On communism in West Bengal since 1977.

Annotation: The religious philosophy of Mahatama Budh called Pratityasamutpada delves deep into the causes of our worldly pains and sorrows. Budh treated caste, change and possibility as the basis of his philosophy. However, the views of different philosophers differ.

With special reference to India.

Originally published in 2003, this volume studies village politics and the changes brought about in rural society through political developments. It focuses on the social, political and cultural circumstances of communist mobilization in rural West Bengal. It analyses the emergence of rural communism in the local context of changes in the position of women, in caste practices, in economic conditions and in new efforts to create ‘development’. It investigates how this cultural change interacts with the mechanisms and tools of village politics, and using anthropological methods and oral history as tools, allows for a detailed and intimate ethnographic description of village politics and its changes.

Understanding India's politics and governance requires an examination of how politics and governance occur in the regional States, which constitute the federal units of India.This book addresses the issues of federalism, power-sharing and constitutional reforms, and their effects on governance in Indian States. Located within the growing literature on new State politics in India, this volume presents a critical, in-depth analysis of politics in Bihar, West Bengal and Tripura — these States being units of analysis for more general implications.What common obstacles have impeded development in each State, and what factors have favored recent, rapid development in some States but not others? The issues of caste conflicts, ethnic conflicts and other collective identity issues will be examined in this book — a pioneer volume with detailed, empirically-based research on the implications of State-centric politics in India.

This book analyzes the successes and failures of various federal measures adopted in India, Pakistan and Malaysia for the political accommodation of diversity. Bhattacharyya then assesses their comparative significance for other countries in Asia. In particular, he examines growing tensions between nation and state-building in ethnically plural societies; modes of federation-building in Asia; persistent ethno-nationalist tensions in federations, and the relationship between federalism and democracy; and federalism and decentralization. Since ethno-nationalist conflict remains unresolved in most countries of Asia, this book should of interest to those seeking long-term solutions of problems of order and stability in ethnically diverse countries in Asia.