The present book is a collection of essays written by the peers and students of Professor Yogesh Atal as their tribute for his outstanding contribution in different spheres of sociology in India. All the contributors have dedicated their respective articles to the man they adore for his scholarship and take pride in his achievements. Professor Atal had researched new territories and encouraged other scholars to explore various aspects of the changing Indian society. Fittingly enough, their contributions are not mere eulogies for the internationally renowned sociologist but also a reflection on the current state of growth of social sciences in the country

The book covers various facets of the changing Indian society and presents the emerging trends in sociological research in the country. Both as a tribute to one of the India's leading social scientists, and as a compendium of essays written by leading experts on Indian society, this book is intended to invigorate social science research in the country - a task which Professor Atal has performed first as Director of Research at the Indian Council of Social Science Research in early 1970s, and then as UNESCO's first Social Science Adviser for the vast region of Asia and the Pacific.

Surendra K.Gupta is a retired professor of sociology, Punjabi University, Patiala. Currently, he is Member-Secretary, Indian Association of Social Science Institutions, New Delhi. His fields of specialization are methodology & diasporic studies.

Vinay Kumar Srivastava is Head of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Delhi. He is one of the leading social anthropologists of the country.

The present book entitled 'Exploring Indian Society' is a collection of articles written in honour of a leading social scientist of international eminence, Professor Yogesh Atal. At the time of his sixty-fifth birthday in 2002, some of his friends, students and well wishers decided to bring out a festschrift in his honour. Being the oldest of his students, Surendra K. Gupta, one of the editors of this volume, was entrusted with this responsibility. Since Atal was in the UNESCO for about more than twenty three years, some of his international friends and colleagues were also approached and requested to contribute. The response was overwhelming as that volume contained thirty-one contributions. Unfortunately some of the contributors of that volume, including two of his reputed teachers, Professor B.R. Chauhan and Professor Leela Dube, are no more with us. We will certainly miss their inputs to the present volume. Due to the vast circle of his friends among the professional social scientists, both in India and abroad, it was not easy to either select a common theme for the book, or the authors to participate in the project. The authors at that time were given ample choice in regard to the theme of their contributions. They were requested to evaluate Atal's contributions or reminisce on their interactions with him, or write on a topic of interest to the contemporary social science. The contributors of that volume represented different generations - those senior to Atal, his own peers, his students, and those who were new to the profession.

This time it was decided that instead of having a collection of independent essays, the present volume should focus on the appraisal of Professor Atal's contribution in the field of socialogy and thus the present volume is titled ‘exploring Indian Society.

**Contents and Sample Pages**