Working Class Movement in India in the Wake of Globalization

Working Class Movement in India in the Wake of Globalization

By- Jose George  (Prof), Manoj Kumar (Asstt. Prof.) and Dharmendra Ojha (Activist) eds.


After the collapse of the erstwhile Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the East European communist bloc, capitalism abandoned its ‘liberal’ programmes worldwide, and this brought about three-fourths of the world’s population at the mercy of the blind and ruthless forces of the market.

In India too, the wave of liberalization under a new economic policy, which had been agreed upon and promoted by both the big political parties, i.e. Congress party  and the Bharatiya Janata Party, put untold pressures, uncertainties and hardships on the toiling masses. Welfare schemes and subsidies to goods and services provided by the state were slowly withdrawn and the representative class of finance capital took a reactionary posture in political and social life. In India, the crisis at grassroots’ levels has led to a historical unity among trade unions affiliated with different political parties, and there is hope that they may join hands in the struggle for better living conditions.

Against this backdrop, this book, which is an outcome of a national seminar, tries to understand and analyse the conditions of the working class people in India. Various dimensions of working class people’s life and politics have been deliberated here. Also, an attempt has been made to present a working class perspective on various economic and social issues of contemporary Indian society.




Jose George: Prof. & former Head of the Department of Civics & Politics, University of Mumbai.

Manoj Kumar is an Asst. Prof. with Department of Political Science & International Relations, Wollega University, Nekemte, Oromia State, Ethiopia.

Dharmendra Ojha has been a Scientist with the ONGC. He has been active on social and cultural fronts and is a regular contributor to various literary and cultural periodicals and news magazines.





ISBN  978-81-7304-963-7    2012   477p.   Rs.1295/Pounds 60

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The Tibetan World of the Indian Himalayas: An Ethnography of the ‘Garden of Dakini’

The Tibetan World of the Indian Himalayas: An Ethnography of the ‘Garden of Dakini’

By- Tanase Jiro

Research Scholar & Teacher

In the Lahul region of Himachal Pradesh, Hindu and Tibetan cultures coexist. This region is also known as ‘Garsha Kandoling’ to Tibetans, which means ‘Garsha, a garden of Dakini’.

The people of Lahul live 3,400 metres above sea level in a challenging mountainous environment. Most of the original inhabitants are Mongoloid, and believe in Tibetan Buddhism. Their traditional ways of life are also Tibetan-like, and suitably adapted for the rigours of life at high altitude.

This book is based on fieldwork conducted from 1987 onwards. In the first half of the book, anthropological data about Lahuli society is presented. Various topics such as the means of inheriting wealth, gender issues, and marriage customs (including the practice of adopting a bridegroom into the bride’s family) are discussed. The discussion is thematically focused on the issue of opposing principles between the household (Kyum), and family (Jinmad). Polyandry, a unique form of marriage in Tibet, can be understood as a means of mediation between these principles.

The second half of the book describes a utopian religious movement that developed in the early 1960s and which later led to the tragic journey undertaken to discover Demojong, a Beyul (hidden country) that was said to exist near Kanchenjunga. The leader of this movement—Terton Tulshuk Lingpa (1916-63), was a Ningmapa yogi from Tibet.

Following India’s Independence in 1947, Lahuli society and culture has been transformed dramatically. But as this intimate portrait drawn by a Japanese anthropologist shows, the people of Lahul have successfully re-organized and adapted their way of life, whilst preserving their traditional values and religion.

Tanaase Jiro researches and teaches Anthropology in the School of Human Cultures at the University of Shiga Prefecture, Japan

ISBN  978-81-7304-957-6    2012   140p.   Rs.475/Pounds 35

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