Description
India’s Tipping Point
Paperback
by S. Narendra
- Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing (28 February 2023); Bloomsbury Publishing
- Language : English
- Paperback : 2019
- ISBN-10 : ?9354359833
- ISBN-13 : 9789354359835
- Weight : 0.249999702896997
- Dimensions : 20.29×25.4×4.7 cm
In September of 2022, India?s GDP crossed that of Britain to make it the world?s fifth largest economy. For a country that had been struggling with slow growth for decades, it was a significant moment. The tipping point?that moment when a process of change is initiated which will transform how we think, behave or live?came in the summer of 1991 under the leadership of someone considered the person least likely to launch such a change. The government of P.V. Narasimha Rao, who had just turned 70, announced a series of measures that have today placed India among the top economies. This was not all. The five years of his prime-ministership, from 1991 to 1996, were marked by several other changes whose impact continues to be felt. Alongside devastating events like the Babri Masjid demolition and tackling bitter politics in a divided Congress party. S. Narendra was a close associate through this period and sheds light on many key events and the internecine rivalries and politics that Rao had to counter to be able to function. He was a cog in the wheel of bigger things but perfectly placed to see what happened in the grey area between policy-making, administration and politics, and to explain, at least in part, the actions of the man at the centre of it all. This is a first-hand, indispensable account of history in the making.|The years 1991-1996 are seminal ones in India?s history, years that changed it from an economy that trundled along at the ?Hindu rate of growth? to one which became among the fastest growing economies in the world. The Babri Masjid incident which brought back to the surface long-buried disputes ( in every sense of the word) and drove a deep rift in the body politic. The Look East policy that brought India closer to the Tiger economies of South East Asia. The sincere attempts to bring normalcy back to Kashmir. The praiseworthy objective of trying to ensure that growth does not come at the expense of the many. Even a planned second Pokhran, whose final execution had to be delayed to the next government to avoid an international incident.What was surprising was that all this was undertaken by a minority government that no one though would last a full term. Even more surprising, this government was led by a septuagenarian politician who had been about to go into hibernation, and whom everyone thought would be a ?goonga gudda?. Much as Indira Gandhi was underestimated at her time, Rao was and continues to be underestimated for his contribution to India?s development, although unlike her he was no authoritarian. Through most of the events that rocked India in good ways and bad, Rao largely preferred to be in the background, letting his ministers take the credit. Even the liberalization is credited almost wholly to Dr Manmohan Singh.At the same time, like most politicians, his history is chequered. There was the infamous Harshad Mehta scam which rocked parliament, similar to present-day events, although in that case the Rao government agreed to a JPC and Chidambaram resigned as his wife was a shareholder in Mehta?s firm. There was a JMM bribery of MLA?s accusation ? the thing acclaimed as ?Chanakya neeti? today.S. Narendra served as Government of India spokesperson to the media across five Prime Ministers, and was Rao?s information Adviser. As such he was privy to the decision-making, the arguments, discussions and considerations that led to key moves by the government. With the skill of a born raconteur, he tells us what happened behind the scenes of these key events that shaped India. Who were the actors and what role they played in each decision. At the same time, unlike many raconteurs, he doesn?t paint himself as the deus ex machina, and allows the key characters centerstage.This book sheds valuable light on recent Indian economic, political and social history. It also paints a vivid picture of what India was like before 1991 and how those years shaped its future. Told with depth of intricate detail and an eye for connecting the dots, India?s Tipping Point is a must read for anyone who wants to understand India today.|The author Narendra has given a different perspective of the Narasimha Rao PM era based on his vantage point as the Principal Information officer and then Information advisor. It is a great read and very informative. The author has avoided the temptation of going into the background years of Narasimha Rao but has been razor focused on his years as the PM. Great addition to the political history of India!