Indian Geography: Perspectives, Concerns and Issues

DETAILS : 

• Author : Ravi S. Singh
  
• Foreword : Anne Buttimer
  
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Rawat Pubns
  
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ 15 July 2009
  
• Edition ‏ : ‎ 2009th
  
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
  
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 432 pages
  
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 8131602281
  
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-8131602287
  
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 700 g

ABOUT THE BOOK

Indian Geography: Perspectives, Concerns and Issues, co-authored by the renowned geographer Professor Ravi S. Singh and the legendary Irish geoscientist Professor Anne Buttimer, is a highly sophisticated, conceptually profound volume. Published by premier academic publishers like Rawat Publications, this book serves as a monumental bridge between traditional Indian regional geography and Western philosophical paradigms, offering a critical, reflective evaluation of the spatial dynamics, environmental anxieties, and development trajectories of modern India.

The primary objective of this book is to transcend the dry, data-heavy "physical and political" listing that often dominates regional geographies. Instead, the authors apply a humanistic, phenomenological, and deeply ecological lens to the subcontinent. The text is structured around several complex, interconnected thematic pillars:

• Epistemological Perspectives: Traces the historical evolution of geographical thought within India, examining how indigenous spatial concepts interacted with, were disrupted by, and eventually adapted to Western colonial and post-colonial academic frameworks.
• The Environmental and Ecological Crisis: Addresses urgent ecological concerns—including the systemic degradation of the Himalayan river systems, shifting monsoon predictability due to climate change, depleting groundwater tables, and the loss of biodiversity.
• Socio-Spatial Margins and Inequalities: Investigates the sharp socio-economic fractures within Indian space, critically analyzing rural-urban migration patterns, tribal displacement caused by industrial mining, and the uneven development of regional economies.
• Urbanization and Built Landscapes: Evaluates the chaotic, hyper-accelerated growth of Indian megacities, exploring issues of infrastructural stress, slum formations, pollution clusters, and the sustainable reimagining of smart urban spaces.

Richly backed by advanced cartographic maps, spatial data tables, and humanistic case studies, this text moves beyond mere description to engage in deep policy critique, making it an essential reference manual for university researchers ($M.A.$ and $Ph.D.$ candidates), development planners, and advanced civil services aspirants (UPSC Geography Optional).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Ravi S. Singh is a highly distinguished Professor of Geography at the Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi. A leading authority on cultural geography, spatial justice, and the history of geographic thought in India, his research has consistently focused on aligning sustainable development with local indigenous values.

Dr. Anne Buttimer (1938–2017) was a legendary Irish geographer and a towering global icon in the field of humanistic geography. A former Professor of Geography at University College Dublin and the President of the International Geographical Union (IGU), she was awarded the prestigious Vautrin Lud Prize (the Nobel Prize for Geography). Her scholarly career was dedicated to understanding the relationship between human experience, space, and nature.

The collaboration between Singh and Buttimer brings forth an extraordinary intellectual duality—blending Dr. Singh’s intimate, grassroots understanding of Indian socio-cultural realities with Dr. Buttimer’s world-renowned expertise in geographic philosophy and global sustainability models.