The book serves a felt need, as also the purpose of getting Baba Amte under the reader's skin. But the author does not tease out historical and sociological connections, and ask questions of broader relevance. The definitive interpretation of Amte's life and its significance is still awaited. Neeta Deshpande reviews Wisdom Song: The life of Baba Amte.

13 Dec: A Reader is a collection of essays on the attack on the Indian Parliament on 13 December 2001. The book offers lay-readers a detailed overview of the gaps in the investigation, and the loopholes in the case, particularly against Mohammed Afzal, currently on death row and seeking clemency, writes Bikram Jeet Batra.

A trickle-down approach that sees justice through the lens of economic growth is the basis for many of its arguments, omissions and conclusions. As a result, it is of use mainly to practitioners of the law, who encounter some of the issues raised in detailed ways. Bikram Jeet Batra reviews Judicial Reforms in India: Issues and Aspects.

The Kaoboys of R&AW, which records the role of India's external intelligence agency over three decades, is replete with material that should force a re-assessment of intelligence operations by policy-makers and political leaders, says K S Subramanian.

In the Indian version of suburbanisation, the poor are being forced out of the cities, compelled to pay the price for the creation of the global city. Can we not envisage an inclusive city that caters to the needs of all its citizens, asks Kalpana Sharma.

Pallavi Aiyar's five years in China have produced a good read for those who are intrigued by the enigma of China. Why, for instance, does its authoritarian government enjoy so much legitimacy? Kannan Kasturi reviews Smoke and Mirrors.

Scathing in his indictment of state holdings in television, Nalin Mehta fails to note that commercial uses too can restrict its social potential. Romit Chowdhury reviews India on Television.

Madhusree Mukerjee's contribution lies in establishing the link between Churchill's decisions on this score and his worldview. Firdaus Ahmed reviews Churchill's Secret War.

Ela Bhatt's narrative of SEWA's efforts to bring justice to the lives of poor women reasserts the place of work in human existence. Neeta Deshpande reviews We Are Poor, but So Many.

Gurcharan Das's new book is bound to ride the recent wave of writing by Indians about Indians. The evidence for the core premise of the book, however, is thin. R Rajagopalan reviews India Grows at Night.

Veteran journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta's forthcoming book tentatively titled Gas Wars: Ambani brothers and the fight for India's natural resources, co-authored by Subir Ghosh delves into the unholy world of crony capitalism in India, writes Satarupa Bhattacharya.

The ubiquity of genetically modified crops, brought about by the sustained efforts of agribusiness giant Monsanto has raised concerns globally. Neeta Deshpande reviews Marie-Monique Robin's The World According to Monsanto: Pollution, Politics and Power.

A new volume that outlines in detail the climate change issues, impact and adaptation strategies in Sikkim could also provide replicable models for other states, particularly in the Himalayan region. Seema Bhatt reviews the publication.

Reading former CAG Vinod Rai’s autobiography Not Just an Accountant, Himanshu Upadhyaya feels that it is less about the individual and more about a constitutionally-mandated authority’s sustained efforts to uphold transparency in the face of concerted attempts by the powerful to thwart the same.

Dr Ilina Sen’s association with Chhattisgarh and her deep, empathetic understanding of its society and culture have come lyrically alive in Inside Chhattisgarh: A Political Memoir. Freny Manecksha reviews the book.

Akanksha Joshi's film chronicles the changing world through the lives of age-old communities and the adaptations they are forced into. Shoma Chatterji reviews Earth Witness.

Sunanda Bhat’s award-winning Have You Seen The Arana is deeply relevant in today’s world, as it explores the deep connectedness between man and nature, and the struggle of little-known people to preserve it in the face of many onslaughts. Shoma A Chatterji reviews the film.

The bi-monthly book review journal Biblio celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Its founder editors, Darryl D’Monte is one of its founder editors, were invited to the Chandigarh Literature Festival, which was held earlier this month. D’Monte talks about an interesting book discussion he chaired at the festival.

Administrative lapses and the fears of young parents keep a small percentage of infants outside the vaccine's reach, and this may be enough to keep the virus alive.

This Haryana based non-profit organization is working towards building a disabled friendly society through integration and rehabilitation, says Indra Chopra

Kris Herbst profiles how David Green has propelled Aurolab into a model corporation that manufactures 'expensive' medical products at rock-bottom prices.

The rape of a schizophrenic girl at NIMHANS reveals a wide gap between the rhetoric and reality of mental health care in India.