|If you want to know the inside story of the liberalisation this is the book to read. Simple. Easy and full of anecdotes and important nuggets it puts the spotlight on a part of India?s history and politics especially for young people to know that era. But importantly a good story for anyone to read|REVIEW OF INDIA?S TIPPING POINT BY S. NARENDRAOf the many books being published on India?s former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao,? India?s Tipping Point? by S. Narendra is an outstanding contribution, coming from ?an insider?. But he insists that he was ?not a confidante.? That allows for much leeway in critically analysing Rao and the challenges he faced while steering the Indian ship troubled by political turmoil and economic distress at home and a changed geopolitical scene the world over.Narendra chronicles the thorny path Rao walked and as his chief spokesman and communicator, sought to articulate the public perceptions about a man who talked little, of the economic reforms and of the resistance to them that stemmed from within Rao?s party. Narendra reminisces how Rao pushed him, a civil servant, to the political ?wolves?. Narendra records Rao?s tumultuous journey as one who provided the political sinews needed to enable Finance Minister Manmohan Singh (later the Prime Minister 2004-2014).Perhaps, Narendra?s contribution to building the image of Rao, billed as India?s ?modern-day Chanakya,? is responsible for the current Narendra Modi dispensation to honour Rao, dead many years ago, with ?Bharat Ratna?, India?s highest civilian award.By Mahendra VedAuthor of “@75 As I Saw It” distributed by Amazon. in|A very readable insider’s view offering a glimpse into the private and veiled behind the noisy, conflicting public narratives on Rao’s tenure. Evocative of time, place and a certain mood in the country at the time.|Great information|Wonderful illustration and insights to events that shaped and formed the bedrock of the India Growth Story.|Engaging and authoritative, this book was a fascinating look at a pivotal point in Indian history. The writing is clear and compelling. Thoroughly recommended!|I must say that I read the book in one sitting (It helped that I was on a long flight with no interruptions). The author by the very nature of his Job, as a Press aide and spokesperson of GOI & The PM, had a ringside view of the decision making at the highest level in India. Handling the press is best left to the professionals and from the book we learn that Mr. Narismha Rao was one of the few who understood that well and leaned on the author for that very important and tricky job making sure that he had access to the meetings and people involved in the decision making which is very fortuitous since we get a fly on the wall look at all the decision making at the highest level for the Impactful events during the tenure of Prime Minister Narasimha Rao like the Economic reforms, Ram Mandir/Babri Masjid Crisis, Kashmir Issue, Scandals (Harshad Mehta, Hawala) and of course the visits abroad by the PM. The author also takes a delightful detour to his childhood home which was a hotbed for activities by young freedom fighters, his mom being the main force to encourage it. All in all a very enjoyable read. I did not have a good view of Mr. Narasimha Rao before I read the book, thought that he was a weak PM with his main purpose being keeping the seat warm for the ?Family? Queen & Princeling but despite that he did seem to have taken political risks to lay the foundation for many reforms which the country is now reaping the benefit of, as the Author so deftly makes the case in this book. I hope we see many more books by him in the future as he did serve under other prime ministers too & I’m sure he has a lot to say about the current events too. It would also be interesting to know how the non ?Gandhi family? Congress PMs dealt with the interference by the ?Family? & its emissaries. Looking forward to his future books!|India in 2022 was the world?s 5th largest economy. But the roots of the transformation that brought it there were the changes wrought in 1991, that super-charged it from bumbling along at the ?Hindu rate of growth? to one of the fastest growing economies in the world.Curiously enough, the changes were brought about by someone viewed as a stop gap leader, PV Narasimha Rao. A man who came to the prime ministership by the vagaries of fate, he was one of the architects of the dismantling of the public sector monopoly and opening India up to market forces of supply and demand. His term lasted through 1996 and spanned the Babri Masjid issue, and the Harshad Mehta scam, but also a variety of achievements that have shaped the India we know today.The author S. Narendra served five Prime Ministers including PVNR as Government of India spokesperson to the media, and was Rao?s information Adviser. He had a front row seat to the considerations, decisions and politics behind the actions of the government while being a member of the bureaucracy that needs to remain dispassionate and able to serve any political party and direction. He narrates for us a view of what happened, key actors and events behind the scenes during these tumultuous years, while keeping his objectivity and allowing the reader to form their own opinions of the intent and motivations of the key characters involved. A fascinating and in depth look at the workings of government during seminal years in Indian history.
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