VOLUME 9 ISSUE 1
FROM MYTHIC PRESTIGE TO SOCIAL PRECARITY: GANDHARVA MUSICIANS AND THE CHANGING SARANGI TRADITION IN NEPAL
Authors: Sheikh Saifullah Ahmed1* , Ramesh Prasad Adhikary2
Published: 2026-June-02
This article examines the changing cultural, economic, and symbolic status of Sarangi performance among the Gandharva community of Nepal. It investigates how mythological memory, caste-based marginalisation, changes in livelihoods, and intergenerational transmission shape the contemporary condition of the Sarangi tradition. The study uses a qualitative ethnographic approach supported by descriptive summaries. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 34 participants, including Gandharva musicians, former musicians, teachers, cultural workers, apprentices, and elders across five district-level sites: Baglung, Syangja, Kathmandu, Kailali, and Dailekh. The study also used participant observation, archival and textual analysis, and audio-visual documentation. The findings show that Sarangi music remains an important marker of ancestral identity, especially among older respondents, but its role as a primary livelihood has weakened.
Download for More DetailsNUMERICAL SIMULATION OF MHD MIXED CONVECTION AND HEAT TRANSFER IN A LID-DRIVEN HEXAGONAL ENCLOSURE WITH A HEATED WAVY CYLINDER
Authors: Torikul Islam1*, Sadia Islam Rukaiya1
Published: 2026-June-02
This study investigates magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) mixed convection flow in a lid-driven hexagonal cavity containing an inner heated wavy cylinder. The flow is assumed to be timeindependent, laminar, and incompressible. The upper wall moves at constant velocity and is thermally insulated, while the inner cylinder is kept at high temperature and the outer walls are cold. The governing equations are nondimensionalized and solved using the finite element method with a Galerkin formulation in COMSOL Multiphysics, and the results are validated against benchmark solutions using streamlines and isotherms. Unlike conventional cavity configurations, the presence of a wavy heated cylinder significantly modifies both vortex dynamics and thermal transport. The results demonstrate that the wavy surface enhances localized thermal intensification and promotes the formation of asymmetric secondary vortices, which are strongly governed by the combined effects of Reynolds number (Re), Richardson number (Ri), and magnetic parameter (M).
Download for More DetailsNUMERICAL INVESTIGATION OF NEON SOFT X-RAY AND ION BEAM CHARACTERISTICS IN BARC PLASMA FOCUS DEVICE
Authors: Mohaiminul Islam Nayeem1*, Md Mahbubur Rahman1
Published: 2026-June-02
A numerical investigation on the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) plasma focus (PF) machine has been performed with the Lee model code (RADPF5. 16FIB) for characterizations of SXR emission and the ion beam using neon (Ne) as a working gas. The simulations were run using the device set at 11.5 kJ capacitor bank energy, and the results analyzed at various operating pressures and electrode geometries. For SXR emission, the calculated pinch plasma temperature of SXR yield from neon was in the range 2.3×106 - 5×106 K (200–500 eV), which is the region of full ionization of neon. The peak effective SXR power of 114.9 J at 1.75 Torr, which is ~1 % of the bank input energy. By optimizing the electrode geometry, the overall energy yield was increased to 137 J/shot with a = 3 cm, b = 6.8 cm, P0 = 1.75 Torr, with which it was possible to reach 1.2% efficiency.
Download for More DetailsFROM ANARCHY TO SAVAGERY: JACK AND THE PRESENCE OF EVIL IN GOLDING’S LORD OF THE FLIES
Authors: A.K.M. Aminur Rashid*
Published: 2026-June-02
William Golding’s Lord of the Flies (1954), demonstrates a dark exposure of human behavior by analyzing the erosion of social order among boys left to survive on a deserted island. While existing scholarship often highlights narrative progression and ethical lessons, this article addresses Golding’s depiction of cruelty as an organizing and ideological force within the story. The novel illustrates the loss of childhood and innocence and the rise of innate evil, demonstrated through brutal murders of Simon and Piggy, and Jack’s compulsive quest for dominance. These events are analyzed through post-war disillusionment, political allegory, psycho-social insights, disclosing the fusion of external turmoil and internal impulses in cultivating savagery. Jack and his faction of boys embody the essence of evil and savagery, while Ralph, Piggy, and Simon endeavor to sustain rationality, ethical conduct, and collective norms.
