PB July 2010454 REVIEWS For review in PRABuDDHA BHARATA, publishers need to send two copies of their latest publications. Recovering the Lost Tongue: The Saga of Environmental Struggles in Central India Rahul Banerjee Prachee	Publications,	3-3-859/A/1,	Lane Opposite	Arya	Samaj,	Kachiguda,	Hyderabad 500 027. E-mail : joshippc@- yahoo.co.in.	2008.	352	pp.	Rs	250. group	of	people	live	in	harmony	with	nature	and have	minimal	needs.	They	do	not	breach	nature's inner	recesses	and	find	a	cosy	place	in	her	lap.	Their lives	are	drastically	changed	when	some	'explorers' come	to	their	home,	claim	the	land	they	lived	in	for ages	as	their	new-found	land,	and	impose	strange beliefs,	customs,	and	languages	on	them.	These	new self-proclaimed	rulers	invent	euphemisms	for	the original	people-like	'adivasi'	or	'aborigine'-which for	them	connote	'backwardness'.	Flustered,	the	original	people	find	themselves	in	search	of	a	civilization,	a	livelihood-they	end	up	with	a	'lost	tongue'. The	new	settlers	exploit	nature	to	the	risk	of	extinction	of	its	resources	and	soon	realize	that	they	have to	conserve.	That	is	when	they	turn	to	the	practices of	the	original	people,	whom	they	have	systematically	annihilated.	Absurd	though	it	may	seem,	this	is the	story	of	the	Native	Americans,	Australian	Aborigines,	African	Pygmies,	and	various	tribes	of	India. This	is	the	story	that	unfolds	in	the	present	book, which	is	aptly	subtitled.	The	author	says:	'The	devastation	of	nature	and	the	decimation	of	populations living	in	harmony	with	it	has	been	a	singular	feature of	modern	industrial	development'	(96). This	book	tells	us,	through	a	captivating	dialogue, the	failings	of	free	India	in	understanding	the	nature and	the	needs	of	its	tribal	people.	It	shows	the	follies in	the	formulation	and	implementation	of	state	policies	for	tribals.	This	leads	to	protests,	organized	and unorganized,	that	are	systematically	quelled	without supplying	any	solution	to	the	problems.	It	is	unfortunate	and	disheartening	that	even	movements	like	the Narmada	Bachao	Andolan,	which	generated	a	lot	of interest	worldwide,	fail	to	bring	any	concrete	results. This	is	the	tale	of	the	author,	a	graduate	of	the	Indian Institute	of	Technology,	who	left	a	lucrative	career	to live	among	people	who	had	very	few	supporters. The	author	recounts	how	supposedly	uneducated people	of	the	tribes	can	fight	for	their	cause	if	they are	trained	for	it.	This	fight	can	never	be	substituted by	the	one	of	non-tribals	for	the	tribals,	as	the	latter is	not	a	struggle	from	within.	In	his	witty	style,	Rahul tells	us	how	even	daily	habits	like	bathing	are	influenced	by	the	natural	surroundings;	he	also	questions our	wisdom	in	challenging	apparently	primitive	customs.	We	find	here	an	echo	of	activists	like	Anupam Mishra,	who	believe	that	many	of	the	urban	problems can	be	solved	with	the	wisdom	of	ancient	people. The	cover	of	the	book	depicts	the	state	of	the tribes	of	India.	It	shows	a	Bhil	woman	unhusking rice	with	her	face	veiled.	This	image	brings	home	the stark	reality	of	the	extensive	utilization	of	the	tribal resources,	all	the	while	denying	them	their	right	to speak,	denying	them	their	identity.	The	unhappy state	of	women	in	the	specific	context	of	tribal	life in	India	is	portrayed	with	a	hope	that	women	can regain	their	rightful	place	by	tackling	the	'problem of	patriarchal	oppression'. The	story	of	the	making	of	this	book	is	much	like the	struggles	it	talks	about.	The	present	version	of this	book	is	a	metamorphosis	of	the	author's	enormous	research	and	recorded	experiences,	and	it	has been	supplemented	by	the	painstaking	efforts	of his	friends,	whose	contributions	he	acknowledges. Containing	material	of	value	for	social	and	environmental	activists,	this	book	will	make	a	wonderful read	for	anyone	concerned	with	human	dignity. Concluding	her	acclaimed	paper	'Can	the	Subaltern	Speak?',	Gayatri	Chakravorty	Spivak	says:	'The subaltern	cannot	speak.'	She	talks	of	marginalization of	the	rural,	the	tribal,	and	concludes	that	the	marginalized	have	no	voice.	This	book	presents	a	vivid story	of	such	marginalization	and	pleads	us	to	return the	'lost	tongue'	to	the	tribes.	It	is	for	us	to	act	soon or	they	will	lose	their	tongues	forever. Swami Narasimhananda Advaita	Ashrama,	Kolkata A