Anuja Agrawal

Sociologist Anuja Agrawal’s book is an attempt to understand the ‘familial economy’ of the Bedia community in the light of the role that women play as both ‘chaste wives’ and ‘prostitute sisters.’ The de-notified community of the Bedias, though ‘numerically insignificant’ are found in large parts of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.


Reviewed by: Shohini Ghosh
Ajit Menon, Praveen Singh, Esha Shah, Sharachchandra Lele, Suhas Paranjape and K.J. Joy

A ground-breaking attempt has been made to capture the dynamics of community-based natural resources management and related issues, particularly the non-governmental organization (NGO) driven developmental initiatives in this area.


Reviewed by: Velayutham Saravanan
Jim Masselos

Festivals like Gokulashtami, Ganeshotsav, Navratri and Mohurram are an integral part of Bombay’s social calendar. They have been and continue to be intricately connected with the city’s politics.


Reviewed by: Manjiri N. Kamat
Yatin Pandya

Elements of Spacemaking describes the grammar and vocabulary of ‘reading’ architecture and urban spaces. The language of spacemaking is not commonly understood in our society, not even among the intelligentsia. Its role in producing better living environments is therefore, not easy to appreciate.


Reviewed by: A.G. Krishna Menon