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Journal Of The Department of Anthropology JOURNAL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY UNIVERSITY OF CALCUTTA 35, BALLYGUNGE CIRCULAR ROAD CALCUTTA-700 019 EDITOR RANJANARAY EDITORIAL BOARD S. K. SENGUPTA M. T3HATTACHARYA A. B. DAS CHOUDHURY B. CHOUDHURY A DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY CALCUTTA UNIVERSITY PUBLISHED BY DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY UNIVERSITY OF CALCUTTA 35, BALLYGUNGE CIRCULAR ROAD CALCUTTA-700 019 PRINTED BY CALCUTTA UNIVERSITY PRESS HAZRA ROAD CALCUTTA-700 019 p2S^ NO. 1 Journal Of The Department Of Anthropology University of Calcutta CALCUTTA 2000 %(, f 231-1 Contents Pages Editorial The Jogtins of Karnataka: Ganikas Dedicated to a Goddess 1 Urmimala Sarkar (Munsi) Socio-economic improvement among the migrant Namasudra (S/C) Women: Study in a West Bengal Village 8 D. P. Biswas Health for all by 2000 AD: Alma Ata Declaration and the Weaker Sections 12 Dr. Saswati Biswas Modernization in Agriculture and its Impact on the Role of Women 21 Sankha Priya Guha & Ranjana Ray Tribal Women: Study on Reproductive Behaviour of the Oraon in Midnapore town 30 Manibrata Bhattacharya & Bela Bhattacharya Position of the Lachenpa women in North Sikkim: An overture 35 Sanchita Ghatak Social Situation of the Aged in Urban Fringes of Bhubaneswar City 40 N. K. Behura & R. P. Mohanty Pages Old Age in Tribal Society: A study among Santals of village Belkuli, district Burdwan, West Bengal 62 Paromita Dasgupta & Ranjana Ray The life and times of the aged of Solan district in Himachal Pradesh: An anthropological study. 75 Dr. Abhik Ghosh, Dr. R.N. Vasishat, Dr. B.G.Banerjee and Dr. A.K.Sihha Role, status, relationship of the elderly women in family 92 Soumitra Basu Aged in India: Soine issues 105 D. Tyagi The Aged in Today's World 115 > Manidipa Datta Gupta Age Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD) - A Major Problem of the senior citizens of this date ' 120 Sudip Datta Banik list of Contributors and addresses 133 / C Editorial Department of Anthropology has got several emerging areas of research. These have come up as a result of accumulation of knowledge and expertise generated through the works of stalwarts in the field of anthropology who adorned the faculty of this department both in the past and at present. Most of them had their initial training in this University. Out of these areas of research, emphasis is given on the problems of weaker section, women and the ageds, in the present issue. This volume has contribution of papers which were presented for the National Seminar on the problems of aged, women, weaker section and disables, held on March 29 and 30, 2000 under the auspices of UGC supported grant in the level of DSA phase n. Urmimala Sarkar (Munsi) has worked on the women who are although trained for performing art in the temple are nothing but forced sex workers in their other life. This work is mainly done in the context of the state of Karnataka. Literature survey from Vedic period to the present day shows how the position of the dancing girls in the name of the god Yallamma, in the temple are justified through folklores. These women coming from poverty stricken background are exploited in the name of religion by influential and affluent men. The paper by D.P. Biswas, Assistant Anthropologist, Anthropological Survey of India, is on the Namasudra, one of the scheduled castes of West Bengal who have mostly migrated from Bangladesh. He has focused on the migrant women of this caste. These women had to change their attitude, role and position in a new set up. The Namasudra women studied had a fairly comfortable life before they were forced to migrate. They mainly were engaged in household jobs because the family land holding was sufficient to provide for them. Displacement into India had forced these women to take up the role of earning to provide for their families. They took up works like, daily labourer in construction, agriculture and in factories. Thereby there is a change with the improvement of social status and economic level. Swaswati Biswas, senior lecture, Department of Sociology, University of North Bengal, examined, how far the agenda of Health for All (HFA) by the year 2000 has been fulfilled. She has mainly taken the budgetary reduction both in state and Central Government as indication for the condition of health of Weaker section of this country. She has discussed the primary health care system, status of health of women, children and underprivileged. These are done specially in the light of reduced expenditure on health. She has concluded with a depressed note pointing out the deficit between the Alma Ata resolution and practical implementation of health care in this country for the twenty first century. Technological development has influenced agriculture. Mechanization has enhanced the yield. Sankha Priya Guha has taken up his study in Bankura district. Two villages are selected with a view to the understanding of the amount of mechanization available in the villages. He has compared the mechanization and the role of women in agriculture. A study on the reproductive behaviour of Oraon women of Midnapur town had been studied by Manibrata and Bela Bhattacharya. The first author, a professor in Anthropology, Calcutta University and the second, Reader in Anthropology, Vidyasagar University. 