A Spectrum of Culture

In this age of globalization and postmodernism it is imperative for cultural historiography to be rooted in the specificity of the local realities and to reach out to the global. The essays written for various occasions by Prof. D.S. Somashekhar respond to such imperative. The essays in the collection range from the study of local cultures, for instance, the Gowdlu Tribe living in the dense forest region of Western Ghats, the cultural practices like ‘Antige – Pintige’ prevalent in a small geographical area of the Malanad Region in these Ghats, study of the communities like ‘Namadharai Vokkaligas’ to the relevance of ‘The Hague Peace Agenda’, Gandhism and the Buddhist concept of non-violence. Essays on ecology, bio-diversity and communal harmony reflect the socio-environmental concern which the sensitive author shares with all concerned citizens. Besides there are essays pertaining to the regional literature in Karnataka and on the cultural institutes like NINASAM which interest not only cultural historians but also the readers in general.