Recasting India
How Entrepreneurship is Revolutionizing the World's Largest Democracy
ISBN10: 1137279613
ISBN13: 9781137279613
Hardcover
256 Pages
$28.00
CA$32.50
It's been twenty-three years since India opened its economy, yet its people are still struggling with staggering levels of inequality. A third of its citizens still lack adequate food, education, and basic medical services, while Mumbai businessman Mukesh Ambani lives in the most expensive home in the world, which cost over a billion dollars to build. Despite the fact that India now has a Mars mission, there are still more mobile phones than toilets in the country. In most places, such a disparity would have the locals pounding at the gates. So why no Arab Spring for India?
Hindol Sengupta, senior editor of Fortune India, argues that the only thing holding it back is the explosion of local entrepreneurship across the country. While these operations are a far cry from the giant companies owned by India's ruling billionaires, they are drastically changing its politics, upending the old caste system, and creating a "middle India" full of unprecedented opportunity. Like Gazalla Amin whose flourishing horticulture business in the heart of Kashmir has given her the title 'Lavender Queen.' Or Sunil Zode, who stole the first shoes he ever wore and now drives a Mercedes, thanks to his thriving pesticide business. Sengupta shows that the true potential of India is even larger than the world perceives, since the economic miracle unfolding in its small towns and villages is not reflected in its stock markets. Recasting India reveals an India rarely seen by the larger world—the millions of ordinary, enterprising people who are redefining the world's largest democracy.
Reviews
Praise for Recasting India
“Recasting India brings to the fore our nation's ever-progressing entrepreneurial streak. Hindol Sengupta powerfully steers the book with his lucid opinion on free enterprise in India and its potential to transform our socio-economic landscape. His expert use of language and a riveting storyline create an interesting reading experience. The author's research-led approach captures the imagination, making it a worthwhile read for both aspiring entrepreneurs and business leaders.”—N. R. Narayana Murthy, Chairman, Infosys
“Recasting India does just that--it recasts India in our imagination. Hindol Sengupta breaks every cliché about India from caste to class, gender and poverty and shows us, through imaginative, vivid storytelling, the outstanding efforts of little known people and how they are tackling India's most daunting challenges through the sheer dint of everyday enterprise. Hindol brings us, finally, with startling clarity the little appreciated real story behind the rise of India. This is business at its best.”—Vijay Govindarajan, Coxe Distinguished Professor at Tuck at Dartmouth and author of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellerReverse Innovation
“As India transforms from traditional to modern, rural to urban, agrarian to industrial and old to young, this book offers a fascinating look at the change from below: as seen by the entrepreneur, the consumer and, above all, the ordinary citizen. The added attraction is the lucid and engaging writing style of the author."—Arvind Panagariya, Professor of Economics, Columbia University