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Anticipating India : The best of National Interest
A riveting first draft of modern Indian history, Anticipating India interprets everything from the successes and failings of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh to the ascent of Rahul Gandhi, Narendra Modi and Arvind Kejriwal, from the forces that have deepened Indian federalism and constitutionalism to the public mood that keeps a check on excesses in the use of political power.
Each chapter in Anticipating India, in its questioning of power, its use and abuse, carries within it ideas of India that challenge conventional wisdom, shatter stereotypes and, in the end, question our long-held assumptions of who we are as a nation and a people.
Each chapter in Anticipating India, in its questioning of power, its use and abuse, carries within it ideas of India that challenge conventional wisdom, shatter stereotypes and, in the end, question our long-held assumptions of who we are as a nation and a people.
480 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2014
34 people are currently reading
302 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 5, 2015
This book is really good. I always prefer hardcovers over paperbacks. The binding is nice. The paper quality is good and the pages are not translucent. I hate the books where you can see the back page's print impression. It decreases readability, isn't it? But this book is not like that. There is enough spacing between lines. The book is not too heavy to hold while you are reading while lying down.
Pongalswamy screamed, "Stop. Stop you moron. When you talk about a book, you don't talk about its binding, its font size, its paper quality. But its content."
Oops. Sorry.
Then.
I wonder who is this book for?
Shekhar Gupta's fans don't need this book. Isn't it that they became his fan by reading his columns? So, this book, which is a collection of his select articles in The Indian Express recounting the times from the rule of Vajpayee to the rise of Modi, provide no new content to them.
Those, like me, who appreciate Shekhar Gupta because of his knowledge on Indian politics, his erudite arguments in TV debates and his Walk-the-Talks, but not fortunate enough to read his articles before, would fail to appreciate this book cause of two reasons - lack of enough contextual information and heavy dependence on reader's memory of Indian Political history as it unfolds since the NDA rule.
I, for one, failed to see what was the point of this book?
And more over why is it called "Anticipating India"? Is it that the author wants to flaunt his "I told you so" smirk? What did I miss?
Pongalswamy screamed, "Stop. Stop you moron. When you talk about a book, you don't talk about its binding, its font size, its paper quality. But its content."
Oops. Sorry.
Then.
I wonder who is this book for?
Shekhar Gupta's fans don't need this book. Isn't it that they became his fan by reading his columns? So, this book, which is a collection of his select articles in The Indian Express recounting the times from the rule of Vajpayee to the rise of Modi, provide no new content to them.
Those, like me, who appreciate Shekhar Gupta because of his knowledge on Indian politics, his erudite arguments in TV debates and his Walk-the-Talks, but not fortunate enough to read his articles before, would fail to appreciate this book cause of two reasons - lack of enough contextual information and heavy dependence on reader's memory of Indian Political history as it unfolds since the NDA rule.
I, for one, failed to see what was the point of this book?
And more over why is it called "Anticipating India"? Is it that the author wants to flaunt his "I told you so" smirk? What did I miss?
October 14, 2014
Fluency comes naturally to Shekhar when he writes. The same cannot be said when he speaks, haltingly and not as convincingly as he does when he writes. The compilation of articles published over more than a decade takes one down the memory lane. Shekhar does not spare anyone. Absolutely no one. Including his own tribe. He does the unusual as well. Defends the politician as the bulwark of Indian democracy. He swims against the tide when he criticizes the Lokpal Bill and highlights its inherent dangers. This is all quite remarkable and makes for a fascinating reading. He is forthright but does not hit below the belt (unlike some other fellow journalists who exploited sacrosanct relationships for commercial gains) . He also proves a point that journalists should stick to journalism and not become political pundits predicting the outcome of elections. He goes horribly wrong when he does make such predictions. However, his post-facto analyses is immaculate. He even coins some interesting phrases like "lawlipop" and keeps the reader engaged.
Eminently readable.
Eminently readable.
July 15, 2014
An enchanting roundup of the significant news-events of the past decade- and-a-half right from Sitaram Kesri to Arvind Kejriwal. Since these pieces were written as stand-alone columns meant for the consumption of the Saturday newspaper readers,the author's ideas get repetitive when read as a book.
