Any attempt to unravel the history of the human race necessarily demands an approach to establish the truth and veracity of evidences available for that. This entails a critical examination of cultural atmosphere prevailing over the time and also the arguments in favor of and against the theoretical premises. Right from the ancient times, the history of India has significantly been influenced by the element of ‘religion’ which finds its reflection in the growth and development of art and architecture symbolizing the belief systems of the time. The emergence of faiths like Jainism and Buddhism has also been identified with the growing consciousness among the public about the social disorder and discontentment with various established practices of the society. As such, the question of demanding a reform in Hinduism, which is primarily driven by Brahmanical ideology, also came into prominence in the 6th century BC. An attempt is made here to discover the technical value of Jain Bronze images traced from Karnataka. The path-breaking study of bronze images no doubt, sheds a new light on Jainism and its extent of spread in south India. In addition to this, the growing relationship between Africa and China has been captured by examining the interdependency of the two nations. Adding a new dimension to the contemporary history of our nation a study on Famines and Forest policy of Hyderabad State has been covered in the current issue that once again endorses the argument in favor of public policy governance in India free from all sorts of ills. Most importantly, this issue carries a study on an Islamic community in Pakistan—the Ahmadiya sect—wherein many aspects relating to their identity has been examined thoroughly.

Sharada Srinivasan’s, “Jain Bronzes from Karnataka: Some Art Historical and Technical Aspects”, has significant presence in terms of rediscovering the cultural gravity and technical knowledge possessed by ancient India. The metallurgical study of Jain bronze images also assumes significance in the changed scenario of technological excellence of contemporary times.

Keeping aside the controversial agreements and exploitative nature of relations between Africa and other nations, the Chinese presence in the African continent has a long history. Chuka Enuka’s, “Africa’s Socioeconomic Benefits from the Expanding Sino-African Interaction”, makes it clear that there are enormous socioeconomic benefits as a result of Chinese interaction with African communities, thereby refuting the popular arguments in favor of Neo Imperialism and new colonialism.

The quality of governance of any government certainly depends on socioeconomic justice distribution resulting from development process of the times. This becomes true in the case of agrarian policies followed by the ruling classes that need to be examined from a new angle of vision. The famines of pre-independent India, for instance, forms a vital subject for discussion and leads to the argument that the forest policies have a tremendous bearing on the famines that became synonymous with the pages of India’s economic history. The question of forest policy in Hyderabad state and its overbearing nature on the famines of the region has been studied extensively by S Abdul Thaha in the paper titled, “Famines Versus Forest Policy in Hyderabad State”. Besides examining the issue from an empirical point of view, it goes a long way in streamlining the issues that are connected with famine mitigation mechanism of the times.

The history and culture of India before the partition episode, has been totally influenced by religion and precisely, the dynamics between Hinduism and Islam figured prominently. Om Prakash in the study, “Anti-Ahmadiya Sectarian Riots and Challenges of Nation Building During the Early Years of Pakistan”, has explored the question of social stability from a particularly religious point of view. The cause of Islam as championed by the Ahmadiya sect in comparison with other orthodox sects of Islam is discussed in this paper.

There is always a divided opinion about the strategies to win in contemporary times keeping in view the changing demographic dynamics in the countries of South Asia. As such, the current corporate think tanks are on the threshold of unraveling many schemes and plays that bring in fresh enthusiasm into the workplaces. Ching-Ning Chu in her book titled, “The Art of War for Women: Sun Tzu’s Ancient Strategies and Wisdom for Winning at Work”, makes a unique attempt to revisit the art of war as propounded by Sun Tzu. The classic work has been reviewed by Rachna Sharma in the context of women empowerment.

-- Radha Mohan Chebolu
Consulting Editor