Citation for In-text quotation and bibliography

1.Karna’s words of sacrifice, “Joy houk amar houk pandobo sontan, /Ami robo nishfoler hotasher

dole” (Let the son of Pandu be victorious and live forever, / I choose to stay with the hopeless

desperate one) (Tagore) symbolise the dejection and hopelessness of his life that he has internalised.

Tagore, R. N. “Korno-Kuntir Songbad”, Sanchayita. Calcutta: Viswa Bharati, 1961. Print.

2. Implicit in this play is the power politics in Education Reformation in West Bengal and its

consequences on the culturally deprived and lower income groups of the society. Ragging depicts the

far reaching effects of social evil called caste in the field of Higher education. It also throws light on

the reception of Education Reformation in the state by the Left Government. The anti Dalit Leftist

government of West Bengal played a heinous trick with the socially aspiring backward classes of the

state, especially the scheduled castes and tribes. The reformation that was initiated with an

apparently positive objective of mass literacy and overall betterment of the socially backward classes

made the state language, Bengali, mandatory in the primary, secondary as well as in the higher

secondary levels of the state education system. But very soon the socio-culturally underprivileged

section of the society realised that more than a positive development they were pushed into a

darkness of ignorance. The lack of knowledge of English deprived the students from socio-culturally

under privileged background from opportunities to higher education, as the medium of instruction in

higher education, irrespective of stream and specialisation, has been always English. Thus, very

subtly the government managed to keep the under privileged backward classes in a state of ignorance
and through their lack of access to higher education ensured their state of perpetual subservience to

the upper classes. (https://roundtableindia.co.in/index.php?option=com_content...id. (Biswas par. 5)

Biswas, Manohar Mouli. “Why Dalits in West Bengal are in protest.” 21 Dec. 2010 Web.

<http://roundtableindia.co.in/index/ 2016/11/15> .

3. Ragging is a disturbing reality in the higher education system of our country. Despite the fact
that over the years ragging has claimed hundreds of innocent lives and has ruined careers of
thousands of bright students, the practice is still perceived by many as a way of ‘familiarization’ and
an ‘initiation into the real world’ for young college- going students. The etymological meaning of
Ragging, as per Wikipedia, “is a practice similar to hazing in educational institutions. Ragging
involves existing students baiting or bullying new students. It often takes a malignant form wherein
the newcomers may be subjected to psychological or physical torture”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragging

("Newsletter" (PDF). Society against Violence in Education, February 2008. Archived February 16,
2012 at the Wayback Machine.

4. The early migrants were able to settle them well in their new land but the lower caste Hindu
migrants had a tough time countering resistance from the upper class refugees. Gradually they were
forcibly relocated to "rocky inhospitable land" of Dandakaranya (parts of then Orissa and Madhya
Pradesh). (Chowdhury 2011). However, the changes in the government’s rehabilitation schemes left
these migrants from Dandakaranya to settle at Marichjapi in Sunderban region, only to be evicted
from the place under Act 144 on the grounds of endangering forest land and life of Sunderban. (in
text citation required)

5. The original story that was written at the backdrop of great famine that struck the land of Bengal,

in the year 1943. Raju Das restructures it in the form of a street theatre to address the extensive

exploitation that Operation Barga or Land Reformation in West Bengal in had resulted in a street

theatre to address the extensive exploitation that Operation Barga or Land Reformation in West
Bengal had resulted in. Operation Barga was a land reform movement throughout rural West Bengal

or recording the names of sharecroppers (bargadars) while avoiding the time-consuming method of

recording through the settlement machinery. It bestowed on the bargadars the legal protection against

eviction by the landlords, and entitled them to the due share of the produce. Operation Barga was

launched in 1978 and concluded by the mid-1980s. It received legal backing in 1979 and 1980 and

became a popular but controversial measure for land reforms. The ultimate aim of these land reforms

was to facilitate the conversion of the state's bargadars into

landowners. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Barga)

