Journal Articles

Are Plants Conscious? Vegetal ‘Being’ in the Caraka Saṁhitā

This study discusses notions of plant consciousness within the classical Ayurveda text, the Caraka Saṁhitā (CS) and its ideas on vegetal ‘being’. Drawing extensively from Cakrapāṇidatta’s commentarial gloss on the CS, the Āyurvedadīpikā, it begins by pointing to two frequently conflicting conceptualizations and positions ascribed to plants within the text: (a) plants as material agents of therapy and (b) plants as sentient and conscious ‘beings’.

Are Plants Conscious? Vegetal ‘Being’ in the Caraka Saṁhitā

This study discusses notions of plant consciousness within the classical Ayurveda text, the Caraka Saṁhitā (CS) and its ideas on vegetal ‘being’. Drawing extensively from Cakrapāṇidatta’s commentarial gloss on the CS, the Āyurvedadīpikā, it begins by pointing to two frequently conflicting conceptualizations and positions ascribed to plants within the text: (a) plants as material agents of therapy and (b) plants as sentient and conscious ‘beings’.

Parametric Analysis of Silica Gel for Thermal Energy Storage in Space Heating Applications

High energy density and minimal energy losses render thermochemical energy storage (TCES) systems a promising long-term solution for space heating applications. While inorganic salt hydrates are considered effective thermochemical materials, challenges such as cycling stability, agglomeration, and deliquescence during the charging and discharging processes limit their efficacy. Porous matrices, like silica gel (SiO2), present a viable alternative to address these issues.

Investigation of Stratification Performance in Oil-based and Water-based Cylindrical Thermal Storages for Industrial Applications

The present study uses a three-dimensional numerical model to investigate the thermal stratification performance of vertical cylindrical thermal energy storage under simultaneous charging and discharging operations pertinent to low-temperature (below 100 ℃) industrial applications. First, the study investigates an oil-based TES using Hytherm 600 as the heat storage medium, and water circulating through the

Urbanisation and Social Change in Rural India

A major social transformation is reshaping rural India. New processes of urbanization are marked by steep declines in agricultural jobs, the restructuring of local economies, changing livelihoods, and the emergence of new forms of permanent circular labor migration. Our research suggests that this transformation has important social ramifications for household dynamics and class structures, with implications for conventional urban theory and potential relevance for urbanizing experiences of other parts of the Global South.