 2006: Houston - Hilton Americas & George R. Brown Convention Center
  • 2007: Detroit-Cobo Conference/Exhibition Hall
  • 2008: Toronto-Metro Toronto Convention Centre
  • 2009: San Francisco- McEnery Convention Center, San Jose
  • 2010: Atlantic City- Atlantic City Convention Center

See also

  • Bengali language
  • Bengali people

External links

  • NABC 2008 Home page
  • NABC Youth Home page

References

  1. ^ Dr. Anis Ahmed (July 10, 2004). Arnab’s Love & Concerns for Bengali Culture.

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