INDIA UNBOUND - GURUCHARAN DAS

PRELIMINARY INFORMATION
BOOK TITLE: INDIA UNBOUND

AUTHOR: GURUCHARAN DAS

PLACE: NEW DELHI

PUBLISHER: PENGUIN

DATE OF PUBLICATION: JULY 2007

EDITION STATEMENT: 2002, 2007

PAGES: 420

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSED ECONOMIV AND SOCIAL

RECONSTRUCTION

PRICE: Rs.425

ISBN: 9780143063018

INTRODUCTION

Jawaharlal Nehru once proudly said, “Where there is a tug of war between economics
and political perspective then obviously later will prevail”. This proves us that economic
perspective has far wider implications than the political perspective and the end result of all
political freedom is for “economic well-being”. In this book ” INDIA UNBOUND” by
GURUCHARAN DAS, a vibrant economist and an alumni of Harvard, shares how India passed
ages from both political and economic spheres right from her birth till through life in
undivided India. The book indeed within its depth tries to find out whether capitalistic
economy or socialistic economy suits India the most and whether the path we unraveled is in
right direction .The authors reply into these questions were “yes”. Capitalist and free
economy is better and the path we travelled will indeed make us to join the elite club in near
future. Das says though we are in the right direction we are far behind from those who started
the race with us and for this he cites china and south Asian tigers as examples. The authors
aspirations are that when these changes had taken before few decades we would now live in
a far better India than now. Thus he justifies his claim.

SUMMARY

Das says, Adam smith said, “From the discovery of America and the passage to the
East Indies by Good Hope, greatest events recorded by the history”. From ancient times India
imbibed to herself the rulers who conquered her from Aryans to Mughals. But “British indeed
different that they maintained their racial superiority and arrogance”. They felt they are
superior from political and economic perspective.

Politically speaking he says his grandfather even justified yes. The English were
arrogant but it was a cheap price we pay for hundred years of peace, good governance,
railways, irrigation canals and best law and order in the world. From economic perspective
things are different. The construction of railways by British indeed made profits by selling
their products in our country and railways indeed a factor which caused movements of goods
produced from one place to others and it’s disseminated it. So but in India there was no
surplus produced. So most of them used for domestic purpose only. This is one of the reasons
of killing of our industrial revolution before its birth.

Another reason the author claim is distortive taxes by British systematically which
destroyed our early industries. But for the question whether British plundered us? He has a
different answer. India at 17th century GDP was “22.6%” of the global but when British left
India it was abysmally low but the condition is reverted in England. Das says it’s not that India
was plundered by British but India economy was at its stagnant phase whereas in England had
preconditions for industrial revolution like mass education, technology prospered whereas
India lagged in it. India was divided by caste, religion, and even far-reaching mindsets among
India are escalated as partition of India and Pakistan.

At the time of freedom, India was in new dawn of hope of new India, but Das says
their dreams were diminished when Nehru ignored economic reform and started the path of
USSR. Das has great values for Nehru from political point of view as other Indians whose
democratic ideals, liberty, equality was respected by all. In economic front das says India paid
huge indemnity to cost –output compliance and bizarre bureaucratic governance. From his
personal experience he says how he cried at the banks of Yamuna because of bureaucratic
officer. His cousins unwillingness to strike but was forced to do it because of pressure from
trade union.

Again after his death, Indira Gandhi came to power and according to Das her policies
made India further deterioration causing increase in poverty of masses. Further license raj
through which competition was eliminated. By license these institutions were storehouse of
corruption and inefficiency. These institutions even ran parallel governance and through
which they renewed license by corruption. He also says she completely ignored Reagner ideas
the disguised employment was high in rural India so wage goods could be a solution. The
same method was used by 7 democratic republics during US economic fallout. Through
Tennesse Vally project India paid heavy price for its non-acceptance.

Finally bizarre dream of past vanished and new hopes rose when Narashimaha Rao
Singh has opened our economy and made it competitive economy. He acclaims finally
economic independence was achieved in 1991. After which millions were pulled out of
poverty, improvement in health, education, infrastructure followed. But what holds as an
awesome economist is that he analyzed 1991 reform from psychological perspective alone.

He says one major reason which impeded our progress in our mindset, lack of
punctuality, alertness, mainly in the male dominated society. This is because a woman is
respected only when she gives birth to a male child. Which has caused overindulgence to
them, but as Kakar points out reforms of 1991 women started working in large numbers and
reduced time for overindulgence to male child. He strongly believed India wills never be a
tiger it is an elephant that has begun to lumber and move ahead. It will never have speed but
it will always have stamina holds optimistic view that this information age would change India
to a reasonably developed nation in near future.

POSITIVES

Always a turbulent stream doesn’t allow getting a clear view of the depth of the river.
Similarly when political and economic perspective dumped usually the reader cannot identify
the depth of the scenario but Gurudas through his lucid way of storytelling makes us clear
picture from happening of past 75 years. Apart from this his description of picturesque from
his village in Punjab, shimla, USA are awesome kindles a real picture.

NEGATIVES

India unbound heavily inclined towards a competitive market. Das hardly ignored the
fact Nehru and his associates very cautiously adopted socialism as a pattern. Fearing neo
imperialism by capitalist nations by providing capital funds to firms and by foreign aids as
quoted by Nehru “the reason for the adoption of socialism is that we adopted socialism as we
don’t have wealth to divide as capitalist nation but that only poverty to divide”. Further it is
undeniable fact that socialist economy though slowly created a strong base for our countries
later raise to horizon. Further from political perspective we committed bold steps of adult
franchise at the freedom. When comparing china, South Asian tigers ignored the fact that
these countries were governed by dictators at the time of fast emergence. Thus author fails
to accomplish the great job of India as successful democratization right from our
independence.
CONCLUSION

Historically it is known that “change is the only constant factor which moved
unchanged”. These changed can be for good or bad. The reason for learning history is to learn
from the mistakes of past and created a better future. Similarly in this book the author shared
his reign which travelled through different ravages in both political and economic points of
view from British undivided India to one of the greatest continuous democratic nation and
from an ally of British crown to socialist to powerful capitalistic nation. These changes from
history by author makes us feel that we are on the right direction to enable our dreams of
founding fathers become true into a nation of vibrant individual, enlightened society and a
great nation

Reality: A must read nonfiction book

BY

SATHISH M

IAAS(OT)