People of India, Volume XX : Delhi/General editor : K.S. Singh. Edited by T.K. Ghosh and Surendra Nath. 1996, xxvi, 746 p, $39 (Vol. XX).
"The Anthropological Survey of India (ASI) launched the People of India project on 2 October 1985 to generate an anthropological profile of all the communities of India, the impact of change and the development process on them, and the factors that bring them together.
"As part of this all-India project, the first ever ethnographic survey of Delhi was undertaken by the ASI in collaboration with local scholars. For the first time one hundred and forty seven communities of Delhi were studied and their origin, distribution, social organisation, occupation, attitude towards change and development were profiled. Other dimensions of the study included language and human biology. This ethnographic material was also discussed at a workshop held on 16-17 November 1989 in Delhi.
"Though the evolution of Delhi from a magnificent medieval city to the imperial capital and then into a burgeoning national capital has been documented many times, the account of the communities which have made Delhi their home is being presented in this work for the first time.
"At one level, Delhi is India in miniature, where thirty languages are spoken and where communities from various parts of the country have brought their distinct cultural traits, making it a pluralistic society. At another level, Delhi is part of the north-western region and of the bio-cultural structure of its populations. In spite of a homogenising metropolitan culture, many of Delhi's communities are deeply rooted in tradition. The major ethnographic features of Delhi are a higher percentage of the scheduled castes, a larger incidence of vegetarianism together with a higher intake of alcoholic drinks, wider prevalence of junior levirate, etc. While the position of women has improved, the adverse sex ratio inter alia is still a cause for concern.
"Delhi also offers an example of the rise of national community out of a welter of identities, co-existing, and interacting closely. A bustling metropolis as well as a centre of dynamic political processes, Delhi has the highest per capita income and also the highest per capita investment in infrastructural development. However, sprawling slums and fast depleting natural resources are some of its negative aspects." (jacket)