India Unbound

Rating:
Summary: If you're interested in India, read this book!
Review: An interesting analysis of the socio-economic drivers underpinning the Indian economy. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best books on India
Review: Gurcharan Das is a genius and definately a very inspiring writer. Makes one proud to be an Indian. I have read this book, and have been totally taken away by it. Very different from normal books (specially indian authors), who are generally VERY pessimistic.

Every IAS, IRS, Customs, IPS officer and hordes of Indian Techies should read this book. Mandatory reading. Indias rise from the ashes.

Am willing to discuss this book with anyone. Feel free to email me at [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: A half baked effort at amateur sociology and economics
Review: I had bought this book with great expectations as I had heard and read a lot about it. I must say, I feel utterly cheated-so much so that I am wondering if all the encomiums this book has fetched are more because of the marketing acumen of the publishers.

Broadly this book attempts three things and fails at all:

1. To describe the rapid sociological changes sweeping over India woven in an autobiographical thread. If one must read such literature I would suggets going back to the book Das has tried to imitate without much success- 'The Punjabi Century' and the trilogy-'Punjabi Saga' by Prakash Tandon.

2. A historical narrative of India's economic progress (or the lack of it) over the 60s and the 70s and to blame Nehru/Indira Gandhi for it. Admittedly, the blame can be laid down at the Nehru-Gandhi fanily's doorstep. Yet the narrative lacks depth, details or skillful writing. Das should read George Perkovich's 'India's Nuclear Bomb' to understand how history can be narrated without shallowness. Most irritating element of Das' writing is his certainty-he pens platitudes or over-generalized statements with no data to back it up, no models/explanations attached. More maddening is the fact that he is no economist or sociologist-the least I would have expected is some homework of humility. Both the H's are missing.

3. To be a trumpeteer for the upcoming economic upserge in India. Though personally I do agree with his predictions and in some measure his reasons too. He taked 50 pages to state what can be stated in two sentences- " India's entrepreneurial spirits have been unleashed with economic liberalization. The government though is sitll dragging its feet and needs to get out of business and get the administration clean"

To add to it all, the book is shot through with historical inaccuracies.

All in all I am deeply disappointed with the book. may be it is a good general sweeping survey of post-independence Indian economic/political history for foreigners. May be that was the intent of the book. But I got nothing-not even reading pleasure coming from a robust writing style- from this book.

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Summary: I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Review: I have to admit that I have a weakness for this type of book. These accounts that mix testimonials with broader history should be a genre upon themselves. The book is very well written and fun to read. I have a better perspective about India and Indians by having read this book. This book is worth your money.

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Summary: great review of India since Independence
Review: India Unbound voers the life of Gurcharan Das who grew up wealthy in India and for a few years in America and then became the CEO of Proctor and Gamble in India. Through his life he has seen many changes in India since its indepdence from Britain in 1947. He has seen the Congress Party ruling the country the current BJP party. He has seen the country move from an economic policy of socialism and state control to the beginnings of free market capitililsm. Through his life, he has seen the problems India has taken and the steps the country has taken in the right direction. He provides a great account of the dynamic changes occuring in the world's second most populous country and the world's largest democracy. His accounts do provide a lot of insight into this complicated country.

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Summary: Truly Magnificent
Review: Let me start with complimenting Mr. Das for writing a truly gripping and thought provoking book about India's development since freedom. This is a well-researched work that deserves accolades for the sheer depth of analysis. He has maintained a simple language and interlaced his own personal autobiography beautifully with the main story. The slow pace of India's development often intrigues people when they see the amazing potential of an individual Indian. This book explains this malady succinctly and puts the problem in proper perspective within the socio-economic history of India. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in understanding India's unique approach towards solving economic problems while keeping the democratic institutions strong. It should also be an eye-opener to Indians who often wonder what could have been done differently and what will it take to get their nation in the league where it truly belongs.

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Summary: Dad gives this the thumbs up
Review: My Dad recommended this book to me as a way of learning more about India's economic and business evolution since 1947. Or, as he said:

This book is an excellent critical review of Mr Nehru and his successors' economic approach, which was based on state socialism, and led to economic stagnation, the growth of useless and stifling bureaucracy, and ultimately, India's isolation from the capitalist economies. Mr Das describes his position as democratic capitalism, and assumes that India's economic and social problems can be solved through her full and wholehearted participation in the global world economy. I personally think that he is overoptimistic, but tend to agree with the general thrust of his critique. The book is easy to read and does not come through as a boring academic exercise.

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Summary: Amazing insight - beautifully written
Review: Never did I think that a book on economic history would read like a suspense thriller. This is the most thought provoking, insightful books I have read in the last 7 years. For anyone trying to find answers to questions such as - Why is India so advanced in some respects and so backward in others - why were India's economic reforms delayed by over 40 years - why did the Nehruvian socialist path spell doom for India - who are the true heroes who have kept India from a total economic collapse and other important questions, Das provides enlightenment in the form of a gripping story. I read this book on my flight from India to the US. I intend to re-read it many times.

Rating:
Summary: One of the finest boks written about India
Review: Recently, while vacationing in India, I happened to watch an episode of 'Question Hour', an Indian political talk show hosted by Prannoy Roy on BBC World. Gurcharan Das was one of the guests and he, just like the other guests, shared his views on the Indian economy, the past policies and the needs for the future. The views expressed were so insightful and honest, that I decided to buy Gurcharan's book, 'India Unbound'.

Honestly, I couldn't put the book down for a minute. I finished the book, cover to cover, in three days. In my opinion, this is one of the finest books ever written about India (in the same league as 'Freedom at Midnight'). This book is not only superbly written, but also provides valuable insight and perspective.

The author discusses his childhood, his humble beginnings in corporate India, and his views about socialism and capitalism. In parallel, he discusses history, India's freedom, Indian politics and government, the Indian bureaucracy and even the caste system. Most endearing though, is how he describes the events in his life in a broader perspective of national politics and policies. He performs insightful analysis of the workings of Indian bureaucracy and how it influenced/touched not just his life, but the lives of millions and the workings of corporate India. He talks about all the failed attempts to reform government in the past (including his own) and the failures of the people in power to perform introspection and to do course correction.

He talks about the new beginnings after the reforms of 1991, the hopes and aspirations of millions in this new millenium, the IT boom, and the wonderful possibilities of the future.

This book is a must read for anyone who feels strongly about India.

Rating:
Summary: A Must Read for all young Indians
Review: The key statement Gurcharan makes is that while politics is often a zero sum game, business is not. One person's success in business does not imply another's failure. This is what the so called socialists in India and everywhere have to realize. What the socialists believe is that the prosperity of a businessman is necessarily at the expense of the poor not realizing that the people who create the most productive jobs for the poor are businessmen in every society.

Another point he makes is that all great things happen around outstanding individuals with vision and self belief. When the system opens the doors for these individuals to achieve their dreams what is there to prevent a million such highly motivated Indian to do the same and do wonders for India?

Guru's account of Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh's not embracing their own miraculous opening up of the markets in 1991 and instead choosing to be in the good books of those multitudes still not convinced that markets are the panacea shows the extent to which we Indians bury our heads in the sands even in the face of the experience of communist countries like China which have long debunked the socialist myth.

The only solution to this is that India must produce a generation of young who are disgusted with grovelling in the throes of poverty in the name of hypocritical ideologies and compete in the international market place to be world beaters like other Indians have already shown their capability to be.

This book is a book that every young Indian must read in order for them to replace the dead wood cogging Indian drains.