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dered their bodies unfit for the “national race”. The induct feminist popula- da today about that bogey
political sovereignty”. most acute critiques of tion controllers, such as — Muslim rates of popula-
Thus nuptiality, the population question Dhanvanthi Rama Rau and tion growth — continues
sexuality and reproduc- came from Radhakamal Avabai Wadia into drafting to frame initiatives such as
tion entered the heart of Mukherjee and Kamladevi the First Five Year Plan. the recent UP and Assam
discussions around India’s Chattopadhyay. Sreenivas Thus India became the state population policies
freedom. Were Indians, quotes Chattopadhyay first country in the world and seemingly pays rich
Hindus in particular, lack- as saying “masculine- to have an official, state- political dividends.
ing in masculinity? Early dominated society always sponsored, family planning It’s not entirely possible
Hindu reformers certainly stresses the importance programme. to do justice to a text as
thought so as they sought of women as a breeder Sreenivas traces how rich as this in the space
to remake the Hindu male (sic)”. But with contracep- the discourse on popula- of a review. The book is
body more masculine, tion, a woman “freed from tion control was always recommended reading
more like their Muslim and the penalty of undesired global as much as na- not just for scholars of
British ‘conquerors’. motherhood will deal a tional. Elite Indian men modern Indian history, but
The early Indian death blow to man’s vested and women gave it a local for health and population
women’s movement under interest in her. He can no touch by bringing caste policy makers, scholars in
the mentorship of mes- more chain and enslave and communalism into public health and gen-
siah of medicalised birth her through children”. their eugenic arguments. der studies, students of
control, Margaret Sanger, Chattopadhyay’s argu- Concerns about lower- demography and popula-
made an argument for ments were far ahead of caste and Muslim rates tion studies, and of course
population control both on her times and fell foul on of population growth, as medical sociologists and
eugenic grounds and on the ears of male popula- opposed to upper castes, medical anthropology.
the grounds of woman and tion controlwallahs as entered the discourse fairly MOHAN RAO (The Book
child health to strengthen policy makers, eager to early. Hindutva propagan- Review)

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