Download for More DetailsGENERATIVE AI AND THE FUTURE OF FREELANCING IN BANGLADESH: CHALLENGES, ADAPTATION, AND POLICY DIRECTIONS
Authors: Md. Nazmul Hasan1 , Md. Yahin Hossain1 , Arif Rana2 , Md. Afzal Hossain2*
Published: 2026-June-02
Bangladesh's freelancing sector has expanded, with more than 650,000 freelancers participating in the gig economy. But the emergence of Generative AI (GenAI) technology offers both opportunities and threats, transforming processes in content writing, designing and coding. The research explores how Bangladeshi freelancers' perceived GenAI adoption influences their success based on an extended UTAUT2 model. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze data from 300-400 freelancers. The findings reveal that hedonic motivation (enjoyment of AI tools) and facilitating conditions (having resources) have strong influences on adoption, whereas performance expectancy, social influence and trust have no significant influence. Significantly, GenAI adoption significantly increases freelancers' perceived success (β = 0.678), with the moderating role of digital support systems (DSS) enhancing this impact (β = 0.120)
Download for More DetailsBETWEEN EAST AND WEST: POSTMODERN SELFHOOD AND CULTURAL MEDIATION IN HARUKI MURAKAMI’S NORWEGIAN WOOD
Authors: Tahmina Jarin Khanam1*
Published: 2026-June-02
This paper explores how the postmodern sense of self is built and negotiated in Norwegian Wood, as Haruki Murakami engages in cultural mediation between Eastern and Western frameworks of self. It draws upon Homi K. Bhabha's notion of the Third Space, Stuart Hall's theories of cultural identity, and Fredric Jameson's postmodern critique to examine how protagonist Toru Watanabe's psychological fragmentation, his relationships with women who represent conflicting cultural logics, and Murakami's conscious literary technique all express a hybrid identity that is neither necessarily Japanese nor completely Western, but something that exists in between. The paper outlines several gaps in existing scholarship, including the lack of intersectional readings that consider the interplay between gender and class, and the under-explored potential for music and Western cultural signifiers as active mediators, not just decorative, in the construction of cultural hybridity.
Download for More DetailsEXPLORING HEALTHCARE-SEEKING BEHAVIOR AND BARRIERS AMONG RICKSHAW PULLERS IN BASHUNDHARA, DHAKA
Authors: Dipayon Das1 , Tawfikur Rahman2 , Most. Jannatul Ferdows1,* , Nibedita Deb3 , Mostaque Ahmed1 , Shuvashish Das Bala1
Published: 2026-June-02
This study examines healthcare-seeking behavior among rickshaw pullers in the Bashundhara area of Dhaka, emphasizing their preferences, barriers to formal care, and potential policy responses. Using a convenience sampling approach, structured interviews were conducted with 500 rickshaw pullers, and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics in Excel. The findings show that 76% of respondents prefer visiting pharmacies rather than consulting qualified physicians, despite recognizing the comparatively lower effectiveness of pharmacy-based treatment. Financial hardship, convenience, limited health awareness, and low educational attainment were identified as key determinants of this preference.
Download for More Details“GEO-CULTURAL” IDENTITY AND ADDRESSING STATELESSNESS: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF ROHINGYA REFUGEES IN THE CONTEXT OF BANGLADESH
Authors: Farjana Hossain*
Published: 2026-June-02
In 2017, Bangladesh, despite its status as a developing nation with limited resources, opened its borders to over one million Rohingya refugees fleeing military violence in Myanmar, highlighting a critical crisis of statelessness and forced displacement. It is important to recognize this crucial problem of statelessness and displacement experienced by the Rohingya people. While many academic papers focused on this phenomenon from the perspective of law and humanitarian issues, there was no sufficient discussion of how historical and territorial identities affect the formation of statelessness. In this regard, the present study investigates the role of geo-cultural identity, characterized by cultural, lingual, historical, and territorial characteristics, in the context of the issue under analysis.
Download for More DetailsMAPPING CRITICAL READING SELF-EFFICACY IN TERTIARY EFL LEARNERS THROUGH COGNITIVE AND GEOGRAPHICAL LENSES
Authors: Nousin Laila Bristi1 , Lulu AL Marzan2*
Published: 2026-June-02
In the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, critical reading self-efficacy is essential for tertiary EFL learners’ academic success. Learners’ geographical context, including their residential and institutional locations, is significantly associated with their reading self-efficacy. Grounded in Albert Bandura’s self-efficacy theory and the revised Benjamin Bloom taxonomy, this study aims to investigate the relationship between tertiary EFL learners’ lower- and higher-order reading self-efficacy and the influence of geographical context on their critical reading self-efficacy. Using a Likert-scale questionnaire, data were collected from 157 undergraduate EFL learners at different urban and rural tertiary institutions in Bangladesh and analyzed employing Pearson’s correlation coefficient, MANOVA, and independent sample T-test
Download for More DetailsPARKING DEMAND AND SUPPLY MANAGEMENT AS STRATEGY TO REDUCE CONGESTION AND IMPROVING MOBILITY: A CASE STUDY ON CHAWK BAZAR AREA AT CHATTOGRAM CITY
Authors: Md Erfanul Hoque1 , Md Muaz Hussain1* , Mohimenul Montaser1
Published: 2026-June-02
Parking management plays a vital role in urban transportation systems and significantly influences mobility, accessibility, and economic activities. Chattogram, one of the largest and fastestgrowing cities in Bangladesh, faces increasing parking demand and inadequate parking supply, particularly in its central business districts. This study examines parking demand and supply conditions in the Chawk Bazar area of Chattogram, and proposes parking management strategies to reduce congestion and improve mobility. Primary data were collected through field surveys, including parking inventory surveys, parking usage surveys, and questionnaire surveys.
Download for More Details