Imagining India - Nandan Nilekani

IDEAS FOR THE NEW CENTURY

Since the early 1990s, India has witnessed great social, political and cultural change. As the world's largest democracy, its most diverse nation and one of its fastest growing economies, India is now, sixty years after Independence, universally regarded as an emerging superpower. In this sweeping and comprehensive book, one the country's finest and most dynamic minds examines the central ideas that have shaped modern India, and offers an original perspective on our past, present and future.

Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani, who has been a key player in India's growth story and was chosen by Time magazine as one of the hundred most influential people in the world, points out that the country's future rests on more than simply economic growth; it also depends on reform and innovation in all sectors of public life. Looking closely at our recent history, he examines the ideas and attitudes that have evolved with the times and contributed to our progress, as also those that keep us shackled to old, unproductive and fundamentally undemocratic ways. He discusses how, despite good intentions and astonishing idealism, our early socialist policies stifled growth and weakened our democracy; how, contrary to received wisdom, India's large and overwhelmingly young population has now become our greatest strength; how information technology is revolutionizing not just business but also governance in the everyday life of a vast majority of Indians; and how rapid urbanization is transforming both our society and our politics.

He also gets to the heart of charged debates about caste politics, labour reform, infrastructure, higher education, the English language in India and the role of the state in a globalized world where the wealth of big corporations exceeds that of some nations. And as he does this, he asks the key questions of the future: how will India as a global power avoid the mistakes of earlier development models? Will further access to the open market continue to stimulate such extraordinary growth? And how will this growth affect – and be shaped by – the country's young people?

India is in the middle of a huge transformational process, Nilekani argues, and only a safety net of ideas—from genuinely inclusive democracy to social security, from public health to sustainable energy—can transcend political agendas and safeguard the country's future.

About the Author

Nandan Nilekani is the co-chairman of the board of directors of Infosys Technologies Limited. Born in Bangalore, he received his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, and co-founded Infosys shortly after, in 1981. In January 2006, he became one of the youngest entrepreneurs to join the World Economic Forum Foundation Board, and Time magazine listed him as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2007 he was named Forbes Businessman of the Year.

Nilekani is a member of the National Knowledge Commission, the Reserve Bank of India's Advisory Group on Corporate Governance and the review committee of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. He is also part of the National Advisory Group on e-Governance, and was the chairman of the Government of India's IT Task Force for power.

In 2006, Nilekani was awarded the Padma Bhushan, one of India's highest civilian honours.

ISBN: 9780670081967

BINDING: Hardback

PAGES: 520

IMPRINT: Allen Lane

AXIS PRICE: Rs 699