Ilina Sen, teacher, author and activist has left behind a rich legacy of work and warmth that will continue to inspire women’s and human rights activists and students
Sen exemplified how grounded struggles for feminist change and rich academic scholarship that centred on working-class and Adivasi women’s experiences could be combined.
This field study from Bijapur district of Bastar division, Chhattisgarh, ascertains the current status of participation of children from different social groups in elementary education and explores the specific factors caused by civil strife, based on interviews with and observations of children, parents, educational administrators and government functionaries.
Even as the Naxalite/Maoist movement continues to haunt the Indian state, its future is not secure, for Mao’s revolutionary strategy for China of the 1920–40 period is no longer applicable in today’s India. The movement has, however, unwittingly acted as a catalyst of progressive reform in rural India. A post-Maoist revolutionary strategy is, nevertheless, long overdue.
Medico Friend Circle (MFC), a national level network of health professionals and activists, are shocked and pained by the arrest and detention of its long-standing, senior member—Doctor Saibal Jana.
How has Telangana fared in the last two years? The author’s field visit suggests that water and agrarian distress continue to be an issue, with Muslims and the youth disillusioned with the government in the new state.
Habib Tanvir, who turned 80 on September 1, is a citizen of the world, borrowing, reading, soaking up influences indiscriminately; but through a long, hard, creative struggle, he has made Chhattisgarh the prism that refracts his creative expression. He is a Midas turned upside-down: whatever he touches loses its sheen, it becomes rough and turns to Chhattisgarhi.
While the creation of new states will not automatically spur development of the particular region, it makes possible a better articulation of regional political and social aspirations and brings the structures of governance and administration closer to hitherto neglected areas.
Untouchable Pasts: Religion, Identity, and Power among a Central Indian Community, 1780-1950 by Saurabh Dube; Vistaar Publications, New Delhi, 2001; pp 308, Rs 550.
