Member Secretary’s Report
2021-2022

​

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. The outbreak of pandemic during this year has disrupted the entire humanity and we are all trying to cope with the new normal situation. But I hope we will get back to our old course shortly. INCAA, as an organization had a number of administrative and academic plans and programmes, but could not execute all due to this pandemic situation. Nevertheless, let me present before you whatever we could do during this period. 
    

3. The Indian Anthropology Congress of the Indian National Confederation and Academy of Anthropologists (INCAA) was held from February 21, 2021 to February 23, 2021 in a blended mode in Delhi, in collaboration with the Department of Anthropology, University of Delhi. The theme of the Congress was Anthropology: Theory to Application. 
    

4. The Inaugural Function was held on 21.2.2021 at 9.00 am. Professor M.P. Sachdeva, the Head of the Department of Anthropology, D.U.  delivered the Welcome Address. Professor P.R. Mondal, the Convenor of the Congress apprised the audience about the Congress, Professor Kishor K Basa, the Chairman of INCAA addressed the audience about INCAA. Professor I.S. Marwah addressed the gathering as the Guest of Honour and Professor Joshi as the Chief Guest. Professor K.N. Saraswathy, the Convenor of the Congress proposed the Vote of Thanks.  
    

5. After the Inauguration Session, B.M. Das Memorial Lecture was delivered by Professor R. Siva Prasad on the topic Theory Behind Practice and Practice Behind Theory: The Case of Indigenous Knowledge. This session was Chaired by Professor Kishor K Basa, the Chairman of INCAA.
    

6. There were five parallel technical sessions during the pre lunch period. Each of these sessions has its own theme. Theme 1 of the parallel session was Physical and Mental Health: Issues of Wellbeing. This parallel session was Chaired by Professor Romi Deb with Dr. Ratika Samtani as Co-Chair. The Coordinator of this session was Dr. Avitoli Zhimo. There were four paper presenters in this session. Theme 2 of the parallel session was Food Culture and Nutrition. The session was Chaired by Professor Indu Talwar with Dr. P. Venkataramana as Co-Chair. The Coordinator of this session was Professor Benrithung Murry. Five papers were presented in this session. Theme 3 of the parallel session was Anthropological Genetics. This session was Chaired by Dr. A.M. Elizabeth with Dr. Simi Khan as Co-Chair. The Coordinator of this session was Professor K.N. Saraswathy. There were four paper presenters in this session. Theme 4 of the parallel session was Gender and Sexuality. This session was Chaired by Dr. Nita Mathur with Dr. Kalindi Sharma as Co-Chair. The Coordinator of this session was Dr. R.P. Mitra. There were six paper presenters in this session. Theme 5 of this parallel session was Power of Politics. This session was Chaired by Professor P. Venkata Rao and Co-Chaired by Dr. Prashant Kshatri. The Coordinator of this session was Professor K.N. Saraswathy. There were four paper presenters in this session.
    

7. The post lunch session of the first day started with the Round Table Meeting on the theme Anthropology: Towards an Integrated Paradigm. The session was Chaired by Professor Kishor K Basa, the Chairman of INCAA. There were nine speakers of this Round Table. They are Professor Sabita Acharya, Professor Subhadra Channa, Professor S.L. Malik, Professor Dwipen Bezbarua, Professor Vijay Prakash, Professor Mitashree Mitra, Professor Rajan Gaur, Professor P.R. Mondal and Dr. Naresh Vaid.  The Round Table meeting was followed by tea break. 
    

8. The second technical session of the first day of the Congress started after the Meeting of the Round Table. There were five parallel sessions and each was on a specific theme. Theme 1 of the parallel session was Physical and Mental Health: Issues of Wellbeing. This parallel session was Chaired by Professor Sarthak Sengupta with Dr. Sanjenbam Yaiphaba Meitei as Co-Chair. The coordinator of this session was Dr. Shivani Chandel. There were four paper presenters in this session. Theme 2 of the parallel session was Food Culture and Nutrition. The session was Chaired by Professor Jibon K Singh with Dr. Dolly Florence as Co-Chair. The coordinator of this session was Professor Manoj K Singh. Three papers were presented in this session. Theme 3 of the parallel session was Anthropological Genetics. This session was Chaired by Dr. Rajni Rani with Dr. Gagandip Kaur Walia as Co-Chair. The coordinator of this session was Dr. Sunit Yadav. There were three paper presenters in this session. Theme 4 of the parallel session was Rural/Urban Transformation. This session was Chaired by Professor Abhik Ghosh with Dr. Twinkle Pal as Co-Chair. The coordinator of this session was Dr. Naorem Kiranmala Devi. There were five  paper presenters in this session. Theme 5 of this parallel session was Power of Politics. This session was Chaired by Professor Ramesh Singh and Co-Chaired by Dr. Sampriti Panda. The coordinator of this session was Dr. Chakraverty Mahajan. There were five paper presenters in this session.
    

