Taking stock in India and Pakistan: A review
- Publication
- Geographical Review
- Volume
- 40
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 279-284
Bangladesh
1949In this multi-book review, O. H. K. Spate devotes one paragraph to Chatterjee's Bengal in Maps, praising it as a successful treatment of both East and West Bengal. He notes that the 80 maps are mostly distribution maps at 52 or 104 miles to the inch and cover many aspects of Bengal's geography, with population and agriculture receiving appropriate emphasis. He credits the use of two or more methods to avoid misleading representation, including for religious distributions, and calls the accompanying text concise and objective, citing its analysis of culturable waste. Spate ranks the atlas high among Indian geographical publications in both content and graphic presentation.
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This review examines the state of geography in India and Pakistan following their independence, highlighting both progress and persistent challenges. Despite low academic status and scarce resources, notable advances have been made, with several universities and journals emerging. The article critically assesses key works: Ahmad's analysis of Pakistan's geographical basis, Pithawalla's studies on Karachi and Pakistan, Chatterjee's atlas of Bengal, Bose's Damodar Valley project, Deshpande's regional monograph on Western India, and Thomas's survey of basic industries. The author underscores that while regional studies are developing, vast geographical problems remain unexplored, urging more rigorous fieldwork and regional monographs to foster the discipline's maturation across the subcontinent.
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