Browsing by Author "Singh, Amandeep"

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Autobiography as a social critique: a study of madhopuri's changiya rukh and valmiki's joothan
(Central University of Punjab, 2017) Kaur, Kamaljeet; Singh, Amandeep
Autobiographies shed light on the whole social milieu of a particular time and space through the life story of an individual. In the Dalit literature, autobiographical writing occupies important place. By foregrounding the problems of the current social structure of India, these autobiographies present important social critique of the prevalent problems. Balbir Madhopuri's autobiography Changiya Rukh and Omprakash Valmiki's Joothan reflect the internal agony and pain of Dalits. This research work is an attempt to analyze these two autobiographies as a form of social critique. Balbir Madhopuri's Changiya Rukh represents the painful history of Dalit fraternity. It outlines the difficulties, sufferings and harsh realities of Dalit life. Along with the real picture of casteism, it also highlights the physical torture, mental anguish, religious and educational exploitation of Dalits. The writer points out the dual nature of society in the context of caste based discrimination. Omprakash Valmiki's Joothan is not only one man's biography, but it is also a tale of whole Valmiki fraternity. Joothan unveils our cruel social system that exploits Dalit people. The word 'Joothan' itself reflects the poverty, pain and disrespect towards the Dalit fraternity and represents the gravity of the socio-economic and cultural rift between the different castes in Indian society. Through these autobiographies, Omprakash Valmiki and Balbir Madhopuri try to bring forward the difficulties faced by an individual in a layered/divided society. Both autobiographies are centered on the struggle against exploitation on the basis of casteism and point out the need for improvement and upliftment in Dalit people's life. This study highlights the need for greater efforts on the part of individual and the society to remove these obstacles in the path of progress
Changing Landscape of Punjab: An Ecocritical Reading of Balbir Parwana's Select Fiction
(Contemporary Literary Review India, 2016) Singh, Amandeep
In contemporary Punjabi fiction, Balbir Parwana holds an important place. In his novels, he tries to trace out the changes occurring in socio-cultural spheres of Punjabi society. Physical landscape of Punjab has transformed greatly after green revolution. In this paper, two novels of Balbir Parwana Gehar Charhi Asmaan (2010) and Katha is Yug di (2011) have been studied from the ecocritical point of view. These texts foreground the changes occurring in the natural spaces, and being one of the few contemporary texts that give so much thought to environmental degradation, these texts are a commendable effort to bring into focus the hitherto neglected and ecologically fragile region of Punjab.
Critiquing anthropocentrism in amitav ghosh's the hungry tide and j.m. coetzee's disgrace
(Central University of Punjab, 2013) Sheenam; Singh, Amandeep
Rapid degradation of environment is an important concern facing all disciplines of knowledge and man centeredness known as anthropocentrism is believed to be one of the major causes behind this. In literary sphere, approach of ecocriticism focuses on environmental issues and dominance of man over non-human living and non-living objects. Both the novels selected for this study, disclose the effects of degradation of environment due to man's anthropocentric approach. Amitav Ghosh in his novel The Hungry Tide deals with the themes of wildlife conservation and preservation of natural flora and fauna taking into consideration the lives of human beings. Focusing on ecologically fragile Sunderbans area, Ghosh raises questions about conflict between humans and animals and shows how anthropocentric model of development results in disappearance of tigers and other natural inhabitants of this region. Likewise, J.M.Coetzee in his novel Disgrace deals with the suffering of animals. Focusing on Post-Apartheid Africa, Coetzee presents the perspective of blacks who had to suffer like animals during colonialism. In this conflict, animals become the first casualty and reclamation of land and other natural resources becomes an important step towards fighting back. Both these writers tries to decentre human beings, they are of the view that non-human other should acquire equal rights and protection as human beings themselves possess. Lucy in Disgrace is the voice of Coetzee as she is concerned towards the well being of the animals. Piyali Roy in The Hungry Tide is also concerned about the animals but she views nature from the perspective of First world nations.
