The Unquiet River

The Unquiet River PDF

Author: Arupjyoti Saikia

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2019-08-25

Total Pages: 473

ISBN-13: 0190990406

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The unruly Brahmaputra has always been an agent in shaping both the landscape of its valley and the livelihoods of its inhabitants. But how much do we know of this river’s rich past? Historian Arupjyoti Saikia’s biography of the Brahmaputra reimagines the layered history of Assam with the unquiet river at the centre. The book combines a range of disciplinary scholarship to unravel the geological forces as well as human endeavour which have shaped the river into what it is today. Wonderfully illuminated with archival detail and interwoven with narratives and striking connections, the book allows the reader to imagine the Brahmaputra’s course in history. This evocative and compelling book will be interesting reading for anyone trying to understand the past and the present of a river confronted by the twenty-first century’s ambitious infrastructural designs to further re-engineer the river and its landscape.

The Braided River

The Braided River PDF

Author: Samrat Choudhury

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 2021-04-28

Total Pages: 424

ISBN-13: 9390327598

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The Brahmaputra is by some margin the largest river in India. After its confluence with the Ganga in Bangladesh, it becomes the largest in Asia. In The Braided River, journalist Samrat Choudhury sets out to follow its braided course from the edge of Tibet where it enters India down to where it meets the Ganga at a spot marked by the biggest red light district in Bangladesh. Along the way, he meets suspicious Indian spies, gets packed off on the back of a cement truck by soldiers, visit a shelter home for baby rhino and elephant orphans in Kaziranga, and hops from river island to riverside town meeting the locals. The tales of these encounters spice up a story that weaves in the history of the emergence of the border between India and China in Arunachal Pradesh, the formation of the Assamese identity -- a matter of great contemporary relevance owing to the National Register of Citizens and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act -- and the ecological challenges posed by proposed dams. This is a genre-bending book that touches upon several hot-button issues -- environmental, military and political -- as it blends travel, memoir and history with the present.

The Boy Who Grew a Forest

The Boy Who Grew a Forest PDF

Author: Sophia Gholz

Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press

Published: 2019-03-15

Total Pages: 32

ISBN-13: 1534138420

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As a boy, Jadav Payeng was distressed by the destruction deforestation and erosion was causing on his island home in India's Brahmaputra River. So he began planting trees. What began as a small thicket of bamboo, grew over the years into 1,300 acre forest filled with native plants and animals. The Boy Who Grew a Forest tells the inspiring true story of Payeng--and reminds us all of the difference a single person with a big idea can make.

River Dog

River Dog PDF

Author: Mark Shand

Publisher: Little Brown Uk

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 338

ISBN-13: 9780349115146

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The Brahmaputra is one of the world's great rivers. Beginning as a tiny glacial stream in Western Tibet it flows through India and Bangladesh before gushing out into the Bay of Bengal. Unable to reach the northern part of the river due to Chinese intransigence, Mark Shand nonetheless set out to attempt what no foreigner had ever done: complete the huge journey from the unexplored jungles of the Indo-Tibet border to the largest river delta in the world. RIVER DOG is a chronicle of that journey, a remarkable story encompassing sublime landscapes - in Assam where the River begins to broaden into its full majesty - and rather odd encounters - including a bizarre group of identical-looking monks in Majuli (the largest river island in the world). But it is also a celebration -- of a river that flows with mystery and legend, the men who have set out to discover it and a rather charming canine travelling companion called Bhaiti.