The author is eager to show off his clout by dropping names,floating rumours and narrating anecdotes.Despite a self-important tone and a pro-business undertone which borders on eulogizing our business houses , this is a welcome book to feel and understand the political temperature of our times.
The author is eager to show off his clout by dropping names,floating rumours and narrating anecdotes.Despite a self-important tone and a pro-business undertone which borders on eulogizing our business houses , this is a welcome book to feel and understand the political temperature of our times.
May 13, 2014
A must-read for anyone interested in India's recent political history. As the title suggests, read it to know how the Congress and UPA unravelled itself over the last 5 years to find itself in the mess that it is in. Although, as a book, some of the arguments tend to get repetitive - since this is an anthology of SG's National Interest column appearing in IE, it is a fascinating read.
June 12, 2014
I have been a loyal reader of National Interest columns (Indian Express) by Shekhar Gupta. Week after week, I have enjoyed his brilliant analysis of our contemporary political landscape. His style is always simple - but never simplistic.
Anticipating India is a collection of 'the best'of National Interest. It traces the period from the days of the NDA government right up to the Anna Hazare movement. It is a succulent slice of history on one platter!
I was struck by how accurate Shekhar Gupta's predictions turned out and how perceptive he was in his analysis, even if some of it then appeared to be on a shaky terrain. He had started predicting the decline and demise of the UPA II government when - to put it in an analogy from his favourite sport of cricket - the opening batsmen had barely taken guard. Over the last five years, he persisted in the belief that the UPA was on a self-destruct mode. It was chronicle of a death foretold!
Of course he appears to have got a few things wrong. He considered the selection of Amit Shah as organizer of BJP's UP campaign a blunder because Mr Shah was known to be a divisive and polarizing figure. The last elections proved this prediction hugely wrong! To be fair, the reason lay in the fact that Mr Shah and his party appeared to have re-invented themselves and approached issues far less divisively than anyone thought was possible.
This is an excellent book for anyone who understands the nuances of Indian politics and wishes to make sense of the last two decades.
Anticipating India is a collection of 'the best'of National Interest. It traces the period from the days of the NDA government right up to the Anna Hazare movement. It is a succulent slice of history on one platter!
I was struck by how accurate Shekhar Gupta's predictions turned out and how perceptive he was in his analysis, even if some of it then appeared to be on a shaky terrain. He had started predicting the decline and demise of the UPA II government when - to put it in an analogy from his favourite sport of cricket - the opening batsmen had barely taken guard. Over the last five years, he persisted in the belief that the UPA was on a self-destruct mode. It was chronicle of a death foretold!
Of course he appears to have got a few things wrong. He considered the selection of Amit Shah as organizer of BJP's UP campaign a blunder because Mr Shah was known to be a divisive and polarizing figure. The last elections proved this prediction hugely wrong! To be fair, the reason lay in the fact that Mr Shah and his party appeared to have re-invented themselves and approached issues far less divisively than anyone thought was possible.
This is an excellent book for anyone who understands the nuances of Indian politics and wishes to make sense of the last two decades.
May 20, 2014
I have always loved Shekhar Gupta"s unbiased writing, witty, satirical and brave. This collection of his National Interest articles is like India's post independence oral history. Reading them in chronological order, one can actually see how far we have come as a democracy and how we have evolved through ages of political crisis, economic reforms and cultural confusion. After Ramachandra Guha's "India after Gandhi" , this is one of my most favourite books on contemporary India.
August 4, 2014
A most engaging read, and provides an useful insight into India between 2004 and 2014.
Shekhar Gupta is one of my favorite journalists, and I count his writings to be as essential in understanding contemporary India as the writings of say Prof. Ashish Nandy or Yogendra Yadav or Christopher Jaffelot or Ashutosh Varshney.
My biggest take-away from this book has been understanding the India of 2014. My personal view is that the electoral verdict of 2014 signifies the beginning of a post-"post-Mandal" era. For those of us who were unable to come to terms with the real reasons why Narendra Modi won so convincingly, Shekhar Gupta has many answers for you.
