From the blurb
Contemporary Issues in South Asia — Documents: Edited by Medha Bisht; Pub. by the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi, and Shipra Publications, 115-A, Vikas Marg, Shakarpur, Delhi-110092. Rs. 995.
The year 2008 has been eventful for South Asia in several ways. Elections were held in several countries — Bangladesh, Bhutan, Pakistan, Nepal and Maldives. Against this positive pro-democracy development is the spectre of terrorism, ethnic conflict, poverty and numerous other challenges that continue to haunt the region. To mention a few trends and happenings: the expansion of Taliban influence in parts of Pakistan; terror attacks in Mumbai that brought India-Pakistan relations under strain; and the crippling impact of global economic crisis.
By bringing together a range of documents pertaining to major developments during 2007 and 2008, this volume paves the way for a better understanding of the contemporary issues facing the region in the 21st century.
Divided into eight sections, this compendium of primary source material has documents on Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and SAARC and BIMSTEC, with each section carrying a piece on that country’s relations with India. It seeks to provide substantive reference material for students of South Asian studies.
Widows, Renunciation, and Social-Self: Bandana Majumdar; Manak Publications Pvt. Ltd.,B-7, Saraswati Complex, Subhash Chowk, Laxmi Nagar, New Delhi-110092. Rs. 260.
The Constitutional guarantees and several specific welfare laws notwithstanding, age-old societal prejudices and discriminatory practices vis-a-vis widows persist in varying degrees particularly in the Hindu community. Renouncing worldly life and taking on the ascetic-like lifestyle is considered to be a Shastras-ordained duty for widows. And, understandably, Varanasi (or Kashi, as is known in the scriptures), hailed as the liberation-yielding holiest of holy cities, became the biggest attraction for them. The city has a sizable population of widows from across the country — West Bengal, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, etc.
This book is the outcome of a study of the Bengali widows of Varanasi, exploring the various forms of their deprivation, the specific contexts in which they opted for the life of austerity, whether they were interested in a path-reversal, and so on. It seeks to identify where and how the civil society in general and the state have failed in fulfilling their basic material needs and enabling them to live with dignity and self-respect.
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