Synopsis The Present volume was originally intended to be a Felicitation Volume for the 80th birthday of Prof. Niharranjan Ray. But his unfortunate demise on August 30, 1981 compelled us to change it into a Commemoration Volume. In the course of his long academic career extending over three decades Prof. Niharranjan Ray has worked either alone or with his students upon a wide variety of subjects. Therefore, to expand the scope of the Volume an attractive variety of articles by some seasoned scholars – which include his friends, students and admirers – have been accommodated into his Volume to focus on the broader perspective of Indian society and culture. The papers presented in this Volume reflect the intellectual and academic approach to understand the interplay of the different social forces which are manifest in more overt activities and an interdisciplinary approach towards a comprehensive and interesting account of the evolution of Indian culture, which no scholar of Indian history can afford to miss.