Synopsis The essays in this collection were presented in various national and international seminars. They cover a wide range of subjects in the field of literature, art and culture. They seek to explore the interface between technology and communication, culture and development, tradition and modernisation. They are marked by rare lucidity, sharp logic and a holistic perception of ground realities that shape personal psyche and social reality. Taken together they represent a multi-dimensional approach to understand today’s cultural patterns and social evolution. They emphasise the paramount need for the webs of intimacies that characterised earlier societies and cultures and the factors that have slowly eroded the sense of belonging and togetherness. At a time of rapid socio-economic change when everything tends to be looked upon as commodities in the market, they look at the roots of human happiness and the way art and culture can contribute to the human quest for it.