In the Land of Poverty: Memories of an Indian Family, 1947-97

Average Customer Rating: List Price: $32.95 Asia Trips Trips Price: $27.01 Your Savings: $ 5.94 ( 18% ) Subject To Change Without Notice Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Manufacturer: Zed Books
Binding: Paperback Dewey Decimal Number: 305.5690954 EAN: 9781856495981 ISBN: 1856495981 Label: Zed Books Manufacturer: Zed Books Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 224 Publication Date: 1998-12-15 Publisher: Zed Books Studio: Zed Books
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Editorial Reviews: On August 15, 1947, the day of India's independence from Britain, Ram Dass and his family were Untouchables--lowest of the low in an apparently unchanging caste system, landless serfs bonded to a feudal village lord in a remote part of Uttar Pradesh deep in the heart of Hindu India. Fifty years later as the country celebrated its half-century of independence, Ram Dass's family still suffered poverty and oppression--this despite their efforts and despite the changes which have transformed the face of independent India. This book is their story, and the story of modern India. Told through the voices of several generations, it takes the reader on a journey into the reality of Asian poverty--the powerlessness, the sickness, the illiteracy and all the other deprivations which enmesh the poor. Gradually we learn to understand not simply the human reality of what it means to be poor, but also the central paradox of modern India: half a century of democracy, economic growth and constitutional commitment to social justice has not lessened the acute, mass poverty of the country. This vivid account draws its readers into an unforgettable understanding not just of the personal experience of poverty but of the intractable reasons for its continuance.
Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: Excellent, thought-provoking and moving. A real eye-opener. Comment: This is a work in the genre of Orwell's "Down and out in Paris and London." Immensely readable, despite the very serious nature of the work, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in development issues, untouchablity and in learning about how it must be to live in abject poverty. Kudos to the author for this fine contribution to the few works that exist on the subject. More Reviews