This book describes one of the least known parts of India, the North-East Frontier Agency, a wild and mountainous tract of over thirty thousand square miles bounded by Bhutan, Tibet and Burma, and inhabited by a large number of tribes speaking some fifty different dialects. It is only since India’s independence that any serious attempt has been made to administer and develop the country, and such an enterprise naturally raises many and fascinating problems. Dr. Verrier Elwin, who has been studying tribal life in India for the past twenty-seven years, discusses these in detail. He believes that the humane and scientific policy which has been laid down by the Prime Minister of India, Mr. Jawaharal Nehru, is the greatest hope for the tribal people,both in NERA and elsewhere.

In his Foreword, the Prime Minister expresses his desire that this book will reach a wider than merely local public. ‘People all over India should know more about this problem and should develop affection and respect for these fine people’. Although A Philosophy for NEFA is mainly concerned with the tribal affairs of the North-East Frontier, its general principles are of interest and concern to all those working for the tribes in other parts of India, perhaps even in other parts of the world.

This is a second and revised edition, which tries to make the story of NERA intelligible to a large circle of readers.