In this impressionistic account of the sixteen months he spent in a small town in Bihar, Vijay Nambisan, tries to discover the forces that drive or thwart the most populous and the most damned state in the Indian Union. 'A biting story of broken promises, institutional rot and exploitation...' --Biblio 'In a brutally transparent narrative Vijay Nambisan questions the very edifice on which Indian democracy stands even as he is startled by the divine chaos that Bihar is trapped in.' --The Pioneer

Containing almost 250 entries written by scholars from around the world, this two-volume resource provides current, accurate, and useful information on the politics, economics, society, and cultures of India since 1947. With more than a billion citizens—almost 18 percent of the world's population—India is a reflection of over 5,000 years of interaction and exchange across a wide spectrum of cultures and civilizations. India Today: An Encyclopedia of Life in the Republic describes the growth and development of the nation since it achieved independence from the British Raj in 1947. The two-volume work presents an analytical review of India's transition from fledgling state to the world's largest democracy and potential economic superpower. Providing current data and perspective backed by historical context as appropriate, the encyclopedia brings together the latest scholarship on India's diverse cultures, societies, religions, political cultures, and social and economic challenges. It covers such issues as foreign relations, security, and economic and political developments, helping readers understand India's people and appreciate the nation's importance as a political power and economic force, both regionally and globally.

Twenty years ago India was still generally thought of as an archetypal developing country, home to the largest number of poor people of any country in the world, and beset by problems of low economic growth, casteism and violent religious conflict. Now India is being feted as an economic power-house which might well become the second largest economy in the world before the middle of this century. Its democratic traditions, moreover, remain broadly intact. How and why has this historic transformation come about? And what are its implications for the people of India, for Indian society and politics? These are the big questions addressed in this book by three scholars who have lived and researched in different parts of India during the period of this great transformation. Each of the 13 chapters seeks to answer a particular question: When and why did India take off? How did a weak state promote audacious reform? Is government in India becoming more responsive (and to whom)? Does India have a civil society? Does caste still matter? Why is India threatened by a Maoist insurgency? In addressing these and other pressing questions, the authors take full account of vibrant new scholarship that has emerged over the past decade or so, both from Indian writers and India specialists, and from social scientists who have studied India in a comparative context. India Today is a comprehensive and compelling text for students of South Asia, political economy, development and comparative politics as well as anyone interested in the future of the world's largest democracy.

A Wonderful Synecdoche For India: Heterogeneous, Contrary, Suddenly Seductive' - Hindustan Time `The Penguin Book Of Indian Journeys Is Not Exactly A Collection Of Essays On Trips To Places Familiar And Unknown. It Is So Much More, That It Would Be A Crime To Describe Its Contents As Travel Pieces . . . It Examines The Petty And The Large-Hearted, The Honest And The Hypocritical, The Smug, The Defeated And The Insecure . . . In The Final Analysis, Indian Journeys Is Like A Parcel Gift-Wrapped In Multiple Layers, Each One Presenting The Reader With A Wonderful Surprise That Raises His Expectations Of The Next'- Sunday Statesman `A Treat ... With More Than 35 Pieces, The Book Gives A Wide-Angle View Of Contemporary India' - Indian Express `An Exhilarating Account Of India, Complete In Its Mosaic Of Contending Architecture, Climate, People, Politics, Emotions, Ambitions And Shibboleths'- Hindustan Times `[India] Sets The Literary Imagination On Fire. The Brilliant And Absorbing Pieces In This Collection Are Moulded In The Heat Of That Dazzling Flame . . . An Essential Read For All Wanderers And Intrepid Travellers'- First City `Memorable Pieces Dominate: Jan Morris'S Exuberant Essay On Darjeeling, Bruce Chatwin'S Ironic Take On Mrs Gandhi, And Sarayu Ahuja'S Delightful Portrait Of A Madras Mami . . . You Can Scarcely Wait Till The Bookshop Opens So You Can Read The Rest Of Their Books' - Hindu

Developed by experienced professionals from reputed civil services coaching institutes and recommended by many aspirants of Civil Services Preliminary exam, General Studies Paper - I contains Precise and Thorough Knowledge of Concepts and Theories essential to go through the prestigious exam. Solved Examples are given to explain all the concepts for thorough learning. Explanatory Notes have been provided in every chapter for better understanding of the problems asked in the exam. #v&spublishers

"This book explores and presents research that centers on the historical, political, sociological, and economic factors that engender global inequities"--Provided by publisher.