Cambridge University Press launches new book on Indian Sundarbans

The book named ‘Living with Disasters’ has been written by author Amites Mukhopadhya.

 

This book is a critical account of the disconnected nature of governance, conservation and livelihood initiatives in the Indian Sundarbans, an active delta that spreads over 25,500 sq. km across India and Bangladesh and lies in the Bay of Bengal. 

 

It draws a holistic picture of the disaster-prone delta in eastern India, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and also one of the largest tracts of mangrove forests in the world. The author juxtaposes the vulnerable lives and frequently displaced existence of the islanders against the dominant strategies of conservation and development followed by the state.

 

Speaking about the book launch, Ratnesh Kumar Jha, Managing Director, Cambridge University Press,South Asia, said “This new book by Cambridge University Press is an interdisciplinary research situated at the interface of history, anthropology and environment studies. It is important that topics like these which have a local connect but an international impact are brought to light and is a reassurance of our commitment to quality content developments. The book is a result of great understanding of the problems faced by the land, and thorough research and support provided by the Press. We are sure the arguments presented in the book will set the ground for richer debates around history anthropology and ecology in general and South Asian history and anthropology in particular.” 

 

The book was introduced by Preeti Hingorani- Head, Brand & PR; Cambridge University Press.The Chief Guest was Shri Tushar Kanjilal, Social Activist and Founder of Tagore Society for Rural Development. The guest speakers and Analysts who attended the event and spoke about the controversial and critical topic included - Prof.Suranjan Das, Vice Chancellor, Jadavpur University, Prof. Ranabir Samaddar, Distinguished Chair, Calcutta Research Group and Prof. Roma Chatterji, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi.