India Unbound

After reading 'Freedom at Midnight', Gandhi's autobiography and 'Hind Swaraj', i was willing to read something that could give me more insight into the transition of India from
Narrow minded - socialist - Nehruvian - licence raj driven - India
to
Global minded - capitalist - Privatized - business people driven - India
and hence i found 'India Unbound'.

Authored by Gurcharan Das, one of the most senior guys in P & G (then, now he is an independent consultant cum advisor cum journalist cum board member of various institutions, and ofcourse a fine author).

He has recollected the events of Indian uprising very brilliantly. He has criticised and praised everyone whom he felt responsible for the Indian upbringing from a socialist state to a global economy.

He has suggested how Nehru failed in his socialist model of India where capitalism was driven by the state itself. All the industries regularised and restrained. All the policies benefitting the government and sucking the private industies. One of the astonishing figure of these times - 55%of workforce belonged to the public sector but that only contributed to 27% net output of the nation.

Than he suggested what was wrong with the Indira era - Bureacracy by this time had become such a stiff, corrupt and unabashed dragon that private bodies were left with tax theft, smuggling and false practices to stay existent in that red (-tapism) world. State disliked globalization, exports, better farming practices, open policies etc.

The Rajiv Gandhi era was also not very noteworthy because what India wanted at that time was full freedom from various money and idea sucking acts and not sanctions.

Than came the time of openness in 1991, things started to pace up. Laws like privatisation of banks, MRTP Act (Monopolies and Regulatory Trade Practices Act) were removed with direct effect. Bringing in a new wave of globalisation, a new light of hope for Indian entrepreneurs which implied more openness.

Apart from all this there were essays on Palanpuri Jains (hey!! i am one :)) and marwari banias (i am one here too coz i am half gujju and half marwari). Various revolutionary acts by majors like Birlas, Tatas, Ambanis etc.

So, a must read.