Manohar Publishers and Distributors

07 October, 2012

Military Costume and Accoutrements in Ancient India

By- Uma Prasad Thapliyal

The study of military costume and accoutrements in ancient India have not engaged the desired attention of scholars. Even important treatises on warfare have simply glossed over the subject.

An in-depth study, however, reveals an intimate connection between warfare and the military costume. Armour was devised at an early date to protect the body from arrow-shot, spear thrust or sword-cut. Even war elephants and horses were protected by armour. The shield was meant to ward off an attack at close quarters. The make, shape and size of armour or shield was again determined by the nature of threat to be encountered.

The choice of accoutrements was largely determined by the type of the weapons carried by the warrior. The scabbard was devised to carry a sword and a quiver to keep arrows. A waist-band and cross-belt were worn to tie-up the sword and quiver respectively. The art of war also influenced the choice of military costume. The Scytho-Ku¦ŒÄa mounted archer used coat, trousers and boots as these suited their tactics of war. The Indian soldiers tied up their loose dhoti in a manner so that no loose ends dangled below to impede the military maneuver.

This volume tries to explore the relationship between military costume and warfare through the ages and will be of immense interest to scholars of Indian military history.

ISBN 978-81-7304-955-2 2012 165p. Rs.695/Pounds 35

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05 October, 2012

Medieval India 3: Researches in the History of India

By- B.L. Bhadani (ed.)

This volume offers varied but comprehensive studies relating to Medieval Indian History and Culture from the twelfth to the eighteenth century. Based on extensive use of contemporary sources (including those hitherto unknown), the essays cover political, social, economic, cultural and environmental issues both at the macroscopic and microscopic levels.

It contains fifteen essays, contributed by scholars associated with the Centre of Advanced Study, Department of History, Aligarh Muslim University as well as those who belong to other institutions in the country.

B.L. Bhadani is Chairman, Department of History and Coordinator of the Centre of Advanced Study in History, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh. He has delved deep in Rajasthani sources pertaining to medieval period.

ISBN 978-81-7304-942-2 2012 308p. Rs.950/Pounds 50

Making Sense of History: Society, Politics and Culture in South Asia

By- Mushirul Hasan

Making Sense of History is a historian’s exploration of the past and present. Some articles, essays and interviews supplement his scholarly publications, but most reflect Professor Hasan’s present-day concerns. Thus, he writes on 11 September, on Palestine and on pogrom in Gujarat. He dwells on the rise of Hindu nationalism and Islamic fundamentalism and critically evaluates their cultural and ideological resources. His is a story that resonates with ideas on the contemporary Indian scene.

This book also devotes a section to some of the leading Western and South Asian interpreters of Islam. Without being apologetic about Islamic teachings. Professor Hasan engages with a wide range of topics of concern to contemporary Muslims in India and overseas. Covering a variety of themes including jehad, education, literature and political thought, he clears up some distortions and mispresentations about Islam and the Muslim communities.

Professor Hasan airs his views with unusual candour. He is clear in his thinking, lucid in his exposition, and uninhibited in communicating with his newspaper readers.

The book affords many valuable insights and interesting analyses. Readers seeking an understanding of aspects of Indian history and contemporary affairs will find a sensitive handling of the various social, cultural and political issues.

Mushirul Hasan (b. 1949) is Professor of History and Director of the Academy of Third World Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. Having lectured widely across the US, Europe, Australia, as well as the subcontinent, Professor Hasan has held professorial fellowships at the Nehru Memorial Museum & Library, New Delhi, the Institute of Advanced Studies, Berlin, the Centre of Oriental Studies, Rome, the Centre of Indian Studies at the Maison des Sciences de l’Homme in Paris.

ISBN 81-7304-488-0 2003 518p. Rs.500/Pounds 22.99

Lockouts in India

By- Ruddar Datt

This book is perhaps the first attempt to study the menacing problem of lockouts in India which has plagued industries in the last three decades. Besides giving an overview of lockouts from 1961 to 1997, the author has made a special study of lockouts in West Bengal—the state with maximum number of mandays lost due to lockouts in India. He suggests that the causes for lockouts put forward by the Indian government in the Labour Year Book as well as Labour in West Bengal (a publication of the West Bengal government) are not tenable since the data is based on the employer’s perception only. The major causes of lockouts, he suggests are: downsizing of labour and casualization, increasing workload of workers, absence of a long-term perspective by employers, failure to bring about technological upgradation, pre-occupation with short-term profits, inefficient management, inter-family disputes, indiscipline and violence to some extent and cost reduction during periods of low demand.

While employers have succeeded subduing labour by using lockouts, the state has failed to find a durable solution to the underlying problems so that lockouts can be avoided altogether. The study concludes that while the state has tacitly submitted to the employers to earn higher profits by a system of exploitative efficiency, it has failed to provide economic justice to labour.

