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Let's Transform India - First Things First
Most books on Indian Civics contend that the civic and administrative systems in India are structurally sound and the problems lie only in their implementation. This book challenges this 'holy-cow' notion.
It aims to convince that some of our political systems and civic structures are impractical and inconsistent, which is the main reason behind inefficient implementation of seemingly good policies.
Excerpts from Preface:
“Any patriotic Indian would blame India’s dismal performance on someone or something; politicians, political parties, bureaucracy, corruption, casteism, judicial delay, caste based politics, and the list goes on. In all these cases, we are actually targeting entire groups of people without considering the individuals who form these groups. Edmund Burke said there is no law to punish the multitude. Yet in India, we often find ourselves blaming all the politicians, all the bureaucracy, all the political parties, etc. Because we find fault with them ‘all’, we cannot punish anyone. A jaundiced eye will find everything in yellow. Similarly, if we find fault with ‘all’, then we must realize that the problems lie elsewhere.”
Written keeping common men and women in mind, the book answers several key questions about the governance in India, such as:
• Are the people really the masters in India?
• What really causes our MPs and MLAs to create mayhem in the legislatures? How to make them discuss real issues without fighting and booing?
• How to strengthen the elected governments in India?
• How to control the rampant corruption that transcends all the diversities of India?
• What does it take to reform the bureaucracy? Why all the previous efforts to reform the bureaucracy have failed?
• Are the civil servants really servants of the people's governments?
• Are there really any fundamental duties for the people?
And finally, the book has not been written to merely satisfy the academic interest of the readers but to prompt them do soul searching in all earnest and transform India so as to become the great country it once used to be.
Table of Contents:
1. Early Governments
2. British Raj
3. The Constituent Assembly
4. Indian Bureaucracy
5. The Judiciary
6. The Union Executive
7. The State Executive
8. The Union Legislature
9. Socialism
10. Freedom is not Free
11. Corruption
12. The Transformation
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
It aims to convince that some of our political systems and civic structures are impractical and inconsistent, which is the main reason behind inefficient implementation of seemingly good policies.
Excerpts from Preface:
“Any patriotic Indian would blame India’s dismal performance on someone or something; politicians, political parties, bureaucracy, corruption, casteism, judicial delay, caste based politics, and the list goes on. In all these cases, we are actually targeting entire groups of people without considering the individuals who form these groups. Edmund Burke said there is no law to punish the multitude. Yet in India, we often find ourselves blaming all the politicians, all the bureaucracy, all the political parties, etc. Because we find fault with them ‘all’, we cannot punish anyone. A jaundiced eye will find everything in yellow. Similarly, if we find fault with ‘all’, then we must realize that the problems lie elsewhere.”
Written keeping common men and women in mind, the book answers several key questions about the governance in India, such as:
• Are the people really the masters in India?
• What really causes our MPs and MLAs to create mayhem in the legislatures? How to make them discuss real issues without fighting and booing?
• How to strengthen the elected governments in India?
• How to control the rampant corruption that transcends all the diversities of India?
• What does it take to reform the bureaucracy? Why all the previous efforts to reform the bureaucracy have failed?
• Are the civil servants really servants of the people's governments?
• Are there really any fundamental duties for the people?
And finally, the book has not been written to merely satisfy the academic interest of the readers but to prompt them do soul searching in all earnest and transform India so as to become the great country it once used to be.
Table of Contents:
1. Early Governments
2. British Raj
3. The Constituent Assembly
4. Indian Bureaucracy
5. The Judiciary
6. The Union Executive
7. The State Executive
8. The Union Legislature
9. Socialism
10. Freedom is not Free
11. Corruption
12. The Transformation
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
322 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2014
5 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 3, 2014
Full Review: http://www.bookgeeks.in/entries/non-f...
There are many times when we crib about the things that inhibit our country’s growth – corruption, inflation, coalition governments, crawling bureaucracy, protracted judiciary, rising crime, etc. But we never do anything ourselves to take a positive step towards progress; we expect the government, our elected representatives, to do everything for us. The funny thing is that most of us don’t even know what actually ails our country, but even then we crib. Meenakshi Sundaram’s “Let’s Transform India” is a detailed enumeration of the things that impede our country’s growth – from colonial bureaucratic machinery to modern democracy – and suggests ways in which India can be put on a fast-track to progress.
There are many times when we crib about the things that inhibit our country’s growth – corruption, inflation, coalition governments, crawling bureaucracy, protracted judiciary, rising crime, etc. But we never do anything ourselves to take a positive step towards progress; we expect the government, our elected representatives, to do everything for us. The funny thing is that most of us don’t even know what actually ails our country, but even then we crib. Meenakshi Sundaram’s “Let’s Transform India” is a detailed enumeration of the things that impede our country’s growth – from colonial bureaucratic machinery to modern democracy – and suggests ways in which India can be put on a fast-track to progress.
April 29, 2014
A must read book by all Indians
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews