Of commodities in Manhattan, and in that stimulating environment I completed the first half of the manuscript. In 1988 the Southern Asian Institute of Columbia University was my gracious host Ainslie Embree and his staff offered me physical space, most precious Bruce Pray kindly made available to me the administrative facilities of the Institute for International Studies and the Sponsored Projects Office I am grateful to Bruce along with Karen Beros and Jeri Foushee for their patience and cooperation. During 1983-85 I was associated with the Center for South and Southeast Asian Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.

My first debt is to my home institution, the University of British Columbia, for accommodating my requests to be released from teaching responsibilities in academic years 1983-85 and the second term of 1987-88. Institutional support played an important role throughout the development of this project. I wish to express my gratitude to these agencies for their timely assistance. Additional help came from the University of British Columbia in the form of faculty research grants (1981-84). The Social Science Research Council (New York) through its postdoctoral fellowship program offered me a maintenance stipend during 1984-85.

A two-year grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada funded subsequent trips to India in 19 and provided for research assistance and expenses.

A fellowship from the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute enabled me to carry out the first round of fieldwork in India in 1982. The research undertaken for this book received generous financial support from several sources. Grounds for Play: The Nautanki Theatre of North India. Berkeley: University of California Press, c1992 1992.

Vani rani today episode 1093