Direct Electro-Convulsive Therapy, banned in the west and some Indian states as a form of medical torture, is finding new advocates. Ethical psychiatrists must strongly disavow the practice, says Bhargavi Davar.

Rahul Bedi says declining vulture numbers have triggered serious public health problems.

The greatest of good intentions have a way of reminding me of the very things I wish not to remember, says Ashwin Mahesh.

Shipra Saxena on Midnapore's strides in implementing a government and UNICEF sponsored rural sanitation scheme, in West Bengal.

Care-providing facilities for disabled children are important social investments. Building and running affordable facilities must a priority for society, says Lakshmi K.

Marien Mathew meets a confident and yet vulnerable Padma Shri Malathi Holla, a very special athlete.

Are multinational firms more important than public health? Sudhirendar Sharma questions the haste with which New Delhi has let soft drinks manufacturers off the hook.

Simply suspending the human rights of poor women cannot improve a suddenly over-anxious system. Abhijit Das warns against adopting reactionary population policies, and urges more investment in health instead.

The poor never follow the rules of good health, we often hear. But the rules, in fact, are no guarantee of safe health in a system that is poorly regulated and unaccountable to its users.

The Nalgonda uranium project proposal in Andhra Pradesh has serious health concerns. Is it in the public interest for AP to grant a license to Nalgonda uranium project? Buddhi Kota Subbarao says no.

Allegedly in the midst of a major reform effort, the Uttar Pradesh healthcare system shows itself to be woefully unprepared for an outbreak of dengue. Abhijit Das reports.

This time for public health and hygiene. Ramesh Menon interviews Bindeswar Pathak, the founder of Sulabh International Social Service Organisation.

Damaged soil, ill-effects from pesticides, and falling water tables are the legacy of practices that were once thought great for the state. Ramesh Menon reports.

This IIT Kharagpur professor's vision is to remove the digital divide between the visually impaired and the sighted world. Rasika Dhavse profiles Anupam Basu and his innovation, Sparsha.

The Joint Parliamentary Committee report on pesticides in colas reads like a charge-sheet on the functioning of many government ministries. Sudhirendar Sharma reports.

Even as many Indian hospitals invite a foreign clientele to world-class treatment facilities, the poor have to contend with a different and unregulated private sector, says Abhijit Das.

As an alternative to incineration that is known to produce toxic pollutants like dioxins, India is leaning towards pyrolysis for disposal of medical waste. Ratna Singh of New Delhi based Toxics Link on the implications.

What plans and promises on 'health for all' have the NDA and the Congress offered to the electorate this election cycle? Abhijit Das takes a closer look.

The intimacy and inclusiveness provided by community media needs to be embraced, and will be a valuable asset in serving the disabled, who are often at the margins of public attention, says Ashish Sen.

Abhijit Das expresses concerns on the United Progressive Alliance's misplaced stress on population control targeting, taking the case of Uttar Pradesh.

Are tax-payer funded programmes for the empowerment of the disabled working? Until very recently, New Delhi has not even had reliable data to plan its programmes. Himanshu Upadhyaya digs into the 2004 Comptroller and Auditor General report.

As new cases of polio are reported in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, health departments scramble to respond quickly. Safia Sircar on a neighbourhood program in Shorpur.

N P Chekkutty reports on several marked trends in the latest Census data.

Reducing tobacco consumption is a multi-dimensional and complex challenge. Varupi Jain reports on an organisation that is lending its VOICE with strong efforts.

These National Human Rights Commission's hearings on the Right to Healthcare are bringing out hundreds of poor citizens' experiences of being refused public health care. Gone are the days when citizens endured this with a fatalism born out of years of hopelessness, writes Abhijit Das.

Medicine prices nationwide are likely to go up soon, including at public hospitals and dispensaries. Domestic manufacturers will withdraw critical but cheaper medicines as India gets ready to fulfill WTO obligations. Devinder Sharma argues that this is the beginning of a scientific apartheid.

Rural public health care is choked nationwide for a number of reasons. To name two, provisioning of services is very top heavy and many major programmes continue to be conceived and run uncoordinatedly. But Abhijit Das finds promising prospects in the formation of the National Rural Health Mission.

Some studies estimate that roughly 10 million Indians may be suffering from epilepsy. But social stigma and economic barriers are keeping treatment out of reach for the majority. Unlike polio, which has a national eradication programme, epilepsy treatment has seen no such focus yet, finds Varupi Jain.