Aspects of Indian culture and society; essays in felicitation of Professor Nirmal Kumar Bose.

267 Pages·1972·21.437 MB·English

by  Surajit Sinha (editor)

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B 3 9015 00204 583 2
University of Michigan - BUHR

SUSU CL Menaar ce le

Aug 14°

Aspects of
Indian Culture and Society
ESSAYS IN FELICITATION OF
PROFESSOR NIRMAL KUMAR BOSE

Aspects of
Indian Culture
and
Society ESSAYS IN FELICITATION OF
PROFESSOR NIRMAL KUMAR BOSE
Edited by SURAJIT SINHA
The Indian Anthropological Society
Storage A
Copy right @ 1972 by The Indian Anthropological Society
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduceidn
any form or by any means witbont permission in writing from
the publisher,
First Printing, 1972
Published and distributed by :
‘The Indian Anthropological Society
27 Jawaharlal Nehru Road
Caloutta-13
Printed in India at:
Eka Prees
204/1, B. T, Road
Calcutta-35
Preface
Professor Nirmal Kumar Bose has inspired several generations of
scholars not only in anthropology but in a wide range of academic dis-
ciplines, by his writings, lectures and informal discussions. As the editor
of Man in India since 1951, he has played a very significant role
in encouraging young scholars to publish the results of their research. One
of the most impressive aspects of Professor Bose’s intellectual quest has
been his perpetual endeavour to transgress the artificial boundaries of
traditional disciplines and to bring many perspectives together in the
understanding of human problems. In his writings we find him equally
at home in the natural science fields like geology, ecology and
demography as in humanistic disciplines like art, architecture and
literature. He has taken a ‘super-organic’ view of culture in mapping
formal aspects of cultural traits, but while explaining the processes of
acculturation his emphasis is on the power and psychological dimensions
of behaviour.
Several admirers of Professor Bose approached me in 1968 to
organise a festschrift volume in honour of Professor Bose on the occasion
of his 69th birthday. I immediately accepted the suggestion and appealed
to a number of scholars who have been associated with Professor Bose
in various capacities. I deeply appreciate the response of scholars to our
appeal. I also appreciate the enthusiasm with which the Council of the
Indian Anthropological Society accepted my suggestion to publish the
featachrift volume as a special number of its journal.
The present collection of essays cover many aspects of Professor
Bose’s interests although there are significant gaps. For example, there
are no papers on ‘tribal transformation’ and on ‘caste system’. The volume
includes articles on : anthropology of Indian Civilization, political anthro-
pology, urban anthropology, sociology of national integration, Gandhism,
social change, pre-industrial technology, sociology of religion, religious
architecture, interrelationship of race, language and culture and palaeoli-
thic archaeology. In the introductory essay I have tried to describe the
full range of anthropological interests of Professor Bose. Although the
Present collection of essays does not make a coherent whole, I do hope,
they illustrate in # fruitful manner the varied perspectives which may be
brought together in the study of Indian Society and Culture.
Calcutta, October 1972 Supasr Sora