The use and abuse of wood is a major theme in the history of humankind according to a new book, A Forest Journey

SOMEWHERE in the Ayodhya hills of Bengal's Purulia district, a scorpion stung the wits out of me. My adivasi companion, Sukhchand, still in his teens, rubbed a poultice made up of some leaves on

The weavers of Kabir Basti had just two resources: wool and their own talent. With this they transformed their lives

Jharkhand"s leaders have successfully pressurised the Centre to consider granting autonomy to this region. But they have still not addressed themselves to local ecological problems

ADVANCE copies of the World Bank's prestigious World Development Report, 1992, duly printed on recycled paper, focusses on development and environment this year. It came bound with a paper seal

An automobile mechanic solves a dusty riddle

The anachronistic, and explosive, colonial formula of exploiting forests by denying the forest people their rights is still being followed to the letter by underdeveloped Indian administrators in the Dangs, Gujarat"s boondocks tribal belt

The death of Arun Kumar Sen, the inspiration behind the Students' Health Home, the biggest medical insurance scheme run by students in the country, has left an irreplaceable void

FIVE YEARS ago, the social forestry department in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra cleared several trees from a forest near Nandivse village to plant acacia trees. It did not know that the 4-ha patch was a sacred grove surrounding the temple of a powerful local deity, Kal Bhairon. The villagers, too, joined in because they were paid for the felling and planting.

The United Nations Development Programme's third and latest report acclaims participation as the cornerstone of human development. This springs from its recognition that "people's participation is

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