A River Runs Again
India's Natural World in Crisis, from the Barren Cliffs of Rajasthan to the Farmlands of Karnataka
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3.0 • 1 Rating
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
Crowded, hot, subject to violent swings in climate, with a government unable or unwilling to face the most vital challenges, the rich and poor increasingly living in worlds apart; for most of the world, this picture is of a possible future. For India, it is the very real present.
In this lyrical exploration of life, loss, and survival, Meera Subramanian travels in search of the ordinary people and microenterprises determined to revive India's ravaged natural world: an engineer-turned-farmer brings organic food to Indian plates; villagers resuscitate a river run dry; cook stove designers persist on the quest for a smokeless fire; biologists bring vultures back from the brink of extinction; and in Bihar, one of India's most impoverished states, a bold young woman teaches adolescents the fundamentals of sexual health. While investigating these five environmental challenges, Subramanian discovers the stories that renew hope for a nation with the potential to lead India and the planet into a sustainable and prosperous future.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this exemplary work, journalist Subramanian examines how India is responding to the environmental pressures linked to its growing population, with finite resources and unique cultural circumstances. The country, she says, is a "staging ground for an experiment in human survival" since it is "only a matter of time before even the most comfortable of countries will face similar circumstances." Subramanian organizes the book around the Pancha Mahabhuta (five great elements) of Hindu mythology earth, water, fire, air, and ether and uses this conceit to investigate environmental issues, such as vanishing water resources and the extinction threat to vultures. The sections poignantly incorporate cultural issues as well. For example, the chapter on "Fire" explores the environmental impact and health risks of the carbon-fueled stoves used by two-thirds of the population in India. Subramanian's writing is thoughtful and often lyrical as she balances current science with narrative journalism from her travels, switching modes to great effect. While reporting on environmental issues can sometimes overwhelm or burden the reader with guilt, Subramanian thwarts this risk by providing refreshing glimpses of individuals and organizations working against the problems India faces. Her work is engaging, informative, and eminently readable.
