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Fazal problematizes the contradictory government stand vis-à-vis ban on cow slaughter and a rise in beef exports almost at the same time. The steps which cater to divisive populism fell short of engaging with the impact it had on the livelihood issues of farmers as well as people engaged in subsidiary industries. The pitiable condition of Gaushalas which fail to provide decent living conditions to the cows question the actual commitment of the government.

Divided into seven chapters along with a detailed introduction, including notes on sources, and conclusion, the book uncovers some of the aspects about both the universities which are hardly discussed and deliberated upon. For example, it is often stated that Jawaharlal Nehru once described Jamia as ‘a lusty child of the noncooperation movement’ and sent a special message on the Silver Jubilee of Jamia on 10 September 1946.

In a sudden move, on June 20, 1948, the Madras Ministry led by Omandur Ramaswamy Reddiar issued an order imposing Hindi once again on the population. The difference this time was that Hindi was imposed as an elective second language along with other south Indian languages.

In order to improve Census accuracy, Kumar proposes a number of measures such as strengthening bureaucratic accountability, streamlining Census schedules, securing the release of data on time, and engaging respondents more intensively

The introduction (‘Sojourning for Truth’) and the Epilogue (‘The Last leaf’) bring the book to our pressing present and show us the mirror. Bela recalls, she was a four-year-old when famine raged Bihar’s countryside in 1967 and she heard about poverty for the first time.

Bakshi drives home the point that if one has to remain true to Vivekananda’s teachings, then the issue of fanaticism needs to be tackled head-on. Interestingly enough, though, Bakshi argues that ‘the death-knell of all fanaticism’ is not a point of arrival, but an ‘arduous and an ongoing process’ (p. 107).