This supplement presents a collection of studies that were undertaken in India and Nepal on the burden of visceral leishmaniasis (VL), investigating issues related to the epidemiology and economic impact of the disease. Since 2005, the governments of India, Nepal and Bangladesh are engaged in a collaborative effort to control and eliminate visceral leishmaniasis from the Indian subcontinent. Wi...

Renunciation is one of the most widely studied subjects among Indic traditions. The image of a half-naked ascetic with a stick in one hand and a begging bowl in other has captured the attention of scholars more often than the mundane householder. Whereas the ascetic captured the imagination with his (and sometimes her) individualistic spirit rebelling against the maligned caste hierarchy, the h...