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New Arrivals on Display : 15th October,  2009
 
 
  The following titles will be on display on the 'New Arrivals' shelf until 15th October  2009. You are welcome to reserve a book, if you wish to borrow any of them. Reservations will be entertained on a first-come, first served basis and do remember that if you have reserved more than one title, you will be given preference only on one. May we remind you that now you can also reserve the books through WEBOPAC from our website: www.indiahabitat.org  
      
 
Economics
Capital, interrupted: agrarian development and the politics of work in India / Gidwani, Vinay. Ranikhet: Permanent Black, 2008
  

The book is a compelling study of the convoluted ways in which capital operates in the modern world. The author illustrates his theoretical points with examples from fieldwork in one sub-district of Gujarat, all carried out with great sensitivity. He illuminates the ways in which development creates unexpected and uneven forms of social mobility, while feeding into and reinforcing the politics of an ascendant Hindu Right within Gujarat. There is throughout a strong focus on culture, showing how attitudes and practices rooted in caste, community and other such values have time again defied the projections and theories of economists.

 
India booms: the breathtaking development and influence of modern India /Farndon, John. London: Virgin Books, 2007
 

The book gives a fascinating insight into the country's politics, economy, social organisation, culture and relationships with other nations. This detailed analysis of the country as it is today shows how it will develop in the future, and the dramatic effect it will have on the rest of the world.
 

 
India: the rise of an Asian giant / Rothermund, Dietmar. --New haven: Yale University Press, 2008
 

The book charts the important features of India's development since its independence in 1947, assessing those forces that have contributed to the nation's growth as well as those that have impeded it. The author explores the diverse roots of India's economic robustness, from agriculture to the export boom. He looks closely at the country's democratic system, nuclear decisions, and alliance with the U.S. against terror. The author offers an impressive profile of India, an Asian giant whose role in the world's future will surely be unique and important.

 
Infrastructure development in India: post- liberalization initiatives and challenges / Jetli, K. Narindar. New Delhi: New Century Publications, 2007 (Reference)
   

The present work explains and examines problems and inadequacies of various sectors of economic and social infrastructure in India. Changes in infrastructure policy and new institutional arrangements for infrastructure development are also set forth.

 
The Sustainability mirage: illusion and reality in the coming war on climate change / Foste, John.—London: Earthscan, 2008
 

This study throws important critical light on the dominant orthodoxies about sustainable development, and suggests a radically new direction. The author argues compelling that present approaches embody floating standards and bad faith, trapping societies into action. This book outlines an alternative to the mainstream and offers the kind of bold new thinking on energy usage, governance, education and the role of enterprise that we need to win the coming war on climate change.

 
Gardening
Right plant, right place: over 1400 plants for every situation in the garden / Ferguson, Nicola. --New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005 (Reference)
 

The book provides numerous planting suggestions for even the trickiest growing conditions. The book features hundreds of new plants, along with current awards of garden merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. Each illustrated plant is accompanied by a detailed description including height, hardiness, flowering season and growing needs.

 
Globalization
 
Globalization, labor markets and inequality in India / Mazumdar, Dipak. --London: Routledge, 2008
 

India started on a program of reforms, both in its external and internal aspects, sometime in the mid-eighties and going on into the nineties. While the increased exposure to world markets ('globalization') and relaxation of domestic controls has undoubtedly given a spurt to the GDP growth rate, its impact on poverty, inequality and employment have been controversial. This book examines in detail these aspects of post-reform India and discerns the changes and trends which these new developments have created.

 
History
 
Empires of the Indus: the story of a river / Albina, Alice. --London: John Murray, 2008
 

The book speaks about the Indus, but it also speaks about how a river has been divided between India and Pakistan, how the people and culture have been divided even though they are the same and it ends with a few pages on China's role in damming the Indus. Along the way, it talks about the lands of the Indus: Sindh, Punjab, the tribal areas, Kashmir, Ladakh, and more. The author has done research on North Indian culture encompassing the exactly identical to similar cultures in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

 
The Penguin history of modern China: the fall and rise of a great power, 1850-2008 / Fenby, Jonathan. New York: Penguin Books, 2008
 

In the second half of the 19th century, China appeared as the sick man of Asia, rocked by recurrent revolts and huge natural disasters, ruled by an anachronistic imperial system and humiliated by foreign invasions. The first half of the 20th century was even worse, culminating in fourteen years of invasion by Japan, four years of civil war and three decades of chaotic, oppressive rule by Mao Zedong that killed tens of millions. Now, at the start of the 21st century, China is a major global force, booming economically and confident that it holds the keys to a future in which it will rival the United States. It is impossible to understand modern China without understanding the country's terrible recent past. The book is a narrative, crammed with surprising and interesting stories, and a profound study of the nature of political power and its abuse.

