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  • Indus Basin Uninterrupted: A History of Territory and Politics from Alexander to Nehru

    Author
    2021
    Publisher:
    Penguin Random House India
    ISBN: 9780670094486
    Price: ₹. 799.00
    Purchase

    About the Book

    The Indus Waters Treaty between India and Pakistan marks six decades, but carries the reflection of several thousand years of history. Indus Basin Uninterrupted, with an easy narration and rich archival material, brings alive a meandering journey of peace, conflict and commerce on the Indus basin. The Indus system of rivers, as a powerful symbol of the passage of time, represents not only the interdependence and interpenetration of land and water, but equally the unfolding of political identities, social churning and economic returns. From Alexander's campaign to Qásim crossing the Indus and laying the foundation of Muslim rule in India; from the foreign invaders and their 'loot and scoot' to the Mughal rulers' perspective on hydrology and water use; from the British 'great game' on the Indus basin to the bitter and bloody Partition; and finally, as a historical pause, the signing of the Indus Waters Treaty—this book is a spectrum of spectacular events, turning points and of personalities and characters and their actions that were full of marvel.

    About the Author

    UTTAM KUMAR SINHA is one of India's leading commentators on transboundary water issues. After a brief stint in the print media and a doctoral degree from Jawaharlal Nehru University, he joined the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses in 2001 (now renamed as Manohar Parrikar-IDSA) where he heads the non-traditional security centre and is the managing editor of Strategic Analysis, the institute's flagship journal, published by Routledge.

    He is a recipient of many fellowships, including senior fellow at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (2018-20); an academic visitor at the Harvard Kennedy School (2015); Chevening 'Gurukul' scholar at the London School of Economics and Political Science (2008); and a visiting fellow at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (2006).

    His noted works include Riverine Neighbourhood: Hydro-Politics in South Asia (2016) and Climate Change Narrative: Reading the Arctic (2014).

    Content

    Preface
    Part I

    Settlers, Invaders and Successions
    Ageing of India’s History
    Alexander Thought Indus to be Head of Nile
    Qásim Crosses the Indus
    As Observed by Foreign Travellers
    Suyya, the Waterman of Kashmir
    Genghis and the Battle of Indus
    Fathering Medieval Canals
    Indus the Territorial Marker

    Part II

    Diplomacy and Commerce on The Indus
    Minto’s Three Wise Men
    Huff and Puff of Navigation
    Navigation Steamrolled by Railways

    Part III

    Colonization, Canals and Contestation
    Engineering the Watercourse
    Irrigation Debate
    Disputes and Settlements
    Lower Riparian Angst
    Knowledge-power

    Part IV

    Partition of Land and Rivers
    Drawing a Line in a Maelstrom
    An Engineer Named Kanwar Sain
    Punjab Canal Water Dispute
    Flurry of Correspondence
    Pakistan Strides Towards a ‘Third Party’
    TVA-inspired Water Projects

    Part V

    Making of The Indus Waters Treaty
    US Knocks at Kashmir’s Door
    Who’s There? The World Bank
    Unequal Music on the Indus
    Clamour for Water and Peace
    Heated Debate in Lok Sabha
    Nehru Convincingly Unconvincing
    A Few Lines to Conclude

    Postscript
    Acknowledgements
    Bibliography

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