India : a portrait
- New Delhi Allen Lane
- xi,436p. 22 cm; Hard Bound
Rs.699/-
Rashtra: nation -- Accelerated history -- There will be blood -- The centrifuge -- Family politics -- Lakshmi: wealth -- The visions of John Maynard Keynes -- A dismal prospect -- Falcon 900 -- A quarry near Mysore -- Samaj: society -- The outcastes' revenge -- 4ever -- Solace of religion -- Only in India.
"Examining the cultural foundations that made India's accelerated transformation from socialist economy to capitalist powerhouse possible, French creates a vivid, surprising picture of what it is like to live at a time when millions have pulled themselves free of poverty--with fortunes made almost overnight--but where violence, corruption and caste prejudice have equally been given new outlets. He delves into Indian society and politics, including the personal story of one of the most powerful women in the world, Sonia Gandhi. And he travels the country's regions to show how Nehru's vision of a democratic, secular India has continued to attempt--in the face of conflict and setbacks--to hold this vast, implacably diverse nation together. French has spoken to everyone from the nation's political leadership to Maoist revolutionaries and mafia dons, from chained quarry workers to self-made billionaire entrepreneurs and technological innovators. The result is a richly detailed, wide-ranging and hugely rewarding portrait of India"--Publisher description, p. [2] of cover
9780670085514
India -Social conditions Economic history Politics and government