To say this about a country, whose history runs into an infinite time span, would be inappropriate despite the fact that India has been shining with a newer and brighter aura of late.
I have been increasingly reading books on India and Indians and there have been many written on this subject in the last couple of years. It seems like it is quite fashionable to be writing or talking about India. Every popular show in the West has featured a show on India and how its one billion people have metamorphosed the nation into a formidable force in areas of, Information Technology, BPO, Bio Technology, Tourism etc.
One such book is ‘India Unbound’ by Gurcharan Das. It’s been a while since this book was written but the relative Plateau-ing of the change rate in India since 2001 makes it relevant to date.
The book takes the reader through Indian Economy since independence with an intricately woven theme starting well in the past. It describes the state of business and commerce from the time of unknown kingdoms, Chanakya and the Maurya dynasty, Alexander and King Puru, The Moughals, the British, the post independent bureaucrats and then the entrepreneurs of the new reformed economy.
A lot of books talk about India’s surge into the era of competition and the play of economics after the reforms of 1991, and India Unbound does the same, but in a way where it provides answers to the question of why India did what ever it did in the last 5 decades.
The transition of India from the Mixed Economy established by Nehru to the Mixed Economy that was established in 1990 ( and what is today), is in all practical terms a transition from being a Semi Socialist state to a Semi Capitalist one. Das relates this transition and the impact that it has had on the lives of people through his own experiences and of his family, of friends and acquaintances, bosses and colleagues and of the people who he accidentally or willingly met with.
JRD, Aditya Birla, Rahul Bajaj, Dhirubhai Ambani, Sam Pitroda and the likes, on whose vision, risk taking ability and patriotism lie the foundation of today’s India, all have a story to tell of the License Raj. Through their lives and struggle it becomes evident as to how under the leadership of a Great Visionary whose noble intentions, when NOT matched by smart efforts and intelligent decisions, a country that was once referred to as a sone- ki –chidiya (Golden Bird) degenerated to a stage, when a part of its gold reserves had to be pawned to UK for emergency loan from the IMF in 1990.
The PSUs that were established to serve as the “Pillars of Modern India” unfortunately ate up into these very pillars, just like termites devour a house and cause irreversible damage even before the knowledge of their infestation comes to light.
The bureaucracy, red tape, and an anti money making attitude propagated by successive governments did little to correct the initial mistakes.
Through out his narrations, Das lucidly and logically explains the cultural values and attitudes of Indians towards the Vaishya or the Money making caste. It is only in India that a money making class and the working class (Shudra) is looked down upon. The Marwadi and Gujraati communities who have a proven acumen for business are ridiculed and regarded as being mean, cunning and stingy. The reality is, and most Indians know this, that the best and most successful business houses of India which are a reason for India’s pride come from these communities. Worst still, the working class was considered dirty and regarded as untouchable while the rest of the world was making revolutions possible for their cause.
This has been the case in most cultures and countries but they were quick in realising, that encouraging the Business class would benefit their over all state and countries like Japan America, Germany, UK etc did everything they could to promote businessmen and commerce and the resulting competitive advantage that these countries gained is now evident.
The book then walks the reader through the reformist period starting from 1990, which according to Rahul Bajaj, is India’s equivalent of the Industrial revolution.
The transit from the ‘Money Making’ attitude to the ‘Wealth Generation’ attitude comes out through the stories of Armedia and Thumbs Up. Infosys, NIIT, ZEE TV, Jet Airways, Aditi Technologies, Cipla, Dr Reddy’s and the “vast number of rags to riches stories” (pg 245) that have been dwelt upon clearly show the current bullish trend of the Indian economy and the new age breed of risk takers who are not ashamed of Money Making as they know, that this is the first step towards Wealth Generation.
The book is a definite read for the generation that have missed the pre reform state of the Licence Raj and also for the generation that cannot comprehend the idea of Dot Coms and BPOs. It’s definitely a must for students of Economics and of IT. For the new entrepreneurs and the ‘dreaming to be ones’ the book will prove as the essential ‘you –can-do-it’ guide. It provides all the knowledge and information necessary for the Management folks to make their projections for any decision pertaining to India and well, it is a thought provoking one for those masses of people who just like to read and think about these issues!
There is however one issue that prods me and I can not make up my mind about it yet!!
Does Sushila ‘s buying bottles of “Oil of Olay” reflect her new found economic freedom and confidence or does it indicate the ever expanding web of Consumerism that threatens to clutch the generations to come in its strong-hold?
I wonder!
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