Water: Culture, Politics and Management

"Water: Culture, Politics and Management is a compilation of essays written by some well-known connoisseurs of Indian art and culture as well as experts and activists dedicated to the cause of conservation of water. They illustrate how water has been treated in mythology, reveal the ecological messages that underlie these myths, and describe the culture that developed around water. There are also essays on maritime trade, the craft of boat- and ship-building, the politics of water emerging out of issues like dam construction, pollution of rivers and the scope of social services in flood-ravaged areas. Finally, a commentary on the imagery of water in Indian cinema, a selection of poems and a collection of photographs illustrating the sanctity built around water depict our response to it through art and poetry. Drawing on different disciplines as well as the arts, this volume is an informative and engaging exploration of the many ways that water has sustained and enriched our existence.

Table of Contents:

Introduction: The Ecology and Myth of Water, by Kapila Vatsyayan The Kaveri River, by Clare Arni

PART I: THE RIVER :

Himalayan Rivers: Geopolitics and Strategic Perspectives, by Claude Arpi
The Narmada: Death of a River, by Shripad Dharmadhikary
A Boat of Hope, by Sanjoy Hazarika
Water as a Metaphor in Indian Cinema, by Partha Chatterjee

PART II: THE SEA

The Indian Ocean: The History, Ecology and Making of a Community, by Himanshu Prabha Ray, Rohan D’Souza and Gulshan Dietl
Pre-Portuguese Maritime Crafts of India: The Ethnological Evidence, by Lotika Varadarajan
The Composite Culture of Goa, by Maria Couto

PART III: WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Water: What Must We Do? by Ramaswamy R. Iyer
Hunting Down Water in India: In Search of Vox Pops, by Sanjay Barnela and Vasant Saberwal; Poems by Maya Khosla
Environmental Values and the Quality of Life, by Mahesh N. Buch

PART IV: THE CULTURE OF WATER

Vanchipattu: Songs of the Boat Race in Kerala, by Vijayan Kannampilly
Bhatiali: Songs of the Boatmen of Bengal, by Indrani Majumdar
A Selection of Poems, with Introduction by Keshav Malik."