6. Both cow and bull are considered sacred animals in the Hindu religious system. Besides the

utilitarian value of bulls in the field of agriculture, it is also revered for the principle of living it

signifies. It functions on the principle of “Maximum work minimum profit” (Parthasarathy). The

activities of a bull that are driven by no desires to extract fruits of its toil for itself also epitomises the

culture of the country. According to Hinduism, a cow too is a pious animal that is revered and

worshipped. It is a symbol of the Earth, the nourisher, the ever-giving, undemanding provider. It

signifies the principle of selfless giving. Cow’s milk is considered as heavenly potion and is

consumed universally by all irrespective of their age, gender, class, caste and religion. Veneration of

the cow instils in Hindus the virtues of gentleness, receptivity and connectedness with nature. In the

Vedas, cows represent wealth and joyous Earthly life. Both these animals that are known for their

service and sacrifice embody the culture of the country and there lies the significance of cow and

bull. (Parthasarathy) <http://legacyofwisdom.blogspot.com/2014/11/in-indian-culturewhy-do-we-

worship-bull>.
7. People in the Vedic period were primarily pastoral. They relied on the COW or milk and dung.

Cow dung is one of the main fuels in rural India And also served as a fertilizer. Cow dung and cow

urine is also thought to be a disinfectant among ancient Indians and used to clean up home. Thus,

cow provided the food fuel, disinfectant and fertilizer for the Vedic period. (Vishwanath)

<https://brandyuva.in/2017/03/gomutra-travel-from-ancient-text-to-booming-business>

8. Also, according to Hindu religious belief, cows should not be owned by one who is

unrighteous, by one who is sinful, by one who is untruthful in speech, and by one who is outside

of the Vedic culture. (Bhagvad Gita https://www.scoopwhoop.com/news/cow-bhagavad-

gita/#.i3xrnkjy) Gafur who is a non Hindu resident in a Hindu village, therefore, is the eye sore

of the villagers including Tarkaratna and the landlord. His presence anyway is unacceptable

and owning a bull makes his position even more vulnerable. Hindu religion also believes that

cows should never be given unto those whose residence they are likely to suffer from fire or

sun. Cows should always be given away accompanied by their calves. (Das par. 5)

Das, Samarpita. Holy Cow! What Does The ‘Bhagavad Gita’ Actually Say About The

Sacred Bovine? Oct 07, 2015 <https://www.scoopwhoop.com/news/cow-bhagavad-gita/>

(The Srimad Bhagavad-Gita and the Sacredness of All Cows by Swami VedantaVaraha)

9. “Those cows which have been rescued from situations of distress or have been received from

humble farmers unable to continue to take care of them properly are considered to be most

auspicious” (Das par. 5) (Das, Samarpita. Holy Cow! What Does The ‘Bhagavad Gita’

Actually Say About The Sacred Bovine? Oct 07, 2015

<https://www.scoopwhoop.com/news/cow-bhagavad-gita/>
10. The quoted lines from Baudhayana Sutras (2.9. 16.3), "Through a son, he conquers the worlds,
through a grandson, he obtains immortality, but through his son's grandson, he ascends to the
highest” (qtd. in Das and Dhall ), emphasise on the significance of a son.

Das, Arnab, and Pawan Dhall. “Cultures and Issues of Rights to the Eyes of Indians with ‘Other’
Self-identities of Sexuality and Gender”. Human Rights and the Third World: Issues and Discourses.
Ed. Subrata Shankar Bagchi and Arnab Das. Plymouth: Lexington Books, 2013. 235-64. Print.

11. Manusmriti too reemphasises the significance of a son in Chapter 3, verse 37 as, "The son of a
wife wedded according to Brahma rite, if he performs meritorious acts, liberates from sin ten
ancestors, ten descendents, and himself, as the twenty first" (qtd. in Buhler 82).

12.Yajnavalkaya in chapter 1, verse 79, also observed, “Because continuity of the family in this
world and the attainment of heaven in the next are through sons, son’s son and son’s grandson,
therefore, women should be loved and protected.”6 The birth of the son meant that he could continue
the family offspring as well as was able to offer offerings to the ancestors ( ).

13. The Baudhya Shastras emphasises, “Through a son he conquers the worlds, through a grandson
he obtains immortality, but through his son's grandson he ascends to the (highest) heaven”
(Baudhayana Sutras 2-9-16.3).