Dialectics of South Asian Subjectivity across Borders: A Critical Study of Selected Contemporary English and Vernacular Diasporic Fiction
(Central University of Punjab, 2019) Kaur, Pardeep; Singh, Amandeep
The present thesis examines the dialectics of South Asian subjectivity across borders of nation-state, gender, religion, class, culture and ethnicity through the critical study of eight novels by diasporic writers in English and vernacular languages. The thesis is organised into six chapters. The introductory chapter comprises major trends in contemporary South Asian diasporic literature, the review of existing literature, brief introduction to the selected texts, historically theorising the term subjectivity from the Enlightenment to the postmodern era. The second chapter explores the perceptions of different generations regarding tradition, modernity, assimilation and acculturation, evolved through conflicts and dialogue. The third chapter explores how spatial and temporal contexts keep on shaping individual subjectivity, while at the same time personal and collective history spiral together for determining the historical positioning of these subjects. The fourth chapter examines the contestation between normative discourses (heterosexuality, patriarchy, religion, nationalism etc.) and the existing alternative discourses (homosexuality, hybridity, cosmopolitanism etc.) leading to the dynamic process of South Asian subjectivity construction. The changing definitions and nature of culture, existence of plurality of cultures, multicultural overtones represented in the contemporary fiction constitute the fifth chapter of this study. The concluding chapter presents a composite South Asian subjectivity which cannot be claimed as a definite portrayal because subjectivity is not an event but a process. A pattern can be seen through the analysis of these works which shows the common frames of reference in the subjectivity formation of this community through the dialectics among different notions of existence. The critical study of selected diasporic texts shows that subjugated and muted subjectivities occupy the narrative spaces in contemporary English and vernacular fiction.
Diasporic Spaces: A Comparative Study of Selected Diasporic Fiction
(Central University of Punjab, 2014) Shah, Samees Ahmed; Singh, Amandeep
This study is an attempt to do the comparative analysis of three novels by three Indian English women writers, The Namesake, Jasmine and Born Confused by Jhumpa Lahiri, Bharati Mukherjee and Tanuja Desai Hidier respectively. Starting with diaspora, its phases and its types, it focuses on the making of diasporic spaces amid diaspora. It also shows the characters' struggle to make their home and space in a foreign land. Every character is shown as having his/her own perception of home, space and world of belonging. All three novels are an important part of Modern Diasporic Indian English Literature. Study of 'diaspora space' shows how individual identity is shaped and where differences are created, and it also shows how identities are formulated and constructed by physical, mental and social attitudes. Individual identities and his/her relation with homeland have undergone considerable change in recent decades. It has lost its fixity and migrants are in a process of becoming global citizens. The study of the three novels taken up for comparison suggests that all the characters try their best to penetrate their roots deep into the American soil, but everyone is not fully successful in doing so. All diasporic people struggle to create a separate space in host country but everyone struggles in his/her own way. Analysing diaspora space and other identity issues relating to diaspora helps in understanding of how and where identity is shaped and differences are made and remade.
Domestic space: A comparative study of born confused and queen of dreams
(Central University of Punjab, 2014) Naik, Showkat Ahmed; Singh, Amandeep
Within a variety of academic disciplines, diaspora has gained a stupendous magnitude over the times. Dispersion of an established system brought about by the crisis coercion, catastrophe and other forcible movements is called diaspora. After the dispersion the individual needs some specific place to continue his life and the place he chooses subsequent to the dispersion is termed as domestic space, space which allows privacy, security and creativity. Domestic space is imbued with the sense of homeliness and in view of this home is considered as the most imperative element of domestic space which has begin to attract an increasing amount of critical attention across the humanities and social science. While living in the domestic space human being is always at the periphery of the war, the domestic space becomes a scene of conflict. Numerous authors around the world have presented domesticity in their creative works yet little has been written on the experience. Tanuja Desai Hidier and Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni had traversed into the new territories and tried to delve into the new suburban's of the domestic space. The foremost objective of this research is to analyse the domestic space in the course of Diaspora alluding from Tanuja Desai's Born Confused and Chitra Divakaruni's Queen of Dreams. The heart of Born Confused is about learning how to bring two cultures together without falling apart yourself in the process. Likewise Queen of Dreams vivifies the arrogant, deceitful and the xenophobia of the Americans towards the immigrants after the 9/11 attack on World Trade Centre. Born Confused and Queen of Dreams are blended with the dwelling of domestic space created by immigrants themselves which not only gives them the impression of place of living but acts as a whole territory.
