Reviews of the latest books from and on Southasia

Essays on North-East India Milton. S, Sangnta, Editor Indus Publishing Company, Delhi, 1994 ISBN 81 7387 015 2 IRs400
Published to commemorate the life and works of the late V. Venkata Rao (a Gujarati scholar who researched identity, nationalism and sub-nationalism in India´s northeast), this volume contains 16 essays on planning, development, historical economy, tribal life, frontier policy, tradition, leadership, insurgency, etc. It also contains B. Pakem´s essay on application of tribal research studies in planning, development and administration; R. Gopalakrishnan on political regionalism and development; T.B Bhattacharjee on pre-colonial political structure of Barak Valley; and T.B Mukheriee on the early history of Koches of North Bengal. The volume also carries Sajal Nag´s "Withdrawal Syndrome: Secessionist!! in Modem North-East India". People who demand secession from the Indian Union, writes Nag, have specific grievances against it. That their grievances are not being addressed has caused them to reject the political community of which they form such a marginal part and fueled their desire to withdraw from it and form new alliances among themselves. Secessionist)!, according to Nag, is only a revolt against such marginalisation.
Kirtipun An Urban Community in Nepal Mehrdad Shokoohy and Natalie H. Shokooity, editors Araxus Books, London, 1994 ISBN 1 870606 02 7 £43
This book is the result of a University of Greenwich project to study the historic heritage and present condition of the Kathmandu Valley town of Kirtipur, with a view to its conservation and development. A team of experts, many from Nepa! and some from Kirtipur, present detailed studies covering a wide range of subjects including the vernacular and monumental architecture, art and antiquities, history and epigraphy, social organisation and community, and recent changes in the urban fabric.
A ma in America
A Pilgrimage of the Heart
by Broughton Coburn
Anchor/World view Books
Pub date: May 1995
ISBN 0365 47417 2
U$ 22.95
Coburn, when a Peace Corps volunteer in Central
Nepal, lived in Vishnu Maya Gurung´s hay loft
aboveher wa ter buffalo shed. Over time, friendship
developed between the two which Coburn
 
celebrates in his Nepali Ama: Life Lessons of a HtTtutiayan Woman, a photographic book containing Coburn´s accounts of living, working and travelling with Vishnu Maya. Fifteen years later, Coburn returned to Vishnu Maya´s villa ge wi th a n in vi ta tion for her to join him and his future wife, Didi, on a trip through the United States. What results from the 25 state, coast-to-coast adventure is Ama in America: A Pilgrimage of the Heart. "An offbeat American travelogue", according to a promotional flier the book is also "an exploration of beliefs and values and a rediscovery of the spiritual that lies beneath the surfaceof America… A singular account of the meeting of the two widely divergent cultures."
Indian Forestry through the Ages
by S.S. Negi
Indus Publishing Company, New Delhi, 1994 ISBN 81 7387 020 9 IRs300
Written by an Indian Forest Service Officer from Himachal, the book records the history of forest conserva tion in India and follows the de velopinen t of scientific forestry. Forest conservation started in India with Emperor Ashoka, writes Negi, when certain trees were declared protected and their felling was forbidden; the appointment of Dietrich Brandis as the Inspector General of Forests in 1964 heralded the era of scientific forestry in India. The book discusses the history of forestry in states and the union territories; lists the people associated with the history of Indian forestry and their contributions; history of forest policy, legislation, management; and fores try research, education and training. Classification of forests according to various scholars over the last century is also included. The annexure lists the forest cover situation in the different states (1988 and 1989).
Lahouk The Mystery Land in the Himalayas
by Ram Nath Sahini Indus Publishing Company, 1994 ISBN 81 9387 017 9 IRs395
Saliini explores "the beauty and the development potential" in 300 pages of a book that is divided into four sections—the mountains and gladers of Lahoul; history; social customs, occupation, festivals and languages; and religious beliefs, temples, monasteries and mythological stores. With two annexes—on folksongs of Lahoul and family trees of local Ranas and Thakurs—the book is a useful guide for people looking for more than just touristic treatment of the valley. Lahoul has a great potential for build ing itself and becoming a model, states the epilogue. "The sincerity, hard work and intelligence of the people who live here can lead Lahoul towards this direction."
 
