University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University or CU) is a collegiate public state university located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.&nbsp;Within India it is recognized as a &quot;Five-Star University&quot; and accredited &quot;A&quot; Grade by National Assessment and Accreditation Council.

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The University of Calcutta has secured the Fifth position among the Universities of India in the prestigious &quot;Indian University Ranking 2019&quot; list, released by the NIRF of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.

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It was established on 24 January 1857, and was one of the first institutions in Asia to be established as a multidisciplinary and Western-style university. Its alumni and faculty include several heads of state, heads of government, social reformers, prominent artists, only academy award winner and Dirac medal winner in India, many Fellows of the Royal Society and five Nobel laureates as of 2019 which is highest in South Asia.

University Of Calcutta

South and South East Asian Studies

Literacy and education are vital developmental indicators for a nation. With more than 200 million children, India has the world’s most extensive primary education system. While primary school enrolment has increased significantly, learning levels remain low. To strengthen foundational literacy and numeracy, the West Bengal government launched “Shishu Aloy” a model Integrated Child Development Services centre in 2015. But the shortage of trained anganwadi workers is the major drawback of this programme in rural villages of West Bengal. © 2021 Economic and Political Weekly. All rights reserved.

Economic and Political Weekly

Foundational literacy and numeracy in West Bengal

This volume looks at facets of cultural interactions between India and Thailand---two historically significant countries of the South East Asian region. For the first time a comprehensive discussion on historical and contemporary cultural interactions between Indian and Thailand has been attempted in this volume. Asianization has become an important contemporary concept and, in this context, understanding cultural exchange within Asia is an important exercise. The chapters in this volume include contributions from noted scholars based in India and Thailand on different areas of cultural exchange: from religion, to art, artefacts, clothing, music---especially Indian classical music, cuisine, and the contemporary use of shared civilizational tools in the cultural diplomacy of both countries. Written in a lucid and accessible language, the chapters in this insightful volume are of interest to academics and researchers of cultural studies, Asian studies, development studies, modern Asian history, policy makers and general readers. © Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2017. All rights reserved.

India-Thailand Cultural Interactions: Glimpses from the Past to Present

India-Thailand cultural interactions: Glimpses from the past to present

Cultural and commercial contacts between India and mainland Southeast Asia began with the spread of Hindu-Buddhist ideology along with influence of Pali and Sanskrit languages since 500 B.C.E. New ideas, new modes and patterns of life were introduced. Language and literature of Thailand were not an exception. India had a strong influence on the various linguistic and literary traditions of Thailand. Versions of the epics Ramayana and the Mahabharata, the Pancatantra (animal stories) and the Jataka stories migrated to the land of Siam and took new localized forms. So the notion of indigenization became vibrant and a new form of associated as well dialectical culture evolved. © Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2017. All rights reserved.

GENERAL

Thai language and literature: Glimpses of Indian influence

India-Thailand cultural interactions: A study of shared cultural markers

This paper focuses on minor artifacts, such as sealings, tablets, coinages, small figurines and amulets, that form integral parts of the socio-religious cultural milieu of a society. Such objects were recovered from various sites in Thailand attributed to the Dvāravatī cultural period, and they lead us to two concerns: First, what the nature of the society was that encouraged production and use of objects like sealings, terracotta figurines and amulets, and second, the persons that made them and the agency that percolated such socio-religious beliefs/rituals in the mind of people. An overview of archaeological materials recovered from Dvāravatī sites in central Thailand allow us to perceive a kind of society where Buddhism dominated, with elements of Brahmanism in its rituals. Seals and amulets were sure to come as voyaging objects from India in their initial phase. The ideology behind the offering and making of seals was then deeply ingrained in the Southeast Asian societies The network of Buddhism can be understood also from the penetration of Mahayana ideas in the Dvāravatī sites. These ideas could have percolated both from Srivijaya and also from South eastern Bengal after traversing Arakan. In some cases, there are definite examples of emulation of Indian cultural practices. In others, there are examples of adaptation. Nonetheless, the strong presence of indigenous elements cannot be overlooked.