Reimagining India’s Economy

by Arun Maira

English 320 pages 1 edition

‘[An] incredibly insightful reflection on India’s post-Independence journey and our aspirations for the future.’—Amitabh Kant, G-20 Sherpa and former CEO, Niti Aayog Independent India is at a turning point. Will it turn off the path to the destiny it set out towards at the midnight hour of 15th August 1947? Will it provide poorna Swaraj —full freedom (political, social, and economic)—for all its citizens? Or will it be a nation in which some citizens are more equal than others: the rich more equal than the poor; Hindus more equal than Muslims; upper castes more equal than lower castes? The making and remaking of a nation is a journey towards a shared vision. We must discover who we are and agree on who we want to be. The Indian economy is in a crisis. The people know it is, but its leaders deny it. Like ostriches, they try to bury their heads in sands of statistics hoping the storm will pass. They believe more GDP will produce good lives for citizens and try to convince them that India is on the right path because the size of its economy is growing faster and becoming larger than that of other nations. Reimagining India’s Economy is a story of the evolution of the Indian economy after 1947. It provides ideas for leaders of change. It is a book to provoke reflection and learning; with some poetry, philosophy, and common sense to guide public policy rather than statistics, data analysis, and artificial intelligence. ‘…practical, erudite and, most of all, impossible to ignore [this book] does more than just diagnose India’s economic ailments—it invites each of us to become architects of India’s next phase, one in which prosperity is shared, ecosystems are healed, and every citizen holds their head high… Witty, robust, and lighting the path for our collective journey toward poorna Swaraj —full freedom in its deepest sense—for all Indians.’—Shashi Tharoor