ABOUT THE BOOK

It was in the 1940s that a Bengali poet asked us to vouch for that which shall make the earth habitable for the child born today. The present volume is to look at the question of sustainable development from the perspective of those unable to assert their rights, would cry and perish in silence; the child in the poem. Or is it the imperiled nature/environment around us, silently bearing with the onslaught of our greed for more for consumption and comfort? The ongoing waves of COVID-19 pandemic have bared the vulnerability of the present economic and social practices, its ethics and ethos. The question is no more about whether we should change, it is about how we change, and how quickly we can. We now know that sustainability is not about accelerating the trickle down of the fruits of so-called consumerism in the name of development. Instead, inclusive development would mean inclusion of the mutes; the marginal sections of the society, and the most marginalized mute-our nature/environment. The implications are shocks, disruptions, and overhauling of the existing economic and social practices. In this overall environment of uncertainty, people are wondering whether planning for the long term is meaningful or is it better to move from one short term to another. The purpose of this volume is to deliberate on issues that would provide some understanding of the economic and social environment of the days to come and ways to move forward.

ABOUT THE EDITORS

Atasi Nanda Goswami is the Research Coordinator of Centre for Knowledge Ideas and Development Studies (KnIDS). An exponent of folk arts, craft and culture; Dr. Goswami did her Ph.D from Jadavpur University in the field of Cultural Studies and Linguistics. She was a UGC post doc fellow at Institute of Development Studies Kolkata (IDSK), Her books and research papers on Beniputul (Glove Puppet), and Alkap (Folk Drama) are widely acclaimed. She has recently edited two volumes Lives and Living: Learning to know at the time of pandemic' and 'Evolution of Tradition. Interrogation transformations in traditional folk performing arts. She has worked on research projects on using folk performance as a medium for fighting against the superstitions and unscientific practices in rural areas.

Dr. Tamal Datta Chaudhuri did his BA in Economics from Presidency College, Kolkata and MSc in Economics from Calcutta University. Subsequently he completed his Masters and Ph.D in Economics from the Johns Hopkins University. Baltimore, Maryland, USA. He was a Visiting Fellow at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA and has been part of the Salzburg Seminar. He has taught in Calcutta University, Indian Statistical Institute, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, IBS Kolkata and IMT Ghaziabad. Dr. Datta Chaudhuri has worked in the financial sector in Industrial Investment Bank of India and then became Professor and Dean of Calcutta Business School. He has publications in national and international journals.