9. The academic session was followed by the Governing Council Meeting of INCAA, Chaired by the Professor K.K. Basa, Chairman, INCAA. The Annual Governing Council Meeting of INCAA started at 6.30 pm. This meeting was attended by the Members of the Governing Council, INCAA. The Member Secretary of INCAA placed the audited budget and the Annual Report in the meeting. 
    

10. Day 2, i.e., February 22, 2022 of the Congress started at 9.00 am with Scientific Session 3. It had five parallel sessions. Theme 1 of the parallel session was Physical and Mental Health: Issues of Wellbeing. This parallel session was Chaired by Professor Rajan Gaur with Dr. Priyanka Rani Garg as Co-Chair. The coordinator of this session was Professor Benringthung Murry. There were six paper presenters in this session. Theme 2 of the parallel session was Food Culture and Nutrition. The session was Chaired by Professor Mirambika Mahapatra with Dr. Huidrom Suraj Singh as Co-Chair. The coordinator of this session was Dr. R.P. Mitra. Six papers were presented in this session. Theme 3 of the parallel session was Anthropological Genetics and Human Wellbeing. This session was Chaired by Professor Arup Ratan Bandyopadhyay with Dr. Abhishikta Ghosh Roy as Co-Chair. The coordinator of this session was Dr. Vipin Gupta. There were eight paper presenters in this session. Theme 4 of the parallel session was Rural/Urban Transformation. This session was Chaired by Professor S. Gregory with Dr. Mitoo Das as Co-Chair. The coordinator of this session was Dr. Naorem Kiranmala Devi. There were six  paper presenters in this session. Theme 5 of this parallel session was Religious Diversity. This session was Chaired by Professor A. Chella Perumal and Co-Chaired by Dr. Rukhsana Zaman. The coordinator of this session was Dr. Chakraverti Mahajan. There were eight paper presenters in this session. The session was followed by tea break.
     

11. The fourth Scientific Session of the Congress started at 11.15 am. There were five parallel sessions. Theme 1 of the parallel session was Physical and Mental Health: Issues of Wellbeing. This parallel session was Chaired by Dr. Ajit Jaiswal  with Dr. Piyush Kumar Singh as Co-Chair. The coordinator of this session was Dr. Avitoli Zhimo. There were seven paper presenters in this session. Theme 2 of the parallel session was Physical and mental Health. The session was Chaired by Professor Barun Mukhopadhyay with Dr. Mithun Sikdar as Co-Chair. The coordinator of this session was Dr. M. Keneddy Singh. Five papers were presented in this session. Theme 3 of the parallel session was Demography and Maternal Health. This session was Chaired by Professor Banrida Langstieh with Dr. Harvinder Kaur as Co-Chair. The coordinator of this session was Professor Benrithung Murry. There were seven paper presenters in this session. Theme 4 of the parallel session was Crime, Criminals and Forensic. This session was Chaired by Professor Kewal Kishan with Dr. Ranjit Singh as Co-Chair. The coordinator of this session was Dr. Naorem Kiranmala Devi. There were nine  paper presenters in this session. Theme 5 of this parallel session was Food and Culture. This session was Chaired by Professor Rajesh Gautam and Co-Chaired by Dr. Himanshu Aurora. The coordinator of this session was Dr. Chakraverti Mahajan. There were seven paper presenters in this session.
     

12. The S.C. Dube Memorial Lecture of the Congress was delivered by Professor Shalina Mehta. The session was chaired by Professor B.V. Sharma. In this occasion, Professor Mehta delivered a lecture on Protest, Change and Democracy: Locating ‘Current’ Farmer’s Protest Movement in Dube’s Construct of ‘Understanding Change’.
     