 
The Second world: empires and influence in the global order / Khanna, Parag. New Delhi: Penguin Books, 2008
 

The author argues that the moment of American supremacy is over, brought about by the increasing influence of what he terms the Second World: Eastern Europe, Central Asia, South America, the Middle East and East Asia. Travelling from Azerbaijan to Venezuela, China's hinterlands to Gaddafi's Libya, author explores these countries and their global significance.

 
HIV/AIDS
 
AIDS Sutra: untold stories from India / Akhavi, Nagar, ed.--New Delhi: Random House, 2008
 

India is home to almost three million HIV cases. But AIDS is still a disease stigmatized and shrouded in denial. It is stigma that prevents people from openly discussing the facts around HIV, and keeps them from getting treatment. The writers go on the road to tell the human stories behind the epidemic. Together their stories make up a complex and gripping picture of AIDS in India; who it's affecting, how and why.

 
Human Development
 
Human development and social power: perspectives from South Asia / Reed, Ananya Mukherjee. London: Routledge, 2008
 

This book explores the unevenness of human development with respect to the question of difference. The author develops a conceptual framework that focuses on social power, whereby human development is seen as a process of reconstruction of the matrices of social power. The approach builds on three main components: a relational rather than an identity-centric view of difference; a transformative notion of social justice - as opposed to a distributive understanding of justice; and the notion of agency. These are applied to the South Asian reality, where important insights into structural aspects of human development can be obtained in terms of religion, gender and caste.

 
Politics/International Relations
 
India express: the future of a new superpower / Lak, Daniel. --New Delhi: Penguin Books, 2008
 

The author has covered the region for two decades and draws on his detailed knowledge of the country's lesser known byways to bring together a complex canvas of interviews, anecdotes, statistics and history. Acknowledging India's uninterrupted engagement with democracy as unique in the region, the author points out that the growing political heft of the urban middle classes, linked to a historic strengthening of liberal institutions in the country, is part of a process whereby key blocks of voters exchange their political support for government patronage.

 
Management
 
The Step-by-step guide to sustainability planning: how to create and implement sustainability plans in any business or organization / Hitchcock, Darcy. London: Earthscan, 2008
 

This book explains how to create a sustainability plan and sustainability report. Each chapter has two vital sections. The first contains background reading, tips and case examples. The second presents a set of methods each with step-by-step instructions. This book also contains sample worksheets and exercise materials that can be copied for organization-wide use.

 
Olympic Games
 
Olympics: the India story / Majumdar, Boria. --New Delhi: Harper Collins, 2008
 

The book explores the Indian elite became obsessed with the Olympic ideal at the turn of the twentieth century and how this relates to India's quest for a meaningful role on the international stage. It also conclusively validates the contention that the essence of Olympism does not reside only in medals won, records broken, or television rights sold. Particularly for India, the Olympic movement is important because it provides a unique prism to understand the complex evolution of regional and national identities.

 
Philosophy
 
The Music of Pythagoras: how an ancient brotherhood cracked the code of the universe and lit the path from antiquity to outer space / Ferguson, Kitty. --New York: Walker, 2008
 

The book describes the story of Pythagoras and the Pythagoreans, whose insights transformed the ancient world and still inspire the realms of science, mathematics, and the arts.

 

 
Science
 
Science in India: past and present / Subbarayappa, B. V., ed. --Mumbai: Nehru Centre, 2007
 

This book is a compilation of a series of lectures held at the Nehru Centre from April 2002 to March 2003. Through these lectures, not only the scientific tradition of India but also the impressive scientific and technological achievements of the country at the turn of the century were evaluated, with possible directions for future developments in science and technology.

Social Entrepreneurship
 
The Power of unreasonable people: how social entrepreneurs create markets that change the world/ Elkington, John. --Boston: Harvard Business Press, 2008
 

This book demonstrates how market-based solutions can combine with compassionate entrepreneurs and democratizing technology to tackle society's most intractable problems.

 
Terrorism
 
Piercing the heart: unheard voices of 26/11 / Sodhi, Simran. --New Delhi: Rupa, 2009
 

The book is an attempt to document the events of Mumbai 26/11 through the stories of different survivors. In addition to their personal accounts, the book on a parallel, has also tried to bring the politics surrounding the event and its aftermath.

  
Trade & Commerce
 
Termites in the trading system: how preferential agreements undermine free trade / Bhagwati, Jagdish. --New York: Oxford University Press, 2008
 

This book underlines the abiding wisdom of non-discrimination, the now almost completely forgotten principle of the world trading system, and concludes that the only way to return to sanity is by movement towards free market access for all.

 

New Additions in Electronic Documents

Note: These reports can be accessed through the shortcut ‘Electronic Documents’ on the OPAC terminal.

 

State of Environment Report: India - 2009 by Ministry of Environment & Forests, Govt. of India.

 

The State of Environment Report presents an overview of the environment scenario of our country. Its objective is to serve as a baseline document to help assist decision-making and policy formulation. The key environmental issues identified are: climate change, food security, water security, energy security and urban management.

http://moef.nic.in/downloads/home/home-SoE-Report-2009.pdf

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