Genetic diversity and population structure of Melia azedarach in North-Western Plains of India
(Springer Verlag, 2016) Thakur, Sapna; Choudhary, Shruti; Singh, Amandeep; Ahmad, Kamal; Sharma, Gagan; Majeed, Aasim; Bhardwaj, Pankaj
Key message: Genetic structure amongM. azedarachpopulations was detected and two subpopulations were present among them. A significant ?isolation by distance? was found inM. azedarachpopulation in North-Western Plains of India. Abstract: Melia azedarach is an important forest tree with pharmaceutical, insecticidal, pesticidal, and commercial significance. It is a good reforestation tree because of its fast growth and drought hardy nature. Genetic variation in a species allows itself to adapt, evolve and respond to environmental stress. It provides the basis for survival of a species and critically influences its evolutionary potential. Assessment of genetic diversity is necessary for improvement and conservation of a species. For this, microsatellite markers are of particular interest given the attributes like co-dominance, reproducibility, hyper variability and abundance throughout the genome. In the present study, we analyzed the genetic diversity and population structure of M. azedarach, an ecologically imperative species growing in the North-Western Plains of India. We developed 43 microsatellite markers, of which 20 were subsequently employed for analysis of diversity and population structure among 33 populations encompassing 318 genotypes representing North-Western Plains of India. A moderate level of diversity (Na?=?5.1, Ho?=?0.506, He?=?0.712, I?=?1.386) was assessed. The highest value of ?K estimated using STRUCTURE indicated 2 subpopulations (K?=?2). AMOVA exhibited 73?% variation within populations and 12?% variation was found among regions. Significant positive correlation between geographical and genetic distance was found (Rxy?=?0.365, P?=?0.010). The present study lays a foundation on a better understanding of genetic dynamics of the species and reveals its diversity and population structure in North-Western Plains of India. ? 2016, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.
NEGOTIATING IDENTITY IN POSTCOLONIAL SPACE: A CRITICAL STUDY OF SELECTED SOUTH ASIAN DIASPORIC FICTION
(Central University of Punjab, 2019) Naik, Showkat Ahmad; Singh, Amandeep
Delineating identity is a very complex phenomenon because identity has many factors contributing to its development that differ from scenario to scenario. Identities are part of history in which they evolve and are subject to constant change and transformation. Therefore, phenomenon of identity, an enigma till now, has become more enigmatic due to the emergence of postcolonial space, because of the blending in of different identities in it. Postcolonial space created after wide-ranging resistance with intellectual and diplomatic dexterity is intended to exploit the myth that dissenting voices can never be absolutely silenced. However, the paradox that lies amid the postcolonial space is that chaos perpetuates order. For that reason, this thesis is an attempt to illuminate that all noticeable instabilities cannot be identified underneath the heading of chaos as sometimes the assumption of certain negative terms may be used as much in the facility of backing up to remove whatever is made obligatory. There are some postcolonial diasporic writers who describe postcolonial spatial scenario and show how the canon of South Asian English Literature has flourished itself to some definite expectations by forging a counter-Orientalist discourse. Brick Lane by Monica Ali, Queen of Dreams by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai, The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid and Home Boy by H.M. Naqvi are novels that are drenched with issues regarding the notion of identity in postcolonial space particularly in the diasporic contexts. These authors in their respective novels traverse into the new suburban to negotiate identity of the different characters and expose the dilemmas they go through.
