Manjhi The Boatman

‘When the disciple is ready the guru will appear’, is an old saying. A seemingly chance encounter with a tourist guide in Rishikesh, a town in north India, is the beginning of an incredible adventure for someone going through a crisis in life. “Your experience is your truth. You have to do nothing. Just be aware of whatever there is.” the guide advises. With his gentle instruction, the guide shows the way to become aware of what deeply underlies one’s personal situations across different aspects of life such as fear, relationships, and death; an awareness that leads to transformation. Who is this enigmatic guide? Where did he come from? And why? What is his message? The mystery gradually unravels to reveal something least expected.

This work provides an introduction to the enormously successful world of Bollywood - the biggest film industry on the planet. It includes a selection of writings by some of the most prominent voices in Indian film writing and criticism.

Music in Contemporary Indian Film: Memory, Voice, Identity provides a rich and detailed look into the unique dimensions of music in Indian film. Music is at the center of Indian cinema, and India’s film music industry has a far-reaching impact on popular, folk, and classical music across the subcontinent and the South Asian diaspora. In twelve essays written by an international array of scholars, this book explores the social, cultural, and musical aspects of the industry, including both the traditional center of "Bollywood" and regional film-making. Concentrating on films and songs created in contemporary, post-liberalization India, this book will appeal to classes in film studies, media studies, and world music, as well as all fans of Indian films.

This intriguing anthropological study investigates how the boatmen of Banaras have repositioned themselves within the traditional social organization and used their privileged position on the river to contest upper-caste and state domination. Assa Doron examines the evolution of the boatmen community, drawing on a variety of sources to illuminate the cultural politics of social and economic inequality in contemporary India. Caste, Occupation and Politics on the Ganges offers insight into recent debates about the cultural and historical forms of social practice and resistance at the juncture between tradition and the global economy, and will therefore appeal not only to anthropologists, but to anyone working in the field of development studies, globalization, religion, politics and cultural studies.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1868.