The New Nation - Internet Edition

(Jibon Jibikar Poribortan Porjalochona)

By Abdul Bayes and Mahabub Hossain

First published in August 2007

By Writers' Foundation Bangladesh

Cover by Hashem Khan

Price taka 300 in US 4 10

For students taka 200 only

The book of Gramer Manush Grameen Aurthonity (Jibon Jibikar Poribortan Porjalochona) is the joint outcome of Abdul Bayes, former Vice Chancellor of Jahangirnagar University and Mahabub Hossain, Executive Director of BRAC and former head of Social Science of the Manila based international rice research institute IRRI. They needed two decades to bring the book to light. Dr. Abul Azad published 528 pages volume on behalf of The Writers' Foundation Bangladesh and Swaraj Publication. Renowned artiste Hashem Khan has designed the cover of four colours

The Swaraj Publication and Mass Publication based at Aziz Super Market has undertaken the task of distribution.

It is notable there is no end of the research on the miseries of the rural people and the rural areas. Most of the researches are the analysis of the evolution of the agriculture and non-agricultural matters.

But there has not been so many comparative and informative studies on the rural people's right to property and savings, life skills, formation of wealth, its after effect and the like issues and the results thereof in the past.

The objective of publishing this book is to fulfill the research gap in the matter of rural people and rural economy.

In other words, it is an effort to produce before the readers the strategic changes in the rural people's struggles for survival and Bangladesh's rural economy and its impact on their income and poverty in the past decades. And to know this, it is necessary first to learn the history of the agricultural and non-agricultural activities that took place in the villages and how did it influence the lifestyle of the poor.

In their studies, the researchers selected three periods, 1988, 2000 and 2004, and singled out the socio-economic conditions prevailing in 62 villages. In the history of Bangladesh, this is the first time that an endeavour has been made to identify the greater people's socio-economic changes.

So, it became imperative to work on different people and clans and tribes. As a result, donor countries and agencies may be benefitted from the perusal of this book.

Students and teachers of colleges and varsities as well can derive profits, particularly those who work on rural economy and rural people.

Reviewed by Dr. Zakirul Huq