published_or_final_version / Medical Sciences / Master / Master of Medical Sciences

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The origin of the Bengali Muslims became a much debated question after it was found out that they formed the majority of the population of Bengal, especially in the rural areas. This thesis does not tackle the whole problem (origin of the Bengali Muslims); it is primarily concerned with one aspect of it, viewed over a limited period of history which seems peculiarly significant. It starts with the question: how did Islam spread into Bengal during the pre-Mughul period (1204-1538 A.D.)? The attention is focused on Islam as a religious belief, in an attempt to review and assess different factors which may account for its spread in Bengal. Chapter I ("Pre-Islamic Bengal") surveys the past history of Bengal and its condition at the time of the Muslim conquest, in order to suggest a link between some trends of that history and the developments of the Muslim period. Chapter II ("Socio-political factors") summarizes the political history of the Muslim period undar review, pointing out features which form the context of the religious developments; it examines the part played by the immigration of Muslims from other areas, and discusses the situation of the non-Muslim subjects in relation with the phenomenon of conversion to Islam. Chapter III ("Religious factors") tries to describe and assess the prominent role played by the Sufi saints in the spread of Islam in Bengal. Their activities are related to the general background of Sufism in India, to the features of Islâm in Bengal as well as to pre-Islamic history; this suggests a reassessment of the modern idea of "conversion" as applied to the phenomenon recorded in Bengal during that period.

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Community participation has become an integral part of housing strategy for low income populations of the developing world. In the last three decades, it has gone beyond community involvement in cost recovery, sweat equity or participation in planning, to encompass a large agenda seeking simultaneous social, economic and physical community development. / Upgrading settlements of low income urban populations by in-situ infrastructure provision is aimed at bettering access to basic amenities and creation of sustainable living environments. However, evaluations of implemented projects indicate vast gaps between project aims and results, especially with regards to those components that are sensitive to local socioeconomic and political contexts, like community development. / Bearing this is in mind, an upgrading project in Indore, India, with a strong community development component was taken up for research. The study evaluated the effectiveness of community development in the improvement of living environments, by comparing project objectives with outcomes. Eight slums covered under the project were surveyed to determine community response to upgrading. The results indicated that inadequate attention was given to community development, despite its potential in improving living conditions in human settlements. Suggestions for improvement of future implementation and areas for further research have been identified.

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Building practices in rural areas have developed in response to a variety of interrelated factors like climate, local physiography and socio-cultural traditions. The rural house is as much an agrarian product as the crops and livestock depending on a balanced eco-system. It is characterised by a dependence on the immediate natural environment for materials, high labour and low energy inputs in construction. Unfortunately, depletion of natural resources, changes in resource management structures and rapid monetisation of the rural economy have had abrupt and often detrimental effects on the condition of rural shelter. / This research attempts to understand the characteristics of rural building systems in order to identify the nature of interventions required to facilitate the process of shelter upgrading. From a study of six villages in Jhansi district of Bundelkand region, the study demonstrates that indigenous building practices and delivery processes can form effective links in the process mentioned. Local building materials, techniques of construction, service transaction, and methods of skill and information transfer are studied to analyse the factors which influence appropriation of available options by users. / This study indicates that effective and sustainable interventions in resources, technologies and delivery processes in rural India will need to utilise the potential offered by the 'network nature' of rural building systems. Any new or improved systems of construction will have to be supplemented by increasing users' access to them and will need to pass through the tests of: (1) Enlarging the range of available options, (2) Augmenting (at least not limiting) the variety and flexibility in delivery options and, (3) Increasing the level of local control in construction and management.

There is no abstract available for this dissertation.