The book is a well-researched treatise on the historical presence of native dog breeds in Indian society.
WHEN readers see the title The Book of Indian Dogs, they might think it is about street dogs. The reason for this confusion is the misappropriation of the term “Indian dogs” by animal welfare activists. I will come to this later. The book focusses, instead, on indigenous breeds, such as the Kurumalai, the Jonangi and the Kaikadi. If none of these names sound familiar, S. Theodore Baskaran’s book is the antidote.
In a short introduction, the author narrates an incident that set him on his quest. He ran into a man with two Rajapalayam puppies at the Tirunelveli railway station in Tamil Nadu. On an impulse, Baskaran requested a puppy and forgot all about it. Five months later, the man arrived at his doorstep bearing a pup. His interactions with Madhu, his new pet, kindled his interest in native breeds. That was the year 1968. About half a century later, the result of that engagement comes to us as The Book of Indian Dogs.
Throughout his career in the Indian Postal Service, Baskaran utilised his postings in different parts of the country to explore the natural world. Before retiring as the Chief Postmaster General of Tamil Nadu, he set the ball rolling for a special series of stamps on four indigenous dog breeds,which were finally released in 2005. After retirement, he was the director of the Roja Muthiah Research Library in Chennai for three years. This research background shows in the many interesting vignettes throughout the book.
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How Not To Handle An Epidemic
The lockdowns were meant to buy time to put in place appropriate health measures and contain the coronavirus’ spread, but they have failed to achieve the objective and heaped immense misery on the marginalised sections of society. India is still in the exponential phase of the COVID-19 infection and community transmission is a reality that the government refuses to accept.
Tragedy on foot
As the COVID-19-induced lockdown cuts the ground beneath their feet in Tamil Nadu, thousands of migrant workers are trudging along the highway to the relative safety of their upcountry homes.
Sarpanchs as game changers
Odisha manages to keep COVID-19 well under control because of the strong participation of panchayati raj institutions and the community at the grass-roots level under the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Scapegoating China
As the COVID-19 death rate spikes and the economy tanks in the United States, Donald Trump and his advisers target China and the World Health Organisation with an eye to winning the forthcoming presidential election.
New worries
Kerala’s measured approach to the pandemic and lockdown has yielded results. But it still has to grapple with their huge economic impact on its economy, which it feels the Centre’s special financial relief package does little to alleviate.
No love lost for labour
Taking advantage of the lockdown and the inability of workers to organise protests, many State governments introduce sweeping changes to labour laws to the detriment of workers on the pretext of reviving production and boosting the economy.
Capital's Malthusian moment
In a world that needs substantial reorienting of production and distribution, Indian capital is resorting to a militant form of moribund neoliberalism to overcome its current crisis. In this pursuit of profit, it is ready and willing to throw into mortal peril millions whom it adjudicates as not worth their means—an admixture of social Darwinism born of capital’s avarice and brutalism spawned by Hindutva. .
Understanding migration
When governments and their plans are found to be blatantly wanting in addressing reverse migration, exercises such as the Ekta Parishad’s survey of migrant workers throughout India can be useful to work out creative long-lasting solutions.
Waiting for Jabalpur moment
The Supreme Court’s role in ensuring executive accountability during the ongoing lockdown leaves much to be desired. Standing in shining contrast is the record of some High Courts.
An empty package
The Modi regime, which has been unable to control the COVID-19 infection, restore economic activity and provide relief to millions exposed to starvation, trains its sights on Indian democracy, making use of the panic generated by fear and a lockdown that forecloses paths of resistance.