151 families residing at Midnapur town had been selected for study. For proper understanding of the reproductive . behaviour, parameters like, income and education are taken. The birth control and reproductive behaviour appear to have been largely influenced by the values of the Urban centre. Paper by Sanchita Ghatak of Anthropological Survey of India has projected the position of Lachenpa Women who have settled in Lachenpa valley of Sikkim from Pare in Bhutan. These women play a very important role in the economic activities of the community Lachenpa, a group belonging to Bhutias. It is interesting to see that these women who contribute so much in the economy of the villages are much dominated by their men folk in their socio-political life. The paper by N.K. Behura, retired Professor of Anthropology, Utkal University and R.P. Mohanty, N.K.C. Centre for Development studies has deliberated upon the social situation of middle class aged living in the urban fringe area of Bhubaneswar city. The authors have tackled the problems by taking note of the living condition, economic and physical support, food habit, their health condition and mode of treatment. The authors have suggested plans for future in terms of betterment of their condition. D. lyagi, Joint Director, Anthropological Survey of India had delivered the key note address. His address on the 'Aged in India: Some issues' is a valuable contribution to this volume. He has defined the most crucial point, that is, the concept of old age together with literature survey. He has dealt with problems of old age and has analysed the factors for those. He has discussed the situation in India and has recommended certain important measures for the care of the old people. Monidipa Datta Gupta has made a general description of the problems of the aged in the perspective of present day situation. Paromita Dasgupta has done research work among the Santal communities living in the village Belkuli in Burdwan district, West Bengal. She has focused on the aged tribal women. These women are living away from their traditional homeland. Much distress is created for both the aged and the young with the loss of traditional social structure. Soumitra Basu's paper is on the status, role and relationship of elderly women with the other members in the family. He has done work in two CMC wards in the industrial areas. The condition of the female depend mainly on the financial situation. Finally the paper by Sudip Datta Banik is on the problem of vision that the ageds face. He has discussed on the various types and causes of macular degeneration and has suggested that biotechnological research in this respect may help the senior citizens of this country to be rid of this distress situation. Ranj ana Ray The Jogtins of Karnataka: Ganikas Dedicated to a Goddess. Urmimala Sarkar (Munsi) Key Words: Women, dancer, patrons, folklore Abstract: Ganikas, according to the ancient Indian literature were beautiful and specially gifted women, trained in the fine arts like music, songs and dance and were supposed to entertain the kings and any other wealthy patron. They were held in very high esteem by the society. In continuation of this dying tradition, the Jogtin of Karnataka and Maharastra are dedicated to the goddess Yallamma. With passage of time, the idea of service of the goddess has actually taken a place of secondary importance and today these women live a life of social outcastes generally earning their living through prostitution. The society has invented the position of such women with the help of local folklore which continues to justify the marriage of young girls from poor families to the goddess Yallamma and thus becoming the properties of the whole society. The Background Traces of the existence of Ganikas have been found in the literature of the Vedic period. The Ganika is an ancient institution in India, and the word is used as the feminine form of Ganaka, which literally means a person, bought for a large sum. In Natyashastra (c.300 BC) it is said that the king always holds the Ganikas in very high esteem and gives them a place of respect due to her virtues and skills. But in return she has to be available whenever asked for. According to Bharata the Ganika is a beautiful and specially gifted woman. The Ganikas were trained in fine arts like music, songs, and dance and were supposed to entertain the kings and any other wealthy patron on religious and social occasions. A great lot of material is available on Ganikas in the Buddhist and Jain literature as well. In Buddhist literature it is mentioned that a king's harem could sometimes house about 16000 dancing girls (Jataka I and III). Any girl from any caste or class could be brought to the harem by the king. Although women from royal families learnt the fine arts too but they did not belong to the same category with the Ganikas. The Ganikas were sought and admired by the people because of their special gifts - their accomplishments, intellectual as well as physical, and their 1