Valliappan Olaganthan Chidambaram Pillai, (1872-1936) popularly known by his initials, V.O.C. (spelt Vaa. Oo.Ce in Tamil), also known as Kappalottiya Tamilan "The Tamil Helmsman", was a Tamil political leader. He was a disciple of Bal Gangadhar Tilak.

The volume presents V.O.C. as a great and dauntless political leader, a pioneer in Trade Unionism in South India, a versatile scholar and a good critic of Tamil language and literature and Saiva Siddhanta philosophy.

Contents: Introduction, Environmental Degradation and Rural Poverty, Environmental Degradation in Study Districts, Impact of Environment Degradation on Rural Poverty, Summary and Conclusions.

"Originally published, in somewhat different form, in 2016 by Allen Lane, an imprint of Penguin Books, Great Britain"--Title page verso.

DIVA collection of essays arguing for a global and economically based modernity driven by capitalist development./div