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and those specific to the periphery*. That brings me to Aishwarj Kumar' s 'The IPTAin Bengal, 1940-44'. It takes up a dimension of contemporary culture and acquires importance in the context of the available literature on cultural aspects of this period, which is curiously few and far between. The contribution explores the depth of the involvement generated by the Indian People* s Theatre Association and the ways in which it was associated with the struggles of the people. Aishwarj also notes the limitations of the IPTA Notwithstanding the fact that it successfully articulated the grievances of the common people relating to the agrarian question, there were near silences on issues concerning communalism and women.
The book collates articles which focus on different aspects, from government policy and imperial designs to famines and acute crisis, from the struggles and responses of the peasants and tribals to the agony and anguish of the communists and the saga of bravery and dedication of the participants in the underground movements, from management of war economy to aspects of culture, alongwith a host of other things which constituted the 1940-44 period. The history of the Quit India Movement and the war years comes through as the history of incredible sacrifice, courage and heroism in the face of severe repression including long years of imprisonment. What emerges through these essays is that they highlight the rich variety of regional experiences and suggest rethinking of the period. By incorporating a wide spectrum of area and case studies the editor has been sensitive to regional variations and provided for a more recent orientation in different regional settings in one place. The editor should have enlarged the introduction and provided a more detailed analysis of historiographical trends focusing on problems and issues and deriving from it the areas and nature of controversies. Nevertheless, Turbulent Times succeeds in raising a number of issues relating to the period and provides alternative perspectives of a diverse Pan-Indian movement and its underlying unity.
Bhairabi Prasad Sahu Department of History, Delhi University, Delhi