This is Volume V out of eleven that form a collection on India, its History, Economy and Society. First published in 1930, this book looks at the origin and development of Bengali Drama and contains matter for historians, as well as direct criticism of what the author considers to be genuinely dramatic in the literature of Bengal, past or present.

This is Volume V out of eleven that form a collection on India, its History, Economy and Society. First published in 1930, this book looks at the origin and development of Bengali Drama and contains matter for historians, as well as direct criticism of what the author considers to be genuinely dramatic in the literature of Bengal, past or present.

Sharmistha Gooptu is a founder and managing trustee of the South Asia Research Foundation (SARF), a not-for-profit research body based in India. SARF’s current project SAG (South Asian Gateway) is in partnership with Taylor and Francis, and involves the creation of what will be the largest South Asian digital database of historical materials. She is also the joint editor of the journal South Asian History and Culture (Routledge) and the Routledge South Asian History and Culture book series.

West Bengal is one of the eastern states in India. Bengal is known as Gauda or Vanga an ancient Sanskrit Literature also it’s a land of worshipping God. West Bengal is India’s 6 th largest state in terms of economic size further it has 12 growth Centers for medium and large scale industries. West Bengal is the 2 nd largest tea growing in India. General knowledge of West Bengal is essential for various competitive examinations and especially for the students who are appearing for West Bengal Public Service commission (WBPSC) and other state level examinations The current edition of ‘Know Your State – West Bengal’ gives the detailed study of History, Geography, Economy, Polity, Art & Culture, Center and State government welfare schemes and Current Affairs of West Bengal. A systematic Chapter wise study will mark improvement in the performance of the students, moreover Tables, boxes and figures gives better representation for memorizing the main points. MCQs have been provided at the end of each chapter that helps in understanding and preparing the subject at the exam point-of-view level. This book comes a quick, relevant and easy route for achieving in the examination. TABLE OF CONTENT West Bengal : Basic Information, Ancient History of West Bengal, Medieval History of West Bengal, Modern History and Popular Movements in West Bengal, Geographical Features and Climate of West Bengal, Climate and Soils of West Bengal, Drainage System of West Bengal, Natural Vegetation of West Bengal, National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries, Agriculture and Irrigation in West Bengal, Animal Husbandry in West Bengal, Industries of West Bengal, Minerals and Energy Resources in West Bengal, Transport System of West Bengal, Communication in West Bengal, Administrative Set-Up of West Bengal, West Bengal Judiciary, Local Self Government in West Bengal, District Profile of West Bengal, Tourism in West Bengal, Music and Dance of West Bengal, Bengali Cinema, Bengali Theatre, Language and Literature of West Bengal, Fairs and Festivals of West Bengal, Education and Health in West Bengal, Castes and Tribes of West Bengal, Sports of West Bengal, Awards and Honours of West Bengal, Great Personalities of West Bengal, Social and Welfare Schemes of West Bengal, Demographic Profile of West Bengal, Current Affairs

Popular Cinema in Bengal marks a decisive turn in studies of Bengali language cinema by shifting the focus from auteur and text-based studies to exhaustive readings of the film industry. The book covers a wide range of themes and issues, including: generic tropes (like comedy and action); iconic figurations (of the detective and the city); (female) stars such as Kanan Bala, Sadhana Bose and Aparna Sen; intensities of public debates (subjects of high and low cultures, taste, viewership, gender and sexuality); print cultures (including posters, magazines and song-booklets); cinematic spaces; and trans-media and trans-cultural traffic. By locating cinema within the crosscurrents of geo-political transformations, the book highlights the new and persuasive research that has materialised over the last decade. The authors raise pertinent questions regarding 'regional' cinema as a category, in relation to 'national' cinema models, and trace the non-linear journey of the popular via multiple (media) trajectories. They address subjects of physicality, sexuality and its representations, industrial change, spaces of consumption, and cinema’s meandering directions through global circuits and low-end networks. Highlighting the ever-changing contours of cinema in Bengal in all its popular forms and proposing a new historiography, Popular Cinema in Bengal will be of great interest to scholars of film studies and South-Asian popular culture. The chapters were originally published in the journal South Asian History and Culture.

‘Rabindranath Tagore's Drama in the Perspective of Indian Theatre’ maps Tagore’s place in the Indian dramatic/performance traditions by examining unexplored critical perspectives on his drama such as his texts as performance texts; their exploration in multimedia; reflections of Indian culture in his plays; comparison with playwrights; theatrical links to his world of music and performance genres; his plays in the context of cross-cultural, intercultural theatre; the playwright as a poet-performer-composer and their interconnections and his drama on the Indian stage.