If I had to give a review of this book in one word; it would be ‘EYE OPENER.’
Please make it a mandatory reading for every person who intends to be a member of Parliament at the state or centre level. Let them know history enough and not be condemned to repeat it!
I can’t say for sure how, why, and because of what it came to be; maybe I heard it, read it, thought it; but for the past few years, I have always had this notion that India has progressed not because of its government but despite it. However, I’ve never been able to justify because I’ve never had enough data to prove it. And now Shankkar Aiyar has given me a whole book! I couldn’t thank you enough!
So this book basically takes the reader through a journey of India post independence to recent times. And it does so not in a dreamy, nostalgic, feel-good way; but a rather serious one with hard-facts and numbers backing every statement. The book takes up the following 7 major developments in India and explains how they were a result of extreme crisis than strategic planning or foresight.
· Liberalization
· Green Revolution
· Nationalization of Banks
· White Revolution
· Mid-day Meal Scheme
· Software Revolution
· Right to Information Act
Each one of these developments has been examined in detail and thus we get a complete picture of the situation as it was. References and mentions that relate to previous chapters are useful connecting links and make reading simpler. My favourite is the one on Operation Flood! It’s just amazingly written!
One more thing I really liked about the book is how every chapter begins. The transition from a story-like beginning to an extensive research complete with statistics and figures is almost seamless. I actually thought, before reading the book that it might get boring. But it never seemed so, and I believe it is because of the well-worded initial few lines of every chapter. Each chapter follows a logical sequence of how it all began, what were the repercussions and where India stands today.
With each chapter I read, I was seething with anger. I just could not imagine HOW callous our government has been. I have heard a lot of people lament the lack of strong leadership in India today, while glorifying our leaders of the past. And I sort of agreed, but I don’t anymore. Because I realize that our great leaders of the past in fact were not that great! Politics was politics; even then, just as it is today. No doubt there was success, no doubt there were some examples of good governance; but they were never the sole intention. They were just happy co-incidences that happened as a result of politically plotted moves. I absolutely love the small little sarcastic barbs throughout the book.
Another thought that struck me while reading the book was that being born and brought up in circumstances where I did not ever directly bear the brunt of any of these problems, I have taken too much for granted! Living in the 21st century Mumbai, I find it difficult to even imagine a scenario when the Right to Information was not accepted as a right, where no one thought of replicating a successful programme that worked in one state, and unfortunately a majority of people didn’t question why! It’s not like the politicians or the situations have changed much, but today, at least we have a reasonable number of people making their voice heard, and questioning what happens. That answers are never forthcoming is another story!
And in a true ‘save the best for the last’ the author keeps the most disturbing section for the end! A hard-hitting epilogue that does not mince words, does not paint unnecessary rosy pictures and states problems as they are. The factiod section of the water problem is scary. Really.
The problems tackled in the epilogue are:
· Water
· Energy
· Poverty
· Corruption
· Security
· Centre-State relationship
And this is where lies my one and only problem with the book. It does not provide solutions. It does not tell me what I can do to make things better. And while I realize that it is not an omission but a topic that is probably beyond the author’s desired framework of this book, I personally would have preferred a few suggestions that would have left me optimistic as I finished the book.
In the acknowledgements, the author thanks his wife with the lovely words, ‘Grow old with me, the best is yet to be.’
I really really really wish India could look up to me and say the same; the best is yet to be! Because honestly, as the author correctly puts it, India deserves better!
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Sunshine Smiles J
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