Imagining India: Ideas for the New Century - Nandan Nilekani

Imagining India - Ideas For New Century

Nandan Nilekani's book on Imagining India is an important landmark in finding strategies between the tension between India and Bharat. Even though the book does not define its audience and readers, it is a useful book for academicians,administrators, policy planners, entrepreneurs and enlightened citizens who are socially sensitive. The book can also be used as an explicit handbook for meaningful problem analysis and policy debate.

Imagining India presents a refreshing view of describing and addressing issues of national importance. This book provides a different view point of looking at problems and issues in the Indian context from a traditional perspective of addressing issues based on caste, religion and region. It is built on the core philosophy of issues related to education, employment generation, security and safety of the citizens, health care related issues and a quality life. According to the author, these issues are relevant and critical to every citizen in the country irrespective of his caste and religion. In this sense, the book is built on the strong foundation, which will lead to a secular outlook in identifying and addressing issues related to India and its transformation to a developed country.

The book is organised in four parts. 

Part 1 - briefly describes the ideas/concepts that has gone through a radical transformation in the Indian context. The second part of the book briefly presents a whole range of ideas/concepts, which are accepted by the Indian public in general but are not yet fully settled. The third part of the book deals with concepts where the discussion is alive among the India public. The last and final part of the book deals with the ideas/concepts, which in the opinion of the author, could induce and generate serious discussion in the near future to decide and determine the policy options for the development agenda. The book is based on an interesting logic, which holds the potential for India as a developed nation. The author acknowledges the fact that economic growth is important in the context of India evolving as a developed nation. The two pillars of growth include expanding access to resources (physical, infrastructural and conceptual) and allowing access to opportunity. According to the author (as it is widely known), the young largely middle class and a vibrant democracy in India are important attractions of this country.