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Book Review
FROM THE BLURB
A Pedagogue’s Romance — Reflections on Schooling: Krishna Kumar; Rs. 450.
In this insightful collection of short essays this noted educationist takes the reader beyond generalisations into what he calls the “inner world of education.” The Indian educational system impacts all directly or indirectly at various points in their lives. Often people are critical and inevitably have solutions to offer for India’s educational woes. This book takes the reader inside schools and classrooms, into training institutes, and textbooks and beyond, and delves into the public examination process to analytically view the system as well as the concept of education. At the same time, the author alerts us to the wider cultural, economic, and technological factors that influence both the system and its key participants — students and teachers. This selection explores a wide range of issues and concerns. Self-audit for schools to judge how they use energy and water, inclusion of crafts in the curriculum, the value of quiet observation in nature study, and the need to reconceptualise girls’ education are among the many ideas offered in this book.
Drowned and Dammed — Colonial Capitalism and Flood Control in Eastern India: Rohan D’Souza; Rs. 595. Both the books published by Oxford University Press; YMCA Library Building, Jai Singh Road, New Delhi-110001.
This book is a comprehensive reconsideration of the debate on the colonial environmental watershed and its hydraulic legacy. India, in many ways, makes a compelling case for studies on the linkages between water histories, hydraulic technologies, and politics. Whether it is inter-state river disputes, ground water extraction by private corporations, or farmer agitations for irrigation water requirements, the water question in India has several contentious dimensions. It also questions the enthusiasm for flood control in post-independent India.
Through a Glass Wall — Selected Articles and Short Papers 1997-2007: Arvind Sivaramakrishnan; Icfai Books, The Icfai University Press, 52, Nagarjuna Hills, Punjagutta, Hyderabad-500082. $ 18.50.
This selection of the author’s articles and short papers from The Hindu and other periodicals dates from May 1997 onwards and covers topics in politics, political economy, civil society, and the state. The international coverage includes the United Kingdom and the European Union in domestic and international affairs; the section on political economy includes articles on privatisation and disaster management, and the coverage of India reviews several recent publications on Indian politics and political life. The concluding section is on wider issues of the state, civil society, and constitutionality.
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