Dr. Zakir Husain was a true renaissance figure. Not only because of his multifaceted personality, but also due to a holistic vision that integrated those diverse facets. Educationist, sociologist, scholar and institution builder, Dr. Zakir Husain was above all a compassionate human being. This book which, in the main, is a translation of his doctoral dissertation, uses a scholarly approach to present a critique of the agrarian economy and its sociological underpinnings in British India. Adopting classical research methodology, the thesis provides a political statement based on socio-economic parameters. Drawing upon painstakingly researched source material on class and caste structures in the "essential" India and their bearing on agrieconomy, Dr. Husain focusses on some of the perennial truths that are uniquely Indian. He discusses in detail the genesis of well emplaced social instincts and instiutions at the individual and village levels, their inherent weaknesses and manipulation of the same by a power node, in this case the British Imperial power. Inspite of the fact that the thesis is the work of a young nationalist, and this is evident throughout, it maintains an admirable critical distance and is ruthlessly self-critical at places. It is easy to see that much of what Dr. Zakir Husain wrote in his dissertation is as relevant today, as it is likely to be in the future. This is the true hallmark of scholarship. In a bid to apprise readers, some articles, throwing light on the multifaceted personality of Dr. Zakir Husain, have also been incorporated in the book.
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