Despite seclusion, the Mizo Union leaders of Mizoram, erstwhile Lushai Hills, had a penchant for the mainstream politics. But the appeal of Nehru's liberalism and constitutionalism suffered a set-back because of manipulative Assam politics. Laldenga formed the Mizo National Front to establish Sovereign Mizoram. He was brainwashed by the colonialist forces. But his revolt plunged Mizoram into a horrible insurgency causing unprecedented bloodbath in North-East India. China and Pakistan fished in the troubled waters. The changed international situation., However, compelled the MNF supremo to realize his mistake. He sought refuge in the constitutionalism. Rajiv Gandhi gave that opportunity when MNF abjured violence. Laldenga became the legitimate chief minister. He was dismissed being betrayed by his own party men.

Located in the domain of cultural politics, the book with rich ethnographical data from Mizoram, a lesser known and understood state, brings the community, state and culture to centre-stage, along with family and stratification of the sociological discourse in education. The book argues for a re-look at school education in Mizoram, besides providing critical insights into the North East region as a whole. It also points to the dilemmas of development in that region and suggests possible ways out of the impasse. Marking a significant departure from conventional thinking on education as 'human capital' as reflected in North-East Vision: 2020, the book strongly advocates the need for critical pedagogies based on learning from conflict; inculcating the values of tolerance and compassion as a precursor to peace; reconceptualising `development, not merely as 'economic' but as indicator of national happiness and valuing lives equally besides respect for traditional institutions, thus marking a break from the much resented paternalism that underpins all state interventions in education. One of the first studies of its kind regarding experience and practice of education, the book makes an important contribution to the role that education can play to usher in peace and promote respect for differences.

Mizoram is situated at a unique cusp in North East India, in terms of both physical and social contexts. It shares its borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh, while cultural influences range from the indigenous to the Western. This book offers an alternative understanding of the modern history of Mizoram through an analysis of its cultural practices through language, music, poetry and festivals. It explores the roots of modern cultural works not just in Christianity, but also in precolonial Mizo traditional practices. The authors closely examine text, performance and sculptural images, including the first handwritten newspaper Mizo Chanchin Laisuih (1898) and the Puma Zai festival (1907–11) from the early colonial period along with a contemporary sculptural image. They argue that cultural works open up to new forms of interpretations and responses over time. The book indicates that the Mizo creative sensibility enmeshed in theological, capitalistic-material and political/ideological regimes informs its modern enclosures, be it region, religion or nation. This book will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of cultural studies, literature, media, history, politics, sociology and social anthropology, area studies, North East India studies and South Asian studies.

The story of the birth of India's states is the story of the birth and continuing rebirth of India, the nation. It is a story that everyone in India must know, from young to old. This rigorously researched book lays out the fascinating political and historical circumstances of the birth of India's states and union territories.

This book presents the first empirically tested, comprehensive study on shifting cultivation in Mizoram. Shifting cultivation is a unique and centuries-old practice carried out by the people of Mizoram in Northeast India. Today, it is a non-economic activity as it does not produce sufficient crops, and as a result, the area under shifting cultivation is decreasing. Such cultivation leads to the burning and degradation of vast areas of forestland and therefore has adverse impacts on the floral and faunal resources. This book is a valuable resource for government workers, policymakers, academics, farmers and those who are directly or indirectly associated with practical farming, or with framing and implementing policies. It is equally important to master’s and Ph.D. students of geography, resource management, development, and environmental studies who are involved in research and development.

Originally presented as the author's thesis--University of Oxford.

This volume is an important contribution to the new literature on frontier studies and the historiography of Northeast India.

Zorami is the first novel ever written by a Mizo writer in English (The Mizos are a tribal community in North East India). The novel brings together different strands like the transformation of Mizo identity and culture through 'Christianisation' and the clash between Mizo culture and that sought to be imposed by a domineering subcontinent. Such strands are woven together with the inner 'rites of passage' of the protagonist, Zorami, a Mizo woman subjected to rape and displacement during a time of violent political upheaval and her journey towards personal healing and discovery of a new identity via a spiritual encounter. The author, Malsawmi Jacob, takes the reader through Zorami's traversal of her zones of darkness and shades of grey to a final explosion of the 'colours of acceptance and love'.

This book presents a socio-economic and livelihood analysis of agriculturally-dependent communities of Mizoram, the eastern extension of the Himalaya, using the sustainable livelihood approach. Such an approach to poverty reduction is inevitable, particularly, in areas where livelihoods depend largely on biomass-based agriculture and livestock production. Mizoram possesses abundant natural resources – land, water and forest – but those resources are largely unused. The region suffers from chronic poverty and malnutrition, and climate change has further influenced livelihood patterns. This work studies all the aspects of natural potentials and livelihood status in Mizoram. It also discusses the major driving forces that influence livelihood patterns. Based on a detailed analysis of empirical data, several policy measures are suggested to cope with chronic poverty and malnutrition. The book is therefore highly useful for all stakeholders; students, researchers, academicians, policy makers and politicians involved in rural/community development.