New Delhi, Oct 28 – The Brahmaputra river that has shaped both the landscape of the Assam valley and the livelihoods of its inhabitants, is the subject of a new book.
Titled “The Unquiet River: A biography of the Brahmaputra”, the book re-imagines the layered history of Assam with the river at the centre.
It has been written by historian Arupjyoti Saikia, and published by Oxford University Press (OUP).
The book claims to combine a range of disciplinary scholarship to unravel the geological forces as well as human endeavour which have shaped the river into what it is today.
“The book describes the river’s long lineage and its centrality in Assam’s environment. It is the intertwined story of the river and floodplains, water and land, human and non-humans, which continue to converge.
“… the river has determined the course of Assam’s history, including big and small events. Assam’s history cannot be understood without factoring in the environmental setting history created by the Brahmaputra,” said Saikia in his detailed introduction to the book.
According to the publishers, the book is an “evocative” and “compelling” read for anyone trying to understand the past and the present of the river confronted by the twenty-first century’s ambitious infrastructural designs to further re-engineer the river and its landscape.
“Illuminated with archival detail and interwoven with narratives and striking connections, the book allows the reader to imagine the Brahmaputra’s course in history,” they said in a statement.
The book is expected to hit the stands in November. (PTI)
