Modern History of Punjab (An Old and Rare Book)

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

This is perhaps the first book of its type that includes as many as 110 documents for an objective study of the Punjab problem. The documents include letters, reports of various Committees and Commissions, and statements made to arrive at independent conclusions.

The first chapter provides an overview of Punjab in various facets - Cultural, Economic, Educational and Industrial, etc. In the second chapter a review of birth of Sikhism along with brief sketch of the Ten Gurus is given. Nine chapters provide documents. A brief description of all the elections is provided in Chapter 19 with details of 1992 elections. A biographical sketch of prominent Akali leaders in Chapter 20 would help to understand their psyche.

Chronology of events since 1819 is intended to enable the readers to have a quick view of events and persons.

Significant details of all elections with a focus on 1992 elections provide enough data. Bibliography including more than 1500 entries may prove useful to readers who intend to go deeper in the matter.

JC AGGARWAL (b. 1928), former Deputy Director of Education/Executive Director of Delhi Bureau of Textbooks, Delhi Administra- tion has a varied experience in the field of education. He has singly/jointly authored about 130 books on Education, Social Sciences and Current Problems In collaboration with S.P. Agrawal, he has written Documentation Encyclopaedia of UNESCO and Education (in two Parts), Women's Education in India, National Policy on Education: Agenda for India 2001, Indian Writings on Education, 1979 to 1986, and Vocational Education in India

His other recent publications include Yearbook of Indian Education, 1991 World Overview, Ramamurti Report 1990 on National Policy on Education in India; and Survey of Educational Documents in the World Since 1983, etc.

S.P. AGRAWAL (b. 1929) was Director, National Social Science Documentation Centre, ICSSR, and Member Secretary, Indian Association of Social Science Institutions. He was also the Vice-Chairman of the Asia and Pacific Information Network in Social Sciences (APINESS). In 1988 he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education (Honoris Causa) by International University Foundation. Presently, he is Member, Round Table on Research in Reading, IFLA, and Member, International Committee for Social Science Information and Documentation. He is also Member of Board of Studies of National Archives of India and Hindi Advisory Committee, Ministry of Coal, Government of India. Born and brought up in the cradle of freedom movement which he joined at the tender age of twelve, he gained an insight into political problems and developed a sense of responsibility which bore fruit as an information scientist committed to Gandhiji's philosophy and action-plan in the field and its social concept. He has written extensively on various aspects of education, Indian Polity and library and information science.

Absolute objectivity in historical facts and happenings is rather as myth. An attempt has been made here to present documents including:

letters, reports of various Committees and Commissions, andi statements on the complicated Punjab problem with a view to having! a wider perspective. The documents may be convenient or inconvenient to the campaigners, one way or the other. One thing is definite. There is need for accommodation at all!

quarters. An overview of Punjab in its several facets-Cultural, Economic Educational, Geographical, Historical, Industrial, Political and Religious is provided in the introductory part of the book.

Chapter entitled Towards a Peaceful Punjab', though very brief contains the essence of the issues.

A peep into the brief life sketch of the prominent Akali leaders will help to understand Sikh psyche. Chronological events since 1809 forms Chapter 21.

Bibliography including more them 1500 entries may prove useful: to readers who intend to go deeper in the matter. A word about 1992 elections Almost all parties and the Government can claim victory, the country, however, lost something very precious. But then who cares for larger interests! The Government can boast that it could conduct elections in spite of the boycott of the elections. Likewise the Akalis can take comfort from the fact that even in the face of unprecedented arrangements, their call for boycott had its sway over the voters which resulted in the ever lowest percentage of votes cast. The Congress can take pride in obtaining an absolute majority-the largest seats since the reorganisation of Punjab in 1966. The position of other parties, bu and large, remained the same.

**Contents and Sample Pages**