Book selection represents the sphere of librarianship which distinguishes the profession from many other occupations. There has been a controversy in the past whether the process of book selection is an ‘art’ or ‘science’.
When one opens a volume like this with an impressive array of contributors, one does so with a certain expectation. But this volume disappoints totally. B.R. Nanda’s introductory article sets a tone for the rest of the book. It is an uninspired piece of writing and only summarizes what the other eleven articles have to say.
The stubborn facts of history and politics are often hidden from the public gaze. Jawaharlal Nehru lifted the curtain a little on this in one of his statements, ‘ … It is very well to talk about foreign policy. But you will appreciate that no person charged with a country’s foreign policy can really say very much about it.
Studies on the national movement and the movements for social reform during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries have often dwelt on the influence of western liberal thought on Indian leaders who spearheaded those movements.
During the recent Emergency, anyone who wanted to get the real news went over to the nearest newspaper office and, if he had a trustworthy friend, asked him if he could have a look at the list of forbidden items from the censor. Till a few years ago, anyone who wanted to know what the Central Board…
The Indian family has always been a subject of great fascination for sociologists and social anthropologists. This fascination owes itself to the emphasis placed in the Indian tradition upon joint family living and the central place accorded to the domestic unit in ritual and religious activities…