North-Eastern Frontier of India Structural Imperatives and Aspects of Change by AC. Sin to
Indus Publishing Company, Delhi, 1994 ISBN 61 7367 009 8 IRs300
North-EasternFrontier of India looks at the structural
imperatives and the components of social change
in the Indian North east. The volume is divided in to
two parts: the first provides geograplucal, historical,
ethnic and religious ba ckground of the region, and
the second records the agrarian, urban and
environmental transformations taking place. "It is
high time that we realize that the Indian union does
notbelong only and even mainly to the mains (ream
and the frontiers are to be ruled and subjugated
and treated as supplicant," writes Sinha. "It must
also be borne in mind that frontiers do not need
pa tern alistic proppin gs, but a recognition that they
are trusted to take significant decisions affecting
national life and that they are capable to continue
in the national common-weal th as equal and proud
partners."    .
Consolidated Index to The Himalayan journal
(Voll to 50,1929-1994)
Dhiren Toolsidas, compiler
The Himalayan Club, Bombay, 1994
This index to the Himalayan Journal makes it
possible for mountaineers, journalists and
researchers to access to people, events, mountains
and information appearing in Volume 1 to Volume
50 of the hallowed mountaineering publication of
the Himalayan Club. The index is user-friendly,
with articles, expeditions and notes listed under
author, peak and region.
Nepali A Guide to the Art and Architecture of the Kathmandu Valley
Michael Hutt with David Gellner, Axel Michaels, Greta Ratia and Govinda Tandan Kiscadale Publications, Oxford, 1994 ISBN 01865 67575 £ 25
This guide begins with an overview of history of Nepal, followed by an introduction to religion and architecture. The rest of the book consists of descriptions of specific sites within the Valley. There is a chronology and a full glossary of Nepali, Newari and Sanskrit terms. Written by academics, the book is intended for a general readership, and seeks to give "more informa tion than is imparted by the average tourist guidebook."
Younghusband: The Last Great Imperial Adventurer
by Patrick French
HarperCollins, United Kingdom, 1394
£20
Sir Francis Younghusband spent his early years as
a leading player in thebattleof wits for control over
the unknown territory of High Asia. Yet, he was
also a soldier, explorer and philosopher, often
compared to Marco Polo and Lawrence of Arabia.
In 1903, he single-handedly turned a small
diploma tic mission to Tibet into a full-scale military
invasion; found a new route to India from China;andin the post-First World War era, led the way in religious and sexual free-thinking. He was also Tfie Times´ correspondent during the siege of Chitral and held the world record for 300-yard dash. French travelled in the Gobi, Sikkim and Tibet to research Younghusband. He weaves his own adventures with Younghusband´s exploits, and using his subject´s letters and papers—many previously unseen by historians—pays tribute to this remarkable personality. In a blend of historical biography and travel writing, the book celebrates the last of the great imperialists. The Manchester Guardian critic says this is an "excellent and entertaining biography".
Cairn
No.1 October 1994 Amnye Machen Institute Mdeod C Sanj
Cairn is a newsletter of the Amnye Machen Insti¬tute, the independent research centre established by Tibetans in exile in Dharamsala. This first issue contains information on lectures and seminars on Tibet, plans to open a Centre for Occupied Tibet Studies, and information of books in Tibetan just released (including a translation of Animal Farm). Contact: Amnye Machen Institute, Mdeod Ganj 176 219, Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh. Email: ami@cta ,und. ernet .in.
 
Mountain Research and Development
Vol 14 no 4, November 1994 Jack and Pauline lves, Editors University of California Press This issue of MRD takes a look at natural hazards and catastrophic geomorphic events in mountain terrain. While most of the papers concern the Alps, there are also contributions on the Andes, the Himalaya, the Hengduan mountains and New Zealand. The editors have sought to "present our collective experience relating to a series of mountain events that occurred during the past 10,000 years or so, and that are occurring today." An article on the growth of a lake on the Imja Glacier (below Ama Dablam in Khumbu) states that there is rapid expansion of the lake toward the west. "As this proceeds, the possibility  for catastrophic  outburst  will
 
