Manohar Publishers and Distributors: 09/25/12

25 September, 2012

An Unforgettable Dalit Voice: Life, Writings and Speeches of M.C. Rajah

By- Swaraj Basu

Professor

This book is a collection of writings and speeches of M.C. Rajah who was one of the great Dalit leaders of pre-Independent India. Anyone interested in understanding the history of India’s Dalit movement will find this book very valuable. M.C. Rajah was born in a Dalit family of Tamil Nadu in 1883 and till he died in 1943 he was in the forefront of the Dalit’s struggle for equality, justice and rights. What is most important about him is that he was the first Dalit leader in the Madras Legislative Council and also the first Dalit leader in the Central Legislative Assembly. His commitment towards the cause of Dalits and particularly his efforts to make provision for education of Dalits drew the attention of the British government and he was conferred the title of Rai Bahadur in 1922. Being influenced by the Non-Brahmin movement in Tamil Nadu M.C. Rajah realized the importance of mobilizing Dalits whose interests in his opinion were not protected by Non-Brahmin leaders. Written in 1925 his book, The Oppressed Hindus, gives an account of the glorious history and tradition of Dalits in Tamil Nadu and the new identity given to them as ‘Adi-Dravidas’. M.C. Rajah’s representations to the British government, correspondence with Gandhiji and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and his speeches in the provincial and central legislatures for about twenty years provide valuable insights about his struggle for the empowerment of Dalits.

Swaraj Basu is Professor in History at Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi. He is the author of Dynamics of a Caste Movement: The Rajbansis of North Bengal, 1910-1947, and has published articles on caste identity and politics in india.

ISBN 978-81-7304-966-8 2012 318p. Rs895/Pounds 50

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Against the Current: Organizational Restructuring of SEBs

By- Joël Ruet (ed)

Published in association with

Centre de Sciences Humaines, New Delhi

On paper, State Electricity Boards in India are supposed to provide electricity to a billion people across the country. In reality, however, what they provide to the consumers are poor quality power and endless power cuts. Besides, they are forever incurring losses and are thus a burden on State exchequers. We are told that this is only due to their ‘politicization’ and ‘inefficiency’. But is that the whole truth?

This book brings together ten specialists, with different ‘ideological’ backgrounds, who examine the issue of privatization of SEBs and argue that this is not the only solution to the problem. The contributors have a deep familiarity of the SEBs’ workings at all levels—from the meter reader to the higher echelons of the bureaucracy. And it is this intimate knowledge which the contributors have utilized to suggest key aspects of reforms of SEBs.

The book explains in detail how ‘depoliticization’ is not an issue in itself. On the contrary the book shows how SEBs can first be managed and then reformed. It goes on to examine the issue from different perspectives and then reveals what people within the system know about ‘inefficiency’ and what they don’t, what, they can decide, and what they can’t, what they actually do, and what they don’t. In short, it proposes a journey through the organizations to which hundreds of million Indians stand connected, day and night, through a maze of electric networks. The book thus not only raises issues but primarily suggests possible solutions.

Joël Ruet holds a Ph.D. in Economics (Paris) and is an Engineer from the Ecole des Mines, Paris. He has been working for EDF, the French public power company for several years. Since 2000 he has been the Head of the Economics Department, Centre de Sciences Humaines, New Delhi. His specialization is in the areas of reform of electricity sector in various countries, and socio-economic study of the public sector in India.

ISBN 81-7304-478-3 2003 224p. Rs.500/Pounds 40