At the Crossroads : Essays and Reviews on Contemporary Developments in India

Contents: Preface. Abbreviations. 1. At the crossroads: development discourse in India. 2. Food security and agricultural development through biotechnology : shaping the contours of the policy debate in India. 3. Rural institutions and rural development policies. 4. Agriculture and agribusiness institutions in South Asia. 5. Physician, heal thyself! back to basics : filling the space to be vacated by the Department of Co-Operation. 6. Cooperatives : emerging issues and challenges. 7. Agribusiness : opportunities in Uttaranchal. 8. The development Andragogy: a review of the NLM strategy for literacy campaigns. 9. Law and order administration with special reference to terrorism. Book review: 10. Of farming, farmlands and farmers. 11. A traveller and the road: an extended essay on Mohit Sen's autobiography. 12. Of homes and houses in faraway lands. 13. Food for thought and action. 14. Governance in India: a view from the Azamgarh Circuit House. Index.

"'At the Crossroads (ATC)' is a cracking good read for a book that deals with subjects that are normally as dry as dust.

In this book, Sanjeev Chopra, an 'in service' bureaucrat, once again displays his flair for transforming flat, arid topics dealing, admittedly with critical issues in the contemporary context, into racy 'Development thrillers' crackling with wit and energy.

The book is a good starting point for both the eclectic readers and the more serious students (of the development sector) wishing to hove up their knowledge on the various issues dealt with in this book.

Sanjeev Chopra deals with widely disparate books in his book review section, ranging from classics like David Luddens's, 'The Agrarian History of South Asia' to Former Cabinet Secretary TSR Subramanam's 'Governance in India'.

To make Ludden's 'The Agrarian History...' more accessible for the more faint hearted readers, Chopra has actually taken the trouble to churn out a synoptic version of the book. Also an offer is a penetrating critique on leading communist thinker and commentator Mohit Sen's autobiography 'A Traveller and the Road' which deals with interesting aspects of modern Indian history such as the Chinese Aggression, the split in the CPI, the emergence of Bangladesh and the emergency.

Equally interesting in his double review 'Of Homes and Houses in Far Away Lands' where he does a comprehensive study of two contemporary works of fiction: Monica Ali's 'Bricklane' and Jhumpa Lahiri's 'Namesake'. In this review he analyses the attempt made by both writers to reflect the growing dichotomy of thought and action between two generations in 'far away lands' starting from the generation that migrated from India in the 'sixties'.

The book is a tantalizing potpourri of all relevant contemporary issues and is a must read for all curious minds." (jacket)