Portrayal of diaspora in english and vernacular fiction: A study of the namesake and hashiye
(Central University of Punjab, 2012) Kaur, Shyamkiran; Singh, Amandeep
Diaspora is a complex phenomenon which has important economic, political, social, and religious dimensions. It can be voluntary or forcible movement of people from their native land into new regions. Diasporic discourses deal with themes like cultural dualism, racial discrimination, identity crisis, alienation, struggle for survival, nostalgia, hybridity, transnational migration, globalization and second-generation cultural gaps etc. The approach of this study is to undertake individual studies of Jhumpa Lahiri and Darshan Singh Dhir and examine the diasporic issues in their chosen works, The Namesake and Hashiye respectively. The prime object of this research is to bring into focus the major issues of the different classes of migrants by undertaking a comparative study of two novels: one published in English and the other in Punjabi; one written by a woman and the other by a man. Both Lahiri and Dhir portray the well known as well as normally concealed world of migrants in their fictional narratives. Lahiri portrays the individual and familial matters from a broadly female perspective while Dhir reveals political, cultural and familial issues. These writings encapsulate many experiences of the Indian American and Indian Britain families from changing family relationships and issues of culture to the overall challenge of navigating a new set of identity-related complications and racial abuses. The works of Dhir and Lahiri bring into focus issues related to diasporic communities and highlight some of the problems they face in host societies due to their ethnicity, race and culture.
RNAseq-based phylogenetic reconstruction of Taxaceae and Cephalotaxaceae
(Wiley, 2018) Majeed, Aasim; Singh, Amandeep; Choudhary, Shurti; Bhardwaj, Pankaj
Taxaceae and Cephalotaxaceae are the two economically important conifer families. Over the years there has been much controversy over the issue of merging these families. The position of Amentotaxus and Torreya is also ambiguous. Some authors consider them closer to Taxaceae while others deemed them to fit within Cephalotaxaceae. Still, others prefer to raise them to their own tribe. Different morphological, anatomical, embryological and phylogenetic evidence supports one or the other view, making the precise delineation between them unresolved. Here we used an RNAseq?based approach to obtain orthologous genes across the selected species to reconstruct a more robust phylogeny of these families. A total of 233.123 million raw reads were de novo assembled to generate nine different transcript assemblies for the corresponding species. Of the 940 191 assembled transcripts across nine species, we generated 409 734 unigenes, which were clustered into orthologous groups. A total of 331 single?copy complete orthologous groups were selected for phylogenetic analysis. Maximum?likelihood, maximum?parsimony and Bayesian phylogenetic trees showed a sister relationship between Taxaceae and Cephalotaxaceae. Our analysis supports their distinctiveness at the family level and also shows that Amentotaxus and Torreya fit within Cephalotaxaceae.
Search for female self: A comparative study of jasmine and that long silence
(Central University of Punjab, 2013) Kaur, Rajpur; Singh, Amandeep
Bharati Mukherjee and Shashi Deshpande are two prominent Indian writers who portray the plight of Indian women - their hopes, joys, aspirations as well as frustrations and fears. Shashi Deshpande is an Indian writer living in India. Bharati Mukherjee is an Indian writer, but settled in a foreign country. In this study, comparative analysis of the writings of these two writers has been done so as to analyse the struggle of women towards their emancipation. The writings of these women are woman-centred and their characters belong to the urban, middle-class, traditional families. Both the texts Jasmine and That Long Silence under study portray that the historical as well as cultural locations of the writers as well as the protagonists change their attitude towards life. Both the writers have common cultural background as they belong to the same country but their locations bring about changes in their attitude towards life.
Transcribing molecular and climatic data into conservation management for the Himalayan endangered species, Taxus contorta (Griff.)
(Springer Science and Business Media B.V., 2020-11-12T00:00:00) Majeed, Aasim; Singh, Amandeep; Bhardwaj, Pankaj
Owing to the changing climatic scenario globally, and human overexploitation, the risk of extinction of Himalayan endangered species has increased many folds. Taxus contorta, an endangered gymnosperm has reached a decisive state in the Western Himalayas, thus, demands immediate attention to rescue it. This study aims to elucidate population and landscape genetics of T. contorta to plan a successful conservation strategy. We used SSR genotyping to identify genetic diversity hotspots, and ecological niche modeling to reveal climatic hotspots of T. contorta in the Indian Western Himalayas. We observed a substantial genetic diversity, and a negligible level of inbreeding among T. contorta populations. A genetic bottleneck was observed in several populations. We propose that changing climate can cause a failure of an entire conservation management plan if the shift produces a degraded environment in the future, at the sites of conservation. Further, the conservation management is futile if it fails to enhance or conserve the genetic diversity. We propound that use of germplasm from genetic diversity hotspots for propagation in climatic hotspots, and prioritization of these hotspot patches for conservation would ensure greater genetic variability under a safe environment. This integrative approach of translating molecular and climatic data into conservation planning would save our efforts, time, and capital investment, and ensure greater success in managing the revival of T. contorta in the Western Himalayas. � 2020, Springer Nature B.V.