13. The fifth Scientific Session of the Congress started at 3.00 pm. There were five parallel sessions.  Theme 1 of the parallel session was Physical and Mental Health: Issues of Wellbeing. This parallel session was Chaired by Dr. Nitin Malik  with Dr. Diptendu Chatterjee as Co-Chair. The coordinator of this session was Dr. Shivani Chandel. There were six paper presenters in this session. Theme 2 of the parallel session was Physical and mental Health. The session was Chaired by Dr. Prasanna K Patra with Dr. Piyali Das as Co-Chair. The coordinator of this session was Dr. Vipin Gupta. Six papers were presented in this session. Theme 3 of the parallel session was Tribal World and Challenges. This session was Chaired by Professor Anjali Khurane with Dr. K. Anil Kumar as Co-Chair. The coordinator of this session was Dr. R.P. Mitra. There were five paper presenters in this session. Theme 4 of the parallel session was Religious Diversity. This session was Chaired by Professor A.K. Sinha with Dr. Sharmila Ghosh as Co-Chair. The coordinator of this session was Dr. M. Kennedy Singh. There were five  paper presenters in this session. Theme 5 of this parallel session was Prehistoric Culture. This session was Chaired by Professor M. Mani Babu and Co-Chaired by Dr. N. Achoubi Devi. The coordinator of this session was Professor Manoj K Singh. There were six paper presenters in this session. This session was followed by tea break. 
     

14. The sixth scientific  session of the day started at 4.45 pm. This session had four parallel sessions.  Theme 1 of the parallel session was Physical and Mental Health: Issues of Wellbeing. This parallel session was Chaired by Professor A. Papa Rao  with Dr. M. Asgar as Co-Chair. The coordinator of this session was Professor K.N. Saraswathy. There were four paper presenters in this session. Theme 2 of the parallel session was Tribal World: Development Displacement and Challenges. The session was Chaired by Dr. Arnab Das with Dr. Aribam Bijayasundari Devi as Co-Chair. The coordinator of this session was Professor Benrithung Murry. Five papers were presented in this session. Theme 3 of the parallel session was Prehistoric Culture. This session was Chaired by Professor Ranjana Ray with Dr. Tiasunep as Co-Chair. The coordinator of this session was Professor Manoj K Singh. There were six paper presenters in this session. Theme 4 of the parallel session was Climate Change, Disaster and Sustainable Development. This session was Chaired by Professor Shabeena Yasmin Shaikia with Dr. Gurinder Kaur as Co-Chair. The coordinator of this session was Dr. Shivani Chandel. 
     

15. The Annual General Meeting of INCAA was held on February 22, 2021 at 6.00 pm under the Chairmanship of Professor K.K. Basa. Professor Subho Roy, Member Secretary, INCAA presented the Annual Report and placed the audited account of the financial year. The Member Secretary thanked everyone present and those who have helped in making the programme a success.
     

16. Day 3, i.e., February 23, 2021 of the Congress started at 9.00 am with the deliberation of Professor Vinay K Srivastava Memorial Lecture. This lecture was delivered by Professor Abhik K Ghosh on the topic The Grandmaster of Ethnographic Presentation: A Passionate Anthropologist. This session was chaired by Professor M.P. Sachdeva.
     

17. The seventh scientific  session of the day started at 10.00 am. This session had five parallel sessions.  Theme 1 of the parallel session was Anthropological Genetics. This parallel session was Chaired by Professor Mitashree Mitra  with Dr. Priyanka Khurana as Co-Chair. The coordinator of this session was Professor K.N. Saraswathy. There were six paper presenters in this session. Theme 2 of the parallel session was Human Adaptations, Strength and Endurance. The session was Chaired by Professor S.P. Singh with Dr. Praveen Hoogar as Co-Chair. The coordinator of this session was Dr. Vipin Gupta. Six papers were presented in this session. Theme 3 of the parallel session was Physical and Mental Health: Issues of Wellbeing. This session was Chaired by Professor Rashmi Sinha with Dr. Rajeev  Kamal Kumar as Co-Chair. The coordinator of this session was Shivani Chandel. There were five paper presenters in this session. Theme 4 of the parallel session was Rural/Urban. This session was Chaired by Professor Avaneesh Kumar with Dr. Rajnikant Pandey as Co-Chair. The coordinator of this session was Dr. M. Kennedy Singh. There were five paper presenters in this session. Theme 5 of the parallel session was Crime, Criminals and Forensic. This session was Chaired by Professor Rajinder Singh with Dr. Rajeev as Co-Chair. The coordinator of this session was Dr. Chakraverti Mahajan. There were six  paper presenters in this session. The session was followed by a tea break.
     

18. The eight Scientific  session of the day started at 11.45 am. This session had four parallel sessions.  Theme 1 of the parallel session was Tribal World, Development, Displacement and Challenges. This parallel session was Chaired by Professor S. Sumathi  with Dr. Rajesh Gururaj Kundargi as Co-Chair. The coordinator of this session was Dr. Avitoli Zhimo. There were six paper presenters in this session. Theme 2 of the parallel session was Primate Behaviour, Biology and Adaptation. The session was Chaired by Professor P.R. Mondal with Dr. Subhendu Acharya as Co-Chair. The coordinator of this session was Dr. R.P. Mitra. Six papers were presented in this session. Theme 3 of the parallel session was Anthropological Perspectives on Disability. This session was Chaired by Professor Geetika Ranjan with Dr. Oinam Hemlata Devi as Co-Chair. The coordinator of this session was Dr. Suniti Yadav. There were five paper presenters in this session. Theme 4 of the parallel session was Climate Change, Disaster and Sustainable Development. This session was Chaired by Dr. Anima Sharma with Dr. Srikant Yamsani as Co-Chair. The coordinator of this session was Dr. Naoerem Kiranmala Devi. There were four  papers presenters in this session. The session was followed by lunch break.
     

