A RUPJYOTI SAIKIA is undoubtedly contemporary Assam’s finest historian and, by that measure, one of India’s most accomplished. He does not believe in half measures or over-reliance on the writings of others, no matter how reliable. He dives deep into archives and libraries, in Assam as well as in Delhi, London and Yale, scouring for evidence.
In The Quest for Modern Assam, Saikia does not disappoint. The book’s size and scope are daunting: it covers 58 years in more than 800 pages, of which 298 pages comprise bibliography, timeline and references, giving readers an understanding of the attention that he pays to detail. His major works have been focused on his home state of Assam where he is a professor of history at the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati.
Saikia brings a consistent scholarship to his telling of tales. He avoids jargon and the trademark haste of some of the new self-styled historians of the state and the region. His formidable tome acknowledges the challenges in writing "complex biographies of Indian states in the post-colonial period" and points out the need for the passage of time to reflect not just on events but also on the development of historical processes, trends and circumstances-political, economic and environmental.
Denne historien er fra February 16, 2024-utgaven av Down To Earth.
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Denne historien er fra February 16, 2024-utgaven av Down To Earth.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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THE GREAT FARM HUSTLE
Agroforestry is fast emerging as a win-win strategy to mitigate climate change and improve farmers' income. It is particularly so in India, home to one-fifth of the agroforestry carbon projects in the world. Over the past months ROHINI KRISHNAMURTHY has travelled to almost 20 villages across the country to understand how this market works. At all locations, she finds that communities and their land and labour are central to the projects. But they do not always benefit from the carbon revenue
CAN AGROFORESTRY CREDITS BE SAVED?
Ensure that farmers benefit from the carbon revenue and stay protected against market failure
Urban trap
Fearing loss of autonomy and access to government schemes, several villages across India are protesting against the decision to change their status to town
Dubious distinction
How Madhya Pradesh displaced Punjab as the country's leading state in stubble burning
TRADE TENSIONS
Why the benefits of agroforestry carbon trade do not trickle down to farmers
A fantastical lens
BIOPECULIARIS A LAUDABLE ATTEMPT TO CARVE A SPACE FOR SPECULATIVE CLIMATE FICTION WITHIN INDIAN LITERATURE. WHILE THE STORIES MAY NOT ALWAYS HIT THEIR MARK, THE ANTHOLOGY IS AN IMPORTANT STEP IN A GENRE THAT DESERVES MORE ATTENTION
Help on hold
US' decision to pause foreign aid could lead to hunger deaths, ruin economies of nations across Africa
Irrigation by snow
Declining rain and snowfall make farmers collect snow from higher altitudes to water their apple crops
Stem the rot
A fungal disease has hit the most widely sown sugarcane variety in Uttar Pradesh, threatening the country's sugar production
The mythos of ancient India's scientific excellence
Policymakers are obsessed by a fuddled idea of resurrecting a glorious civilisational past, and even IITs have fallen in line
