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Member Secretary’s Report
2023-2024

  1. At the outset, I would like to pay my homage to the departed soul of our life members, who left us for heavenly abode during this year.
     

  2. I am delighted to inform our Life Members that a new website of INCAA has been launched in the month of November 2023. The url of the new website is www.incaa.in . The new website has been designed by a Hyderabad based company. Our old website www.incaa.net has now become defunct.
     

  3. We have been successfully able to hold the election of the Governing Council Members 2023-2026 in online mode. We thank Professor Siva Prasad, for successfully conducting the online election as the Election Officer. Around 153 members took part in this
    election. Please find below the elected members of the Governing Council and the Office Bearers of INCAA.



     

  4.  We are also in the process of developing online membership registration system for INCAA.
     

  5. The Indian Anthropology Congress of the Indian National Confederation and Academy of Anthropologists (INCAA) was held from February 21, 2023 to February 23, 2023 in Purulia, in collaboration with the Department of Anthropology and Tribal Studies,
    Sidho-Kanho-Birsha University, Purulia, West Bengal. The theme of the congress was ANTHROPOLOGY IN NATION BUILDING IN THE
    POST-INDEPENDENCE ERA AND THE ROAD AHEAD. This Anthropology Congress was organized supported by and collaborated with the Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi, Science and Engineering Research Board, New Delhi, Indira
    Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, Bhopal, Anthropological Survey of India, Kolkata, Institute of Bio-Social Research and Development, Kolkata.

    The inaugural session of the Congress started at 10.30 am. The session was graced by Professor (Dr.) Dipak K. Kar (Honorable Vice-Chancellor, delivered the inaugural address; Professor Kishor K. Basa, (Chairman of INCAA and the Chairman, National
    Monuments Authority) presided over the session and delivered his address; Professor D.K. Behera (Honorable Vice Chancellor, KISS, Bhubaneswar) delivered his address as the Chief Guest of the session and Dr. Nachiketa Banyopadhyay (Registrar, SKBU) served as the Guest of Honour and delivered his address. Professor Subho Roy, the Member Secretary of INCAA delivered the Welcome Address and Dr. Mithun Das, the Convenor of the Congress extended the Vote of Thanks.

    The seminar commenced with a keynote address by Professor P.C. Joshi (Former Vice- Chancellor, Delhi University) on the topic "Recent Advances in Medical Anthropology in India with special reference to Methodology and Policy”. This was followed by "Professor B.M. Das Memorial Oration". This year the oration was delivered by Professor P.K. Chattopadhyay (former Professor of Forensic Science, Punjabi University, Patiala) on the topic "Anthropology in Crime Investigation and Trials."
    Professor Kishor K. Basa (Chairman, INCAA) chaired this session. The subsequent lecture was "Professor S.C. Dube Memorial Oration" . The speaker for this oration was Professor Vijoy S. Sahay, (former Professor, University of Allahabad). The topic of this
    lecture was "Anthropology in Nation Building in the Post-Independence era and the road ahead." The session was chaired by Professor Rajat Kanti Das (Former Faculty, Department of Anthropology, Vidyasagar University, Medinipur, W.B).

    The post lunch session of the day started with "INCAA Round Table Conference" on the topic "The Public/Private Partnership of the Human Body and the State: Biological and Cultural Dimensions." Professor Subho Roy (Member Secretary, INCAA) chaired this session. The speakers of this Round Table were Professor Abhik K Ghosh, Dr. Prasanna K Patra, Sri Suvendu Maji, Dr. Krishnendu Polley and Dr. Arunima Bhattacharya. On the evening of the first day, a documentary film on the "Untiring Mind" (Life and Anthropological Journey of the Legendary Anthropologist Late Dr. B.S. Guha) was screened. The film was directed by Dr. Naba Kumar Duari. The day ended with a gala cultural program performed by the students of the university on ‘Open Air Stage Arena’. The Governing Council Meeting of INCAA took place in the evening of February 21, 2023 in a blended mode.

