Meghalaya is an untamed paradise with an ultimate fusion of diverse culture, nature's beauty, humble tribes, fascinating folklore & unusual blissful aura. The hypnotic charm of Meghalaya enticed him into its trance. Unaware about the creepy & spine chilling occurrence the protagonist was running into, there was nothing much he could do. But it was just a start of the journey which was about to infuse unanticipated encounters. Changing the definition of travel, he made an unbreakable bond with the people, places and the stimulating folklores of the land. The toffee-nosed peacock, the waiting tortoise, the golden ladder, all became part of his tale. Amidst this, someone special crosses his path unexpectedly, and at the end, he is left befuddled with the game destiny plays. After the successful first book, ‘The Days by the Ganges – Rishikesh’, the authors bring forth their second alchemy with this travelogue. This book decodes the lyrics of Meghalaya, in a manner that the song of the journey is composed by the readers like their own.
This book would have been completed earlier but for events that disrupted millions of lives across India, including those of journalists : the demolition of the Babri Masjid at Ayodhya, by a Hindu mob on 6 December 1992 and the communal riots that followed across the country. In January 1993, the selective massacres of Muslims at Bombay and the devastating revenge bomb blasts there two months later led to extensive travelling and reporting for the New York Times. In addition, there was 'normal reporting' : the Punjab, environmental, economic and political issues such as the billion dollar scam.
This second edition includes coverage of dinosaur systematics, reproduction, life history strategies, biogeography, taphonomy, paleoecology, thermoregulation & extinction.
…Strikes first blood in its league to present an inspirational account of journeys through North East India and its people, culture and lifestyles. BHAICHUNG BHUTIA International soccer player, recipient of Arjuna and Padma Shri Awards, and politician An absolutely awesome account of a traveler telling the true picture of this beautiful region of our country. Thanks for highlighting the beauty of our people too. Great work and a great book. L. SARITA DEVI Two-time World title and five-time Asian titles holder in women's boxing, and recipient of Arjuna Award Backpacking North East India packs a powerful punch. If you think of travel in this unexplored land, pick up a copy today. M.C. MARY KOM Six world boxing titles, Olympic medallist, Asian champion, and recipient of Padma Bhushan award Brisk and colourful, peppered with personal anecdotes of bandhs, reflections on politics and social values, drawn upon wandering on the highlands and low plains of the states of the North East, Abhijeet and Navita Deshpande pack a lot literally into their rucksacks for this backpacker's manual which should be a useful guide on not just where to go and what to do, what not do and where not to venture but also what to keep your eyes and ears open for, in these lands of many stories, ethnic groups and magical experiences, the warmth of ordinary people and the challenges of daily life. SANJOY HAZARIKA Director and founder, Centre for North East Studies and Policy Research (C-NES), JMI; innovator of boat clinics in Assam; eminent journalist; independent filmmaker; author of many books including Strangers of the Mist
This work is a comprehensive information on the indigenous bioresources of North Eastern India with the scope of bioprospecting for discovery and commercialization of new sources and products and long-term ecological balance. The exploration, conservation and sustainable utilization of bioresources of world’s Megabiodiversity Hotspots are undeniable. North Eastern India is a recognised biodiversity hot spot where the evolutionary forces are at its optimum, making this region as centre of origin for many species. Although little bit exploratory studies have been conducted in this part of the globe but a scientific exploitation of the bioresources is almost lacking. Unscientific exploitation and overexploitation without proper knowledge of the bioresources may lead to imbalanced ecosystem of this mega diversity region. At the same time, very less exploration and exploitation will hamper biodiversity based development. Today, unscientific dramatic changes are underway in this region. Human activities are changing, degrading and destroying the bioresources in an unplanned manner. Scientific bioprospecting of the bioresources will boost the economy while ensuring conservation. This book offers comprehensive information about various levels of bioprospecting of the gene pool of this Indo-Burma Mega Biodiversity Hot Spot, the North East India, which is endowed with huge biodiversity potential for exploration and exploitation for the benefit of humankind. Also, this book highlights the less and merely explored part of the indigenous biodiversity of North East India with explanation towards their better sustainable exploitation for benefit of the people, economy and environment. The novelty of the book lies in expert coverage of the bioresources of this mega-diverse region including plants, microbes, insects etc. with provisions for their sustainable scientific utilization. This book portrays North East India as a melting pot of bioresources which are little explored and also those resources which are still to be explored. The book mainly highlights the bioprospecting approaches for North East Indian bioresources, and thus, it make itself a unique one in filling the knowledge gap that is there regarding the bioprospecting of the biodiversity of this special region on the earth. The book concludes by the ecotourism potential of this region. The target audiences for this book include biodiversity economists who are working on technology and bioresource management issues, and especially on biotechnology and biodiversity, development economists addressing the issues of bioresources in developing countries. These people may be in academia, in government, in non-governmental organizations and in private companies. The other target audiences group is policy scholars in government/public sectors who are interested in issues of biotechnology, IPRs, and biodiversity. In addition, scholars/experts in both development studies and resource management studies form another group of target audiences. Also, the book will be useful for the interaction between developed and developing nations regarding the issues of biodiversity and bioprospecting, as North Eastern India is the hub of Biodiversity.
