In Search of the Fragments of Recollection: Cultural Memory and Identity in Select Travel Narratives of Tahir Shah

Culture, memory, and identity are intricately connected terms. Memory is not just an individual experience but plays a prominent role in the establishment of both individual and cultural identity. Jan Assmann, in his essay “Collective Memory and Cultural Identity”, has defined cultural memory as “the characteristic store of repeatedly used texts, images, and rituals in the cultivation of which each society and epoch stabilizes and imports its self-image; a collectively shared knowledge of preferably (yet not exclusively) the past, on which a group bases its awareness of unity and character” (15). Storytelling is a universal act of preserving the cultural aspects of a community. The works selected for the present study are The Caliph’s House and In Arabian Nights written by the travel-writer Tahir Shah. This paper intends to analyze the connection between cultural memory and cultural identity as presented in the selected works from two levels. Firstly, it studies how the author reaffirms the cultural identity of Morocco by exploring the cultural elements and the art of storytelling, and secondly, how he ascertains his personal identity through his explorations and experiences as a traveller

Rhodovulum aestuarii sp. nov., isolated from a brackish water body

A yellowish brown, phototrophic, purple non-sulfur bacterium, strain JA924r, was isolated in pure culture from a brackish water sample collected from an estuary. Single cells were oval to rod-shaped, non-motile and Gram-stain-negative and had a vesicu!ar architecture of intracellular photosynthetic membranes. Bacteriochlorophyll-a and carotenoids of the spheroidene series were present as photosynthetic pigments. Photolithoautotrophy, chemo-organoheterotrophy and photo-organoheterotrophy were the growth modes observed. Strain JA924T had complex growth requ1rements. Strain JA924 T was mesophilic and moderate!y halophilic. The DNA G -t- C content was 64 mal% (HPLC). The major cellular fatty acids were C18 1f·)7c/C 18 : 11·)6c, Ct 6 0 and C 18 . 0 . The major quinone was ubiquinone-1 0 (0-1 0). Phosphatidylg!ycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, sulfolipid and an aminolipid were the main polar Iipids of strain JA924r. EzTaxon-e BLAST searches based on the 168 rRNA gene sequence of JA924T revealed highest similarity with Rhodovulum mangrovi AK41 T (98.19 %) and other members of the genus Rhodovulum (5 oc). Phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and molecular differences indicate that strain JA924 T represents a novel species of the genus Rhodovulum, for which the name Rhodovulum aestuarii sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is JA924 T ( = LMG 29031 T = KCTC 15485 T)

Management of Psoriasis through Ayurvedic principles - A Case Study

Now a day’s society is more conscious about external beauty compare to internal beauty and also some professional fields they require good looking and charming beauty. Usually 10-15% cases present before general practitioners are pertaining to skin diseases. Due to altered life style, lack of physical exercise, unhygienic, mental stress, over eating, skin diseases are commonly observed. Psoriasis is chronic disorder which is commonly encountered in day today’s clinical practices. It is one of the burning issues having social importance. Increased stress and life style are main predisposing factor which is accounting for wide spared prevalence of this disease. All the skin diseases in Ayurveda have been discussed under the broad heading of Kushtha. Which are further divided in Mahakushtha and Kshudra Kushtha. This paper highlights a case study of Kitibha Kushta (Psoriasis) treated withthe Ayurvedic principles Shodhana Chikitsa.</jats:p