River runs again : India's natural world in crisis, from the barren cliffs of Rajasthan to the farmlands of Karnataka / Meera Subramanian.

Includes bibliographical references.

"In this lyrical and intimate tapestry of five stories dealing with life, loss, and survival in modern-day India, Meera Subramanian travels in search of the ordinary people and micro-enterprises redeeming India's natural world. An engineer-turned-farmer brings organic food to Indian plates. Villagers revive a dead river. Well-intentioned cook stove designers persist on a quest for a smokeless fire. Biologists bring vultures back from the brink of extinction. And in Bihar, one of India's most impoverished states, a bold young woman teaches young adolescents the fundamentals of sexual health and in the process, unleashes their untapped potential. In these true stories, Subramanian discovers renewed hope for a sustainable and prosperous future for India"-- Provided by publisher.

"India has endured a century of clouds heavy with acid rain, and rivers so thick with industrial effluent that they catch fire. Pollutants from toxic pesticides seep through the rich soils of rural Punjab, where a "Cancer Train" shuttles droves of farmers sick with chemical poisoning to oncology centers in foreign states. Sixty percent of the population lives without access to potable water. India's ecosystem is on a precipice. In A River Runs Again, Meera Subramanian explores this environmental catastrophe through the five elements that make the building blocks of life--earth, water, fire, air, and ether"-- Provided by publisher.