NGO Activism in Calcutta 1973-1997. Exploring Unnayan

What goes on inside a non-governmental organisation, and how does it develop over time? In spite of an abundance of NGO studies, surprisingly few investigate this. NGOs, in spite of the general meaninglessness and blurred nature of the term, tend to be taken for granted as bounded entities that act rationally to achieve their aims, and as units for analysis on a par with “the state,” “civil society” and “the poor”. This book explores the inner life of one Indian NGO – Unnayan – in Calcutta from the 1970s till the late 1990s. The study attempts to transgress often artificially constructed boundaries between segments in society and interpret social and political NGO activism in a fluid and shifting urban environment. The focus is Unnayan''s institutional development and its nature of personal and associational interaction. The study reveals intricate webs of relationships, and a universe characterised by subtle domain formations, where loyalties and micro- alliances cut across the organisation – and out of it – in multi-layered ways, and where individuals competed for influence and authority.