Transcribing molecular and climatic data into conservation management for the Himalayan endangered species, Taxus contorta (Griff.)
(Springer Science and Business Media B.V., 2020-11-12T00:00:00) Majeed, Aasim; Singh, Amandeep; Bhardwaj, Pankaj
Owing to the changing climatic scenario globally, and human overexploitation, the risk of extinction of Himalayan endangered species has increased many folds. Taxus contorta, an endangered gymnosperm has reached a decisive state in the Western Himalayas, thus, demands immediate attention to rescue it. This study aims to elucidate population and landscape genetics of T. contorta to plan a successful conservation strategy. We used SSR genotyping to identify genetic diversity hotspots, and ecological niche modeling to reveal climatic hotspots of T. contorta in the Indian Western Himalayas. We observed a substantial genetic diversity, and a negligible level of inbreeding among T. contorta populations. A genetic bottleneck was observed in several populations. We propose that changing climate can cause a failure of an entire conservation management plan if the shift produces a degraded environment in the future, at the sites of conservation. Further, the conservation management is futile if it fails to enhance or conserve the genetic diversity. We propound that use of germplasm from genetic diversity hotspots for propagation in climatic hotspots, and prioritization of these hotspot patches for conservation would ensure greater genetic variability under a safe environment. This integrative approach of translating molecular and climatic data into conservation planning would save our efforts, time, and capital investment, and ensure greater success in managing the revival of T. contorta in the Western Himalayas. � 2020, Springer Nature B.V.
Transcriptome Analysis Revealed Behavior Complexity of Senescence Responses in Himalayan Tree Species Ulmus wallichiana
(Springer, 2023-05-17T00:00:00) Singh, Amandeep; Majeed, Aasim; Sharma, Vikas; Gadri, Hari Shankar; Chowdhary, Md. Asif; Bhardwaj, Pankaj
The Himalayas present a highly contrasting environment for the organisms that inhabit it, with summer and winter being the most disparate seasons. As winter approaches, the temperature drops, and deciduous plants, such as Ulmus wallichiana Planch., undergo senescence. In this study, we used the RNA-seq approach to generate a de novo transcriptome assembly of U. wallichiana, consisting of 300,067 unigenes. We investigated the differential expression pattern of these unigenes under changing climatic conditions, with a focus on the contrast between winter and summer. We observed that 2746 unigenes were differentially expressed, with a fold change of ? 2 and an FDR-adjusted p-value of ? 0.001. Among these unigenes, 37 were found to be related to senescence. We also identified nine DREB unigenes in the U. wallichiana transcriptome, which exhibited more or less contrasting patterns between summer and winter. These DREB unigenes may play an important role in regulating the plant�s tolerance to cold and/or drought stress. Our findings shed light on the complex and dynamic process of transcriptomic reprogramming that enables U. wallichiana to cope with seasonal changes. Furthermore, this study highlights the urgent need for further research on U. wallichiana, as this endangered plant species remains largely unexplored at the genomic level. � 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
Transcriptome Analysis Revealed Behavior Complexity of Senescence Responses in Himalayan Tree Species Ulmus wallichiana
(Springer, 2023-05-17T00:00:00) Singh, Amandeep; Majeed, Aasim; Sharma, Vikas; Gadri, Hari Shankar; Chowdhary, Md. Asif; Bhardwaj, Pankaj
The Himalayas present a highly contrasting environment for the organisms that inhabit it, with summer and winter being the most disparate seasons. As winter approaches, the temperature drops, and deciduous plants, such as Ulmus wallichiana Planch., undergo senescence. In this study, we used the RNA-seq approach to generate a de novo transcriptome assembly of U. wallichiana, consisting of 300,067 unigenes. We investigated the differential expression pattern of these unigenes under changing climatic conditions, with a focus on the contrast between winter and summer. We observed that 2746 unigenes were differentially expressed, with a fold change of ? 2 and an FDR-adjusted p-value of ? 0.001. Among these unigenes, 37 were found to be related to senescence. We also identified nine DREB unigenes in the U. wallichiana transcriptome, which exhibited more or less contrasting patterns between summer and winter. These DREB unigenes may play an important role in regulating the plant�s tolerance to cold and/or drought stress. Our findings shed light on the complex and dynamic process of transcriptomic reprogramming that enables U. wallichiana to cope with seasonal changes. Furthermore, this study highlights the urgent need for further research on U. wallichiana, as this endangered plant species remains largely unexplored at the genomic level. � 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