    The second day of the event (February 22, 2023) commenced with the invited lecture by Prof. Bhaskar Chakrabarti, Dean of the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, Kolkata on the topic "Social Impact Bonds in our Nation-Building: Anthropologists' Panacea or a New Conundrum?". The four parallel technical sessions that took place on this day were: Technical Session – I, focused on "Conflict, Peace, and Nation Building," chaired by Prof. Dipak Midya, Department of Anthropology, Vidyasagar University, Midnapur, W.B.; Technical Session – II focused on "Problems of Women, Children, and Adolescents" chaired by Prof. Subir Biswas, Department of Anthropology, West Bengal State University; Technical Session - III on the topic of "Archaeology, Heritage, and understanding the Nation's landscape," chaired by Prof. Abhik Ghosh, Department of Anthropology, Punjab University, Chandigarh; and Technical Session IV, which was chaired by Prof. Abhijit Guha, former Professor of the Department of Anthropology, Vidyasagar University, Medinipur and co- Chaired by Dr. Gautam Bera, formerly of the Anthropological Survey of India and Dr. Gopal C Mandal, Department of Anthropology, Bangabasi College, Kolkata. The invited speakers of this session were Professor Rajesh K Gautam, Department of Anthropology, Hari Singh Sagar University, Professor Sumahan Bandyopadhyay, Department of Anthropology, Vidyasagar University, Dr. Sudipta Ghosh, Department of Anthropology, North-Eastern Hill University and Dr. Sumon Nath, Department of Anthropology, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Government College, Kolkata.

    A panel discussion was organized on this day on the topic of "Sustainable Tribal Development, NGOs, and Nation Building”. This was chaired by Prof. Shree Bhagwan Roy, Director of IBRAAD and the speakers were Prof. Soumyajit Patra, Department of Sociology, SKBU; Prof. Gourishankar Nag, Department of Political Science, SKBU, Dr. Sovanjan Sarkar, Department of Anthropology, Vidyasagar University; Dr. Sankha Priya Guha, Department of Anthropology, Bidhan Nagar College.

    The day was also marked by Poster Presentation by the young scholars.

    The organizers arranged for a museum visit of their department and an exhibition for the delegates. On the evening of the second day, a documentary film titled "Seven on Earth – Nine on Heaven: People and Music of Meghalaya" was screened. The film was directed by Prof. Svetlana I. Ryzhakova from the Institute of Ethnology & Anthropology, Russian Academy of Science, Moscow, Russia.

    The Annual General Meeting of INCAA was held in the evening of February 22, 2023, in a blended mode. Day three (February 23, 2023) of the Congress began with three parallel sessions on the topic "Health & Nutrition". Technical Session 1 was chaired by Professor Biplob Kumar Modak (Dept. of Zoology, SKBU), Technical Session 2 was Co-chaired by Sri Suvendu Maji (Dept. of Anthropology, University of Calcutta) and Sovanjan Sarkar (Dept. of Anthropology, Vidyasagar University), and Technical Session 3 was chaired by Professor Subhasis Bhattacharya (Dept. of Economics, SKBU).

    The Valedictory Session was presided over by Professor Rajat Kanti Das, former faculty member of the Department of Anthropology, Vidyasagar University. The session featured a thought-provoking Valedictory Address by Professor Abhijit Guha, former Professor in Anthropology, Vidyasagar University on the topic "Anthropology in India: Colonial? Hindu? Or Nationalist? Which way has it gone so far?

    The event concluded with a Vote of Thanks delivered by Professor Raja Chakraborty of the Department of Anthropology and Tribal Studies, Sidhu-Kanho Birsha University, Purulia.

    The three-day congress has significant audience in each session. Approximately 150 participants attended the Congress.
     

  6. The publications of INCAA has been shifted from that office to a space provided by the authority of Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanjadeo University, Baripada, Odisha. We have been able to sell five sets of volume to our life members at the rate of 10,000 (INR).
     

