This fourth volume in the series exploring religions and the environment investigates the role of the multifaceted Hindu tradition in the development of greater ecological awareness in India.

The twenty-two contributors ask how traditional concepts of nature in the classical texts might inspire or impede an eco-friendly attitude among modern Hindus, and they describe some grassroots approaches to environmental protection. They look to Gandhian principles of minimal consumption, self-reliance, simplicity, and sustainability. And they explore forests and sacred groves in text and tradition and review the political and religious controversies surrounding India's sacred river systems.

About the Author
Christopher Key Chapple is Navin and Pratima Doshi Professor of Indic and Comparative Theology, Loyola Marymount University. Mary Evelyn Tucker is Senior Lecturer, Yale Divinity School. O.P. Dwivedi teaches environmental policy and law and public administration. He has published twenty-six books and many articles and chapters in books. Former member (1986-89) of the Environmental Assessment Board of Ontario; past president of the Canadian Political Science Association; former vice president of the International Association of Schools and Institutes of Administration, Brussels; and chair of the Research Committee on Technology and Development of the International Political Science Association. Ann Grodzins Gold is Professor of Religion and Anthropology at Syracuse University. Philip Lutgendorf is Professor Emeritus of Hindi and Modern Indian Studies at the University of Iowa. Pramod Parajuli teaches anthropology, ecology, and social movements at Syracuse University.

Reviews
[This] book is a major contribution to an important and expanding academic area, and it will be much appreciated by university audiences. -- David Gosling * Times Higher Education Supplement *
This book opens with the startling statement that India boasts the world's largest environmental movement, involving over 950 nongovernmental organizations... The central issue is whether the mores and tenets of Hinduism are compatible with the protection of the environment. The writers examine epics and sacred texts, arts and rituals, and the thoughts of Gandhi for what they show about the human use of nature in India... The quality of writing and scholarship is high. The writers are aware of parallels with the ecological crisis in the West; thus the book should be valuable to those interested in the global crisis. These lucid explanations of Indian thought and customs will help the Westerner to better understand India. -- W. C. Buchanan * Choice *



Book Information
ISBN 9780945454250
Author Christopher Key Chapple
Format Hardback
Page Count 656
Imprint Harvard University Press
Publisher Harvard University Press
Weight(grams) 1007g