Book review of "Environmentality: Technologies of government and the making of subjects"

What makes people care for the environment? Do natural resources play any role in social identities? The book under review attempts to answer these questions.

Anaemia rampant in women in Bageshwar

A health camp conducted in Sama, 60 km north of Bageshwar in Uttaranchal in November, revealed that anaemia, chronic infections, gout, tuberculosis and rheumatoid arthritis are the common ailments there. And, 80 per cent of the 250 people who had come for the check up, suffered from these.

Uttaranchal farmers upset at upcoming tea estates

The Uttar Pradesh government in 1996 (now Uttaranchal) started an ambitious tea plantation programme, which was to be spread across 12,000 hectares (ha). It included a series of tea estates to aid the state's economy and provide farmers with an additional source of income. Now, after 10 years, out of the four projected tea estates, the Kausani Tea Estate has become fully operational. But that's hardly any good news.

Magnificient no more

There is an old Kumaoni song, which goes, "They give us cold water from their roots, the air we breathe in flows from their clumps and the temple they canopy at the top of the hills protects us from all ills. O you beautiful one, do not cut these trees, lest sin should fall on you." The song is dedicated to the oak tree, an integral part of folk life in the Kumaon hills since ages.

Perfect recipe

the hilly regions of Garhwal and Kumaon have an incredible cure for kidney stones -- the gahat dal. Unfortunately, the miraculous effects of the dal are unknown in other parts of the country, despite the problem of stones in kidney being quite widespread. Ayurveda explains that gahat or horse-gram, as it is known in most parts of the world, is invaluable for getting rid of the stones because it is a diuretic (substance that increases urine flow).

'The forest mafia is very powerful'

How did you, a historian, get so deeply involved with deforestation issues? The history and culture of Uttaranchal is directly linked with its forests. I was working on the history of deforestation, and realised that the lucrative business of illegal timber trade is the single-largest cause of deforestation. Unless this is stopped, initiatives like joint forest management (jfm) and social forestry programmes would only grow forests for mafias. Interviewee:  Ajay S Rawat

Divine protection

Dharamgarh in the Kumaon area of Uttaranchal has a long tradition of people's management of forests. Since 1931, a van panchayat had been doing a remarkable job. The association of these forests with various local deities ensured that local community institutions were helped along on their job. However, with increasing population and depleting resources, forests, divine associations notwithstanding, faced the axe. This largely agrarian area is heavily dependent on the forests.

The story of a thirsty Kumaon

The book looks at the value of water as a basic need instead of valuing water in terms of productivity in agriculture and industry, or in terms of the costs of supply. It examines water in the regional context, in terms of what it means to the people of Kumaon, more specifically to the women, since it is the women who are most affected by its availability or lack of it.

All in a day's work

Silent invasion