Transcriptome characterization and generation of marker resource for Himalayan vulnerable species, Ulmus wallichiana
(Springer Science and Business Media B.V., 2021-01-14T00:00:00) Singh, Amandeep; Majeed, Aasim; Bhardwaj, Pankaj
Ulmus wallichiana is a traditional medicinal plant listed as a vulnerable in the IUCN red list data. Genomic and transcriptomic resources for this species are lacking, hindering its genetic exploration. Further, no polymorphic marker resource is available for this species, thus limiting the elucidation of its underlying genetic diversity, which is a pre-requisite for its conservation. This study was therefore aimed to generate a functionally annotated transcriptomic resource and screen it for SSR regions. We used paired-end Illumina based RNAseq technology and trinity based de novo assembly approach to generate full length transcripts, which were screened for SSR regions and functionally annotated. Around 6.6 million raw reads were de novo assembled transcripts, which were clustered into 146,083 unigenes. 19,909 transcripts were provided with 3986 unique KEGG ids, 70,519 transcripts with 6621 unique Pfam domains, and 45,125 transcripts with 7302 unique INTERPRO domains. 1456 transcripts were identified as transcriptions factors (TFs). Further, 8868 unique GO terms were obtained for the unigenes. The transcripts mapped to 23,056 known pre-determined orthology clusters in the eggNOG database. A total of 16,570 SSRs were identified from the unigenes. Out of the 90 SSRs selected for characterization on 20 genotypes, 28 were polymorphic. Mean effective alleles (Ne) of 2.53, mean observed heterozygosity (Ho) of 0.77, and average polymorphic information content (PIC) of 0.57 were found. This study may facilitate the genetic exploration of this species. The polymorphic SSRs would prove useful to explore its genetic diversity patterns, required for its conservation. � 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. part of Springer Nature.
Transcriptome characterization and generation of marker resource for Himalayan vulnerable species, Ulmus wallichiana
(Springer Science and Business Media B.V., 2021-01-14T00:00:00) Singh, Amandeep; Majeed, Aasim; Bhardwaj, Pankaj
Ulmus wallichiana is a traditional medicinal plant listed as a vulnerable in the IUCN red list data. Genomic and transcriptomic resources for this species are lacking, hindering its genetic exploration. Further, no polymorphic marker resource is available for this species, thus limiting the elucidation of its underlying genetic diversity, which is a pre-requisite for its conservation. This study was therefore aimed to generate a functionally annotated transcriptomic resource and screen it for SSR regions. We used paired-end Illumina based RNAseq technology and trinity based de novo assembly approach to generate full length transcripts, which were screened for SSR regions and functionally annotated. Around 6.6 million raw reads were de novo assembled transcripts, which were clustered into 146,083 unigenes. 19,909 transcripts were provided with 3986 unique KEGG ids, 70,519 transcripts with 6621 unique Pfam domains, and 45,125 transcripts with 7302 unique INTERPRO domains. 1456 transcripts were identified as transcriptions factors (TFs). Further, 8868 unique GO terms were obtained for the unigenes. The transcripts mapped to 23,056 known pre-determined orthology clusters in the eggNOG database. A total of 16,570 SSRs were identified from the unigenes. Out of the 90 SSRs selected for characterization on 20 genotypes, 28 were polymorphic. Mean effective alleles (Ne) of 2.53, mean observed heterozygosity (Ho) of 0.77, and average polymorphic information content (PIC) of 0.57 were found. This study may facilitate the genetic exploration of this species. The polymorphic SSRs would prove useful to explore its genetic diversity patterns, required for its conservation. � 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. part of Springer Nature.