become greater, even if the lake is lowered… The potential for a major outburst is much higher than previously anticipated." (Subscription: UJ38 annual. University of California Press, 2120 Berke¬ley Way, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA.)
Indigenous People; Mobilization and Change
by Ganesh M. Gurung Hisi Press, Katmandu, 1994, NRsl60
Sociologist Gurung presents a collection of seven papers on the various ethnic groups of Nepal, providing descriptions of the customs and traditions in the light of social change, mobility and development. The author also discusses the questions of ethnic identity, politics and inter-ethnic relationships. Among the papers presented are ones on: the adaptation of poly androus practice to local conditions; the process of identification andsanskritisation among the Duras of West Nepal; the formation of ´mothers groups´ among the Gurung in the Annapurna Conservation Area Project region; economic modernisation among the Chepang; socio-economic networks a mong the Rana Tharu; and the phenomenal rise of ethnic forums and parties since 1990. Critic Saubhagya Shah says this book is "a useful handbook for students of Nepali society and culture".
Bhutan: Perspectives on Conflict and Dissent
Michael Hutt, Editor Kiscadalc Asia Research Series Oxford, 1994 ISBN 1 870838 02 5 £ 17.50
Since 1990, the lastShangri-La´kingdom of Bhutan has been undergoing political crisis. Camps in neighbouring Nepal now accommoda te thousands of refugees and a dissident movement in exile is calling for radical changes in the political system. There is increasing insecurity in the country´s southern districts. In order to discuss these and other questions, a conference on contemporary Bhutan was held at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London in March 1993. Theauthorsofthetenessays presented in this book (239 pages) include academics, journalists and a representative of the Bhutanese government. There are also summaries of reports produced by the Royal Government, human rights groups, and refugee organisations.
Bhutan: Aspects of Culture and Development
Michael Aris, Michael Hutt, editors Kiscadale Asia Research Series Oxford, 1994 ISBN 187083817 3 £ 17.50,
Since Bhutan turned away from isolation in the 1960s, theWngdom has consistently pursued "the worthy but difficult goal of harmonizing a programme of modern development within the country´s traditional Buddhist culture". This 239-page volume, which considers a selection of issues relevant to this policy, is the second to result from the SOAS conference on Bhu tan, menti oned above. Eight specialists focus in on the decentralisation of
 
development, the growth of diplomacy, language policy, context of religion, and the material culture embodied in architecture and textiles.
Himalaya Today
(An Indian Quarterly) Vol5no3,Oct-Decl994 Mahendra P. Lama, Editor New Delhi, IRs 15
The latest issue of Himalaya Today features the Uttarakhand movement for statehood in its cover, with articles by Navin Chandra Joshi and Annapurna NautiyaL Also featured are articles on "the ethnic cauldron in Bhutan" by Mat thew Joseph C; Mizoram in geopolitical perspective by S.N.Singh; tourism in Himachal Pradesh by Manoj Jreat; the Gaddi heritage byS.N.Sachar; and on the Himalayanist Rahul Sankrityayan by Rattan Lat Bisotra. The issue also carries articles on the vpgeta tionalwealthofUttarakhand,agriculturein Ladakh, Kedarnath shrine, and themonal pheasant. (Subscriptions: IRs 55 annual. 145 South Avenue, New Delhi 110 011.)
REFLECTIONS
Vol No. 1 and 2
Raina Nakari, Knnchan Vertna Lama, editors Sodety for Partners in Development and Utthan, publishers, Kathmandu This journal has been brought out to dear up "confusion and misunderstanding of the concept of gender and development in the context of Nepal". The latest issue contains articles on the girl child in South Asia by Kamla Bhasin, women´s perspective on a sustainable future by Arja Vainio-Mattila, the statusofwomenintheHindureligionbySangeeta R. Thapa, women´s life in Nepal by T. Nakari and "Reminiscences of a Rural Nepalese Woman" by K.V.Lama. (PO Box 2594, Kathmandu)
 
Hard Livelihood
Conference on ihe Himalayan Porter
3,4 August 1995, Kathmandu
Hirnal is organising a two-day meeting to discuss portering in the mountains. Topics will include: portering life and changing economy; impact of roads and air cargo; health, nutrition, physiology; load, muscle and bone; equity and collective bargaining; future of portering; etc. Contact: Kanak Mani Dixit P.O. Box 42, Lalitpur Phone: 977 1 523845, Fax: 521013 e mai I: h i m al @mo snepal. e met. in