Historical and Civilisational Studies
Articles
Is Verrier Elwin Still Relevant? –A Study of the Bhils of Jhabua

Verrier Elwin dedicated his life first to live with Maria and Muria tribals of Bastar (both groups belong to the Gond family) and then the tribals of the North East in what is now Arunachal Pradesh. Pt. Nehru had a liking for and faith in Elwin and

Man and Environment in India: Past Traditions and Present Challenges

Civilisation has been at times described as a ‘type of relationship.’ In his classic ‘Civilisations: culture, ambition and the transformation of nature’, historian and scholar of civilisations Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, chose to look at

Religion, Caste, Regionalism and Politics in India

When Guru Govind Singh, the Tenth Guru, ruled that he would be the last human guru and the Guru Granth Sahib itself would be the eternal Living Guru, he said that in case of any doubt search within the Shabad, or the Guru Granth Sahib and all doubts

Official Apathy Towards Culture in India

Culture and cultural institutions in India have begun to bear the brunt of official apathy. In a strange turn of events the present government has reduced the allocation for 2012-13 for the Ministry of Culture. It is indeed unimaginable that in a cou

Why Dilute the Vision of the University at Nalanda?

In a remarkable speech delivered at Nalanda on November 20, 1951 at the inauguration of the Magadh Research Institute for the study of Pali, Prakrit and research in Buddhist literature and philosophy, Dr. Rajendra Prasad the first President of the In

Projecting India’s Civilisational and Cultural Perspective: Need for an Integrated Vision

In his address on ‘The Influence of Indian Spiritual Thought in England’ on 11th March 1898 at Calcutta Swami Vivekananda distinctly referred to the Indian civilisational reach worldwide. While travelling in the Eastern parts of Asia,

The Epics and our National Life: ignored perspectives, six examples and some views

Avant Propos: Constructing – Deconstructionism Inspired by the theory and belief of an imagined India a vocal and influential section in the Indian and Western academia and intelligentsia has been uninterruptedly inspiring and promoting a

Perspectives on Standards in Public Life & Swaraj

Of late the debate on standards in public life, of probity in public life and of the use and abuse of power in a democratic framework has been occupying the centre stage. While the debate has often developed to no-holds barred level it is nevertheles

Encircling the ‘Light of Asia’: the Lumbini Project

Though he often lamented the extent and depth of Indian influence on Chinese civilisation in the past, Ambassador Hu Shih (1891-1962) scholar-formidable of China’s cultural renaissance nevertheless conceded India’s immense contribution to his cou

Revisiting the Indian Tradition of Public Dissent

Avant Propos Writing a foreword to noted social historian and political philosopher Dharampal’s (1922-2006) book ‘Civil Disobedience in Indian Tradition’ [1971] legendary Indian mass leader and socialist thinker Jayaprakash Nar

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