Editorial Note, May-Jun, 2015

We dedicate this special History issue of Social Scientist to the memory of Professor Amalendu Guha who was a member of our Advisory Editorial Board. Besides being a widely acclaimed historian, Professor Guha was consistent in his support to the left and democratic movement. He especially encouraged young historians and it is for this reason that we bring together in this issue the work of young scholars associated with the discipline of history.

Amol Saghar’s article, ‘Irrigation under the Pallavas’, examines the shifts and changes in the irrigation system during the Pallava rule. Despite the uneven development of irrigation, different villages shared both the labour and skill of craftsmen. These features contradict the ‘unchanging’ and ‘self-sufficiency’ labels that are often ascribed to early Indian villages.