The influence of Mohandas K. Gandhi on social and environmental movements in post-colonial India has been widely acknowledged. Yet, the contributions of two European associates of Gandhi, Madeleine Slade and Catherine Mary Heilemann, better known in India as Mira Behn and Sarala Behn, have not received the due attention of the academic community. This dissertation is an examination of the philosophy and social activism of Mira Behn and Sarala Behn and their roles in the evolution of Gandhian philosophy of socioeconomic reconstruction and environmental conservation in the present Indian state of Uttarakhand. Instead of just being acolytes of Gandhi, I argue that these women developed ideas and practices that drew upon from an extensive intellectual terrain that cannot be limited to Gandhi’s work. I delineate the directions in which Gandhian thought and experiments in rural development work evolved through the lives, activism, and written contributions of these two women. Particularly, I examine their influence on social and environmental movements, such as the Chipko and the Anti-Tehri Dam movements, and their roles in promoting grassroots social development and environmental sustainability in the mountain communities of Uttarakhand. Mira Behn and Sarala Behn’s integrative philosophical worldviews present epistemological, sociopolitical, ethical, and metaphysical principles …

Zeisingzong Ranglong, a male Ranglong speaker from the Barak Valley (currently living in Zuvichera) tells how the Ranglong came to inhabit Zuvichera village. He is 84 at the time of recording and is also a speaker of Bengali.

Zeisingzong Ranglong, a male speaker from the Barak Valley (currently living in Zuvichera village) tells the story of Ralngam. In this story, Ralngam learns magic and searches for his father. Zeisingzong is 84 at the time of recording and is also a speaker of Bengali.

Zeisingzong Ranglong tells the traditional narrative of Kaikongtepa. Zeisingzong is a male Ranglong speaker from the Barak Valley (currently living in Zuvichera village), around 84 years old at the time of recording. He is also a speaker of Bengali.

Chorpeichim Ranglong tells the story of Sakmatenu. She is a female Ranglong speaker living in Zuvichera village, around 60 years old at the time of recording.

Zeisingzong Ranglong tells a traditional narrative about twins named Suining and Rangvom. In this story, a Tuaiteng fruit turned into two babies, Suining and Rangvom, who grew up and got married. He is a male Ranglong speaker from the Barak Valley (currently living in Zuvichera village), around 84 years old at the time of recording. He is also a speaker of Bengali.