Anthrobuds

  Public anthropology in practice   By Prof. Abhijit Guha     BACKGROUND   A.L. Kroeber (1876-1960) in his essay Eighteen Professions published in the American Anthropologist in 1915 began with two interesting paragraphs. I quote:   Anthropology today includes two studies which fundamental differences of aim and method render irreconcilable. One of those branches is biological and psychological; the other, social or historical (Kroeber 1915).   The second paragraph starts with a more interesting sentence, which runs as follows:   There is a third field, the special province of anthropology, concerned with the relation of biological and social factors. This is no-man’s land, and therefore used as a picnic-ground by whosoever prefers pleasure excursions to the work of cultivating a patch of understanding. Some day this tract will also be surveyed, fenced and improved (Ibid).   Yes, Kroeber was right and he came to anthropology from another subject like hi

  A bus ride, a begging singer and me: How I discovered gratitude? By Priyambda Samanta Ray (Sem I, 2023)   Sourced from:  http://joannasokolowska.com/product/grateful/   This week from the very beginning itself has been enlightening for me. But the particular thing that I have noticed is that this week is leaning towards making me feel more grateful for everything. Gratitude is a very underrated but effective gesture that anyone can show. Gratitude not only makes the receiving end happy but also the offering end, it’s not just happiness a person feels when someone is grateful to them but also helps them to love themselves a little more, make a happy memory, release dopamine, and ensures mental stability by relieving them, makes them feel important. Just some genuine words of gratefulness or gratitude have so much effect then why not just say it? Let me begin with the incident that made me write this…I was on a bus, halfway to my destination. I was sitting on the seat designa

"  আসছে বছর আবার হবে" we will repeat next year! -  A phrase and my socialisation  by Ankita Majumder (Sem I, 2023) This is a phrase we all have heard on দশমী when Durga maa is all set to go back to her husband’s house.   Right after সিঁদুর খেলা , many males near my area would shout out this phase which then would cause the little kids to shout the phrase again and again in unison for a while.   When I was a small kid myself I couldn’t understand why people would say this phrase so many times. What is so special about it? And why is that this phrase is only used when Durga maa is about to go back? Why not for other gods and goddesses, why only for her?  But as I grew older I slowly understood the inner meaning of it. The phrase wasn’t use just for the entertainment of the people or because they felt like it was their responsibility or duty.   The phrase was use because it displays the hope, the prayers, the love and the feeling that in the next year the streets