The Water Kingdom

The Water Kingdom PDF

Author: Philip Ball

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2017-05-05

Total Pages: 350

ISBN-13: 022647092X

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From the Yangtze to the Yellow River, China is traversed by great waterways, which have defined its politics and ways of life for centuries. Water has been so integral to China’s culture, economy, and growth and development that it provides a window on the whole sweep of Chinese history. In The Water Kingdom, renowned writer Philip Ball opens that window to offer an epic and powerful new way of thinking about Chinese civilization. Water, Ball shows, is a key that unlocks much of Chinese culture. In The Water Kingdom, he takes us on a grand journey through China’s past and present, showing how the complexity and energy of the country and its history repeatedly come back to the challenges, opportunities, and inspiration provided by the waterways. Drawing on stories from travelers and explorers, poets and painters, bureaucrats and activists, all of whom have been influenced by an environment shaped and permeated by water, Ball explores how the ubiquitous relationship of the Chinese people to water has made it an enduring metaphor for philosophical thought and artistic expression. From the Han emperors to Mao, the ability to manage the waters ? to provide irrigation and defend against floods ? was a barometer of political legitimacy, often resulting in engineering works on a gigantic scale. It is a struggle that continues today, as the strain of economic growth on water resources may be the greatest threat to China’s future. The Water Kingdom offers an unusual and fascinating history, uncovering just how much of China’s art, politics, and outlook have been defined by the links between humanity and nature.

Bells of Shangri-La

Bells of Shangri-La PDF

Author: Parimal Bhattacharya

Publisher: Harper Collins

Published: 2023-01-20

Total Pages: 215

ISBN-13: 9356290288

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Almost all of the Himalayas had been mapped by the time the Great Game - in which the British and Russian empires fought for control of Central and Southern Asia - reached its zenith in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Only Tibet remained unknown and unexplored, zealously guarded and closed off to everyone. Britain sent a number of spies into this forbidden land, disguised as pilgrims and wanderers, outfitted with secret survey equipment and tasked with collecting topographical knowledge, and information about the culture and customs of Tibet. Among them was Kinthup, a tailor who went as a monk's companion to confirm that the Tsangpo and the Brahmaputra were the same river. Sarat Chandra Das, a schoolmaster, was also sent on a clandestine mission, and came back with extensive data and a trove of ancient manuscripts and documents. Bells of Shangri-La brings to vivid life the journeys and adventures of Kinthup, Sarat Chandra Das and others, including Eric Bailey, an officer who was part of the British invasion of Tibet in 1903. Weaving biography with history, and the memories of his own treks through the region, Parimal Bhattacharya writes in the great tradition of Peter Hopkirk and Peter Matthiessen to create a sparkling, unprecedented work of non-fiction.

The Unquiet River

The Unquiet River PDF

Author: Arupjyoti Saikia

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2019-12-05

Total Pages: 602

ISBN-13: 9780199468119

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The unruly Brahmaputra has always been an agent in shaping both the landscape of its valley and the livelihoods of its inhabitants. But how much do we know of this river's rich past? Historian Arupjyoti Saikia's biography of the Brahmaputra reimagines the layered history of Assam with the unquiet river at the centre. The book combines a range of disciplinary scholarship to unravel the geological forces as well as human endeavour which have shaped the river into what it is today. Wonderfully illuminated with archival detail and interwoven with narratives and striking connections, the book allows the reader to imagine the Brahmaputra's course in history. This evocative and compelling book will be interesting reading for anyone trying to understand the past and the present of a river confronted by the twenty-first century's ambitious infrastructural designs to further re-engineer the river and its landscape.

Next Door

Next Door PDF

Author: Jahnavi Barua

Publisher: Penguin Books India

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13: 9780143064527

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In Eleven Superbly Crafted Stories Jahnavi Barua Takes Us Into The Private, Individual Worlds Of A Varied Cast Of Characters And Exposes The Intricate Mesh Of Emotions So Often Concealed Under The Façade Of Everyday Lives. Innocent Desires And Furtive Longings, The Complexity Of Fierce Love And The Terrible Consequences Of Its Betrayal, Simple Aspirations That Compel Brave Action, Life S Startling Reversals That Reveal Deep Insecurities And Yet Pave The Way For Forgiveness And Reconciliation These Are Just Some Of The Themes Played Out In These Remarkably Nuanced Snapshots Of Life. Predominantly Set In The Verdant, Politically Charged Landscape Of Assam, Yet Constantly Transcending The Particular, The Stories In Next Door Are Unerringly Human. Subtle And Evocative In Their Telling, They Mark The Introduction Of A Highly Accomplished Voice.