Ruddar Datt is presently associated with the Institute of Human Development, New Delhi, as a Visiting Professor. Earlier he taught Economics for 35 years at the University of Delhi. He was the President of the Indian Economic Association and Indian Society of Labour Economics in 1991.

ISBN 81-7304-519-4 2003 184p. Rs.500/Pounds 15

04 October, 2012

Livestock in Orissa: The Socio-Economic Perspective

By- M.P.G. Kurup (ed)

Livestock production is the endeavor of millions of men and women in rural Orissa in tiny small holdings, and is a major source of supplementary income in the agriculture based livelihoods. It offers specific opportunities to the less privileged groups like marginal and landless farmers. Various schemes have been planned throughout the country to utilize the potential of livestock keeping in rural development and poverty alleviation programmes. Yet, there has been a limited impact on rural development and poverty alleviation.

Livestock in Orissa: The Socio-Economic Perspective is the outcome and edited version of the ‘Report of the Steering Committee for Livestock Sector Review: 1999’, initiated by the State Department of Fisheries and Animal Resource Development, organized and liaisoned by the Indo-Swiss Natural Resources Management Programme Orissa.

This study describes and analyses micro and macro economic aspects of the sector, species wise development efforts, their results and potential, and institutional setting. Based on up-to-date statistical information gleaned from literature and extensive fieldwork among the stakeholders in the sector and farmers it specifically focuses on the development perspectives for rural poor and women. The book also contains the text of the ‘State Lievestock Sector Policy’.

It contains a Wealth of information and offers a wide range of users’ insight in the facts and perspectives relating to livestock in Orissa. It will be particularly interesting for those who relate to the sector through their work in livestock programmes and are interested in rural development and livelihoods. The approach and analysis offered in the book will hopefully help people in other states to initiate or implement similar programmes in their states.

M.P.G. Kurup is a former Board Member and Executive Director of the National Dairy Development Board, Anand. He completed his formal education in India and had advanced training in Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

ISBN 81-7304-514-3 2003 264p. Rs.550/Pounds 45

Labour Market and Institution in India: 1990s and Beyond

By- Shuji Uchikawa

The purpose of this study is to examine change of institution in labour market after economic reforms. A dynamic element was introduced in the economy with reforms in an effort to achieve more flexibility in the system. The introduction of flexibility in the labour market led to some displacement of labour and an informalization of the labour force. On the other hand, reallocation of labour from declining to profitable sectors took place significantly within the organized sector and between the organized and the unorganized sectors. Labour market is different from other markets in role of institution. Institution plays an important role in labour market. At macro level, not only labour laws and trade unions but also subcontracting affect market. The value of subcontracting activity was growing at a faster rate than growth rate of output in organized manufacturing during the 1990s. At micro level, wage of employees depends on recruitment and promotion system and labour management. External and internal labour market institutions are primarily concerned with fairness in the distribution of workload and wages, within the non-market framework of the employment relation. Economic reforms had different impacts on industries and sector. We analyse the organized sector, the unorganized sector, the financial sector, declining sector and subcontracting sector.

Shuji Uchikawa is a researcher at Institute of Development Economies-Japan External Trade Organization (IDE-JETRO) in China. He has a Ph.D. from Jawaharlal Nehru Univesity. He was a visiting faculty at Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research between 2000 and 2002. He has published a number of articles on Indian economy.

ISBN 81-7304-486-4 2003 184p. Rs.400/Pounds 35

Indian Federalism in the New Millennium

By- B.D. Dua and M.P. Singh (eds)

The Indian federal system has been dynamic in accommodating political and societal changes since its constitutional blueprint was drawn in 1949-50. However, there has been a fundamental transformation in the operative principles of federalism particularly during the last decade or so. The rhythm and the beat of the political system, and of the federal system within it, has changed on account of a variety of socio-economic and political factors, but primarily because of a disarray of the party system, neo-liberal economic policies, and judicial decisions. The centralizing thrust of the earlier years has yielded to some kind of a ‘confederal’ operation of the political system, making the formulation and implementation of public policies a ‘consociational’ exercise between political elites at the two levels of government—central and provincial—with the third, now constitutionally entrenched level—local institutions of self-government—waiting in the wings.

The eighteen papers in this volume, written by experts in the field, reflect on the new and emerging trends in Indian federalism in particular and in the Indian political system in general in the larger context of global and regional changes.

B.D. Dua is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. His area of specialization is Comparative Politics, Public Administration, and Federalism. He has chaired the Department of Political Science for a number of years and is the Dean (Emeritus), Faculty of Arts and Science at the University. He has several publications, including books, to his credit and is well published in prestigious journals.

M.P. Singh is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Delhi and specializes in Indian and Canadian politics and Philosophy of Science. He was the Head of the Department of Political Science and the Dean of the Faculty of Social Science at the University, and a Director of the Indian Council of Social Science Research. He has authored, edited, and co-edited several books on Indian politics and contributed scholarly papers in professional journals in India and North America.

ISBN 81-7304-502-X 2003 448p. Rs.850/Pounds 60