  7. A new Executive Committee of Guwahati Regional Committee of INCAA has been formed in the General Body meeting held in December 2022. The new committee took charge on 20th May 2023. The following are the office bearers of the new committee: President- Dr.Tillutoma Baruah, Assam Down Town University; Vice Presidents- (1) Dr. Kalpana Choudhury, Dimoria College and (2) Professor Gulrukh Begum, Gauhati University; General Secretary- Professor Chandana Sarmah, Gauhati University; Joint
    Secretary- Dr. Mahananda Das, J.N. College; Treasurer- Dr. Hridayananda Das, Cotton University; Executive Members- Dr. Sandhya Das, North Guwahati College (Retd.); Dr. R. Athparia, NESRC, Guwahati; Dr. Dipali Das Talukder, Marigaon College; Dr. Farzana
    Begum, Research Officer, Directorate of AIRT & SC; Dr. Rameeza Hasan, M. C. College; Dr. Lalit Shrestha, North Guwahati College; Mr. Jitumani Pathak, Dudhnoi College; Ex-Officio Member- Dr. Nilofer Jasmin, Marigaon College

     

  8. Please find below the report on the celebration of Foundation Day of INCAA Guwahati
    Regional Committee of INCAA.

    The 18 th Foundation Day Celebration of Guwahati Regional Committee, Indian NationalConfederation and Academy of Anthropologists was held on 26 th August 2023. TheFoundation Day was celebrated in J. N. College, Boko to commemorate the DiamondJubilee Year celebration of the college. The programme began with hoisting of the GRC,INCAA flag by senior Anthropologist Dr. A. N. M. Irshad Ali in the presence of thePrincipal of the J.N. College Dr. Tapan Dutta, members of GRC, INCAA, facultymembers of the college, research scholars and students of Anthropology. TheFoundation Day Celebrations was held in the K. K. Handique Conference Hall of thecollege. It started with lighting of the lamp and offering of floral tributes to twodeceased eminent Anthropologists Late Dr, Birinchi Kumar Medhi and Dr. Dilip KumarMedhi. Dr.Mahanada Das, Head, Department of Anthropology, J. N. College, Bokowelcomed the gathering. Dr. Chandana Sarmah, General Secretary, GRC, INCAA statedthe purpose of the meeting. The meeting was also addressed by the President, GRCINCAA Dr.Tillutoma Baruah, Vice President, Dr. Gulrukh Begum and the Principal ofthe college Dr. Tapan Dutta. Dr. Dutta expressed his happiness for being able to host thecelebrations and hoped to continue such association with the organisation. Late Dr.Birinchi Kumar Medhi had composed a song for Anthropology which was alsoperformed in the meeting. The college also felicitated the eminent Anthropologist fromdifferent walks of life who were present during the Foundation Dat Celebration. TheFoundation Day lecture this year was delivered by eminent geographer, retired Professorand Head, Department of Geography, Gauhati University, Dr. Abani Kumar Bhagabati.The theme of his deliberation was ‘India’s North East: People and Environment’. Thelecture was very well received and appreciated by all. The Foundation Day celebrationswas attended by faculty members of Anthropology from different degree and juniorcolleges, University of Gauhati, Cotton University and Department of StateArchaeology, Government of Assam, retired teachers, members of GRC, INCAA,research scholars, Faculty members and students of J. N.College, Boko.
     

  9. The activities of the four regional chapters, namely Chandigarh, Lucknow, Mysuru andHyderabad need to be initiated.
     

  10. 16 new members enrolled for INCAA this year.
     

  11. We are still in the process of looking for an office space from INCAA.
     

  12. The theme for the Indian Anthropology Congress for the year 2024 is “Anthropology inthe Service of the Nation”, February 21-23, 2024, in collaboration with Indira GandhiRashtrya Manav Sangrahalaya, Bhopal.
     

  13. The theme of the Round Table meeting of Indian Anthropology Congress is “India’sTangible and Intangible Cultural Heritage and Anthropology: Conservation, Technologyand Methodology”.
     

  14. This year Professor B.M. Das Memorial Oration was delivered by Professor M.C.Arunkumar [Professor of Anthropology, Manipur University, Imphal].
     

  15. This year Professor S.C. Dube Memorial Lecture was delivered by Professor NadeemHasnan (former Professor of Anthropology, Lucknow University).
     

  16. The Governing Council appointed S. Singha & Associates , Chartered Accountant ,P.O. Mogra, Paschim Medinipur, WB, Pin 721156 as the auditor.

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