19. The ninth scientific  session of the day started at 2.00 pm. This session had four parallel sessions.  Theme 1 of the parallel session was Physical and Mental Health:  Issues of Wellbeing . This parallel session was Chaired by Dr. Valentina Pakynten  with Dr. Urfat Unjem Mir as Co-Chair. The coordinator of this session was Dr. Avitoli Zhimo. There were seven paper presenters in this session. Theme 2 of the parallel session was Tribal World: Development, Displacement and Challenges. The session was Chaired by Professor D.K. Midya with Dr. Subeno Kithan as Co-Chair. The coordinator of this session was Dr. M. Kennedy Singh. Seven papers were presented in this session. Theme 3 of the parallel session was Mental Health and Wellbeing. This session was Chaired by Professor Sunita Reddy with Dr. Sonia Kaushal as Co-Chair. The coordinator of this session was Dr. Suniti Yadav. There were four paper presenters in this session. Theme 4 of the parallel session was Anthropological Reflections on COVID 19. This session was Chaired by Professor Deepshikha Agarwal with Dr. Khirod Maharana as Co-Chair. The coordinator of this session was Dr. Naoerem Kiranmala Devi. There were four  papers presenters in this session. 
     

20. The Valedictory Session of the Congress started at 4.00 pm. Professor A. Papa Rao was the Guest of Honour and Professor Balaram Pani was the Chief Guest of this session. Professor M.P. Sachdeva delivered the Welcome Address of the session, Professor P.R. Mondal presented the report of the Congress. The session ended with proposition of Vote of Thanks by Professor Subho Roy, Member Secretary of INCAA.
     

21. The officials of INCAA have been able to change the signatories of the account of State Bank of INCAA, Jhargram Branch. We are trying to shift the account at the SBI Ballygunge Branch, Kolkata for operational convenience. 
     

22. The officials of INCAA has not been able to change the signatories of the account in Canara Bank (erstwhile Syndicate Bank), Jadavpur Branch despite a lot of effort. There were six signatories of this account, of which four are no more. We are trying to procure the death certificates of all the four, but yet to receive one. This is the main reason for not being able to change the signatories of this account.
     

23. We have been able to reimburse the travel grant to the dignitaries invited in Indian Anthropology Meeting held in Kolkata 2020 from SBI, Jhargram Branch. 
     

24. The members of the Governing Council showed concern regarding the shifting of office of INCAA from its present registered office to Kolkata for operational convenience. But we are in the process of shifting the office in Kolkata. 
     

25. The activities of the four regional chapters, namely Chandigarh, Lucknow, Mysuru and Guwahati need to be initiated. The Regional Chapter of Guwahati Regional Centre organized their Foundation Day Lecture programme on August 19, 2021. 
     

26. We will try to introduce some new regional centres and also the activities of the regional chapters. 
     

27. We have not been able to sell the published volumes of INCAA to different academic institutions. The suggestion of Professor B.V. Sharma to initiate publications of e-book, rather than hard copy by INCAA has not been executed.
     

28. Only one new member enrolled for INCAA this year. 
     

29. We are still trying to retrieve the email Ids of all the members whose email Ids are not updated with our office. 
     

30.  We are still trying to enhance the visibility of INCAA through social media (like facebook) and revising the INCAA website. But until we change the signatories of the Canara Bank, it will not be possible.
     

31. The theme for the Indian Anthropology Congress for the year 2022 is “Anthropology and Biocultural Diversity in India: Retrospect and Prospect”, February 21-23, 2022, in collaboration with the Department of Anthropology, Hyderabad University.
     

32. The theme of the Round Table meeting of  Indian Anthropology Congress is “Anthropology and Pandemics”.
     

33. This year Professor B.M. Das Memorial Oration will be delivered by Padmashri Professor K. Paddaiyya [Former Professor of Postgraduate and Research Institute, Deccan College (Deemed University)]. 
     

34. This year Professor S.C. Dube Memorial Lecture will be delivered by Professor I.S. Marwa  (former Professor of Anthropology Department, Delhi University). 
     

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