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AbstractThis article demonstrates how the Great Bengal Famine of 1943–1944 and relief activism during it fed the politics of the Hindu right, a development that has not previously received much scholarly attention. Using hitherto unused primary sources, the article introduces a novel site to the study of communal politics, namely, the propagation of Hindu communalism through food distribution during a humanitarian crisis. It examines the caste and class bias in private relief and provides the first in-depth study of the multifaceted process whereby the Hindu Mahasabha used the famine for political purposes. The party portrayed Muslim food officials as 'saboteurs' in the food administration, alleged that the Muslim League government was 'creating' a new group of Muslim grain traders undermining the established Hindu traders, and publicized the government's failure to avert the famine to prove the economic 'unviability' of creating Pakistan. This article also explores counter-narratives, for example, that Hindu political leaders were deliberately impeding the food supply in the hope that starvation would compel Bengali Muslims to surrender their demand for Pakistan. The politics of religious conversion played out blatantly in famine-relief when the Mahasabha accused Muslim volunteers of converting starving Hindus to Islam in exchange for food, and demanded that Hindu and Muslim famine orphans should remain in Hindu and Muslim orphanages respectively. Finally, by dwelling on beef consumption by the army at the time of an acute shortage of dairy milk during the famine, the Mahasabha fanned communal tensions surrounding the orthodox Hindu taboo on cow slaughter.

Intro -- Contents -- Preface -- Chapter 1 -- Aquatic Bioresources: Utilization of Diversified Species, Products and Services for Strengthening Alternative Agriculture in Rural India -- Abstract -- Introduction -- Aquatic Floral Bioresources -- Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) -- Water lily (Nymphaea odorata) -- Makhana (Euryale ferox) -- Water chestnut (Trapa bispinosa) -- Ipomoea (Ipomoea aquatica) -- Aquatic Faunal Bioresources -- Duckweeds in the Bioremediation of Domestic Sewage -- Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 2 -- Impact of Tropospheric Ozone and Particulate Matter on Plant Health -- Abstract -- Introduction -- Tropospheric Ozone -- Gas-Phase Chemistry of Tropospheric Ozone -- Ozone as Phytotoxic Agent -- Characterization of Ozone Exposure -- Ozone Deposition Mechanism -- Effects of Ozone on Physiology and Biochemistry of Plants -- Concentrations and Trends of Ozone in the Troposphere -- Particulate Matter -- Characteristics of Particulate Matter (PM) -- Deposition of PM -- Coarse (PM10) and Fine fraction (PM2.5) Particles -- Mode of Deposition -- Dry Deposition -- Wet Deposition -- Occult Deposition -- Deposition of PM onto Vegetation and It's Effects -- Plant Responses to Stress Caused by PM -- Effects of Tropospheric Ozone and Particulate Matter on Food Security -- Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 3 -- Productivity of Major Crops Worldwide: Reviewing Food Safety and Security -- Abstract -- Introduction -- Effect on Crop Productivity -- Effect on C3 and C4 Crop Biology -- Effect on Water Use Efficiency -- Effect on Rice -- Effect on Wheat -- Effect on Maize -- Effect on Sorghum -- Effect on Legumes -- Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 4 -- Plant Growth Regulators, Plant Adaptability and Plant Productivity: A Review on Abscisic Acid (ABA) Signaling in Plants Under Emerging Environmental Stresses -- Abstract -- Introduction

The history of quality of life (QoL) of the tribal population in India is mostly oral and not well documented. The only known fact is that they used to live within the forest and struggle for their existence. This study aims to investigate the QoL of the major tribal communities in Alipurduar—a forest endowed district in Eastern India—and analyse the differences in their QoL to provide a comprehensive understanding of the socio-economic issues encountered by tribal communities who have been living in a geographically disadvantageous area endowed with tea plantations and forests. Five tribal communities, namely Mech, Santhal, Oraon, Toto and Rabha, were selected from Alipurduar district, West Bengal, for the study, with a total of 384 samples. The WHOQOL-BREF (1996) questionnaire was used to assess the QoL of the mentioned tribal communities. Factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed to analyse the data to find out the difference in QoL among different tribal communities. The study findings indicate that there is a significant positive correlation between the different domains of QoL, including physical health, psychological health, social relationships and environmental conditions. The ANOVA results demonstrate significant differences in QoL among different tribal communities. The results show that the Toto tribe has enjoyed a higher QoL (M = 3.87, SD = 0.763) compared to other tribal groups, while the people of Oraon tribe have reported a lower QoL (M = 3.10, SD =1.065). Therefore, longitudinal studies need be conducted to get a more comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing their QoL to identify the reasons for the differences. Additionally, the government needs to understand the problems of each tribe and, accordingly, appropriate policies need to be implemented in a timely manner to improve the QoL of different tribal communities and, thus, minimise the differences and bring a balanced way of life.