This is not a book to be read cover-to-cover; it is predominantly a coffee table book. Nor does it contain instructions for India's future.
But it does help explain today's India.
Shekhar Gupta is one of my favorite journalists, and I count his writings to be as essential in understanding contemporary India as the writings of say Prof. Ashish Nandy or Yogendra Yadav or Christopher Jaffelot or Ashutosh Varshney.
My biggest take-away from this book has been understanding the India of 2014. My personal view is that the electoral verdict of 2014 signifies the beginning of a post-"post-Mandal" era. For those of us who were unable to come to terms with the real reasons why Narendra Modi won so convincingly, Shekhar Gupta has many answers for you.
This is not a book to be read cover-to-cover; it is predominantly a coffee table book. Nor does it contain instructions for India's future.
But it does help explain today's India.
February 15, 2016
I am a huge Shekhar Gupta fan and consider him the only 'neutral' editor in India. Also, this was a signed copy obtained at a Litfest. Why not a higher rating then ?
a) Have already read the columns of the past 2 years.
b) The columns of the era 2010-12 were repetitive. The same UPA2 bashing for policy paralysis and lack of governance.
Personally, i would want to read his columns from 80s and 90s too.
a) Have already read the columns of the past 2 years.
b) The columns of the era 2010-12 were repetitive. The same UPA2 bashing for policy paralysis and lack of governance.
Personally, i would want to read his columns from 80s and 90s too.
August 27, 2014
This is a chronicle of Indian politics. It is concise topical treatment of Indian history. Incisive, bright, and provocative, this work puts the political intricacies of the largest democracy so succinctly on paper. Many answers to old questions are got from this book.
January 18, 2015
Good collection of articles...
November 17, 2017
Shekhar is one pro-market and social liberal voice in Indian journalism. He consistently yearns to develop India both economically and socially and he finds the truth across different governments which many journalists fail to do so. This book of collection of his editorials from the time of Vajpayee govt to the onslaught of Modi could easily go into the textbook of history of Indian politics of that time frame. A must read.
June 26, 2017
Best way to learn about india's post independence history through the lens of the leading journalistic voice of our times. Kudos !!!!
August 9, 2015
THE best book that I've read in Indian politics so far. This book, as the author mentions, is not a narrative of Indian politics, but a collection of articles. The best part of that is that you can understand the mood and the feel of the situation. The situation that the author describes comes alive out of the pages of the book. Be it the Anna Hazare movement or the UPA 2 time. The analysis of the author gives the feel of the popular mood at the time.
When you combine this narrative with our hindsight we get a clear picture of how things were. I would say that any book which is written would have a bit of prejudice from the author's ideological inclinations. This can be seen in any book and this can be seen here as well. But here as the author is giving a love narration rather than writing from hindsight the situation becomes bare for us to understand.
A brilliant book.
When you combine this narrative with our hindsight we get a clear picture of how things were. I would say that any book which is written would have a bit of prejudice from the author's ideological inclinations. This can be seen in any book and this can be seen here as well. But here as the author is giving a love narration rather than writing from hindsight the situation becomes bare for us to understand.
A brilliant book.
March 21, 2015
This book is a compilation of opinion pieces penned by renowed political journalist Shekhar Gupta for the Indian Express during the decade between the early 2000s to 2014.
The book starts from the last years of the NDA government under then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and traces major political developments in India through the ten years under the Congress led UPA, documenting the transformation of the political landscape of India over that period.
For anyone interested in learning how Indian politics evolved in the period from the early 2000s to the mid 2010s, this book ought to be a must read.
The book starts from the last years of the NDA government under then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and traces major political developments in India through the ten years under the Congress led UPA, documenting the transformation of the political landscape of India over that period.
For anyone interested in learning how Indian politics evolved in the period from the early 2000s to the mid 2010s, this book ought to be a must read.
October 2, 2016
First of all I may not be an appropriate reader to judge or write a review of a book as it will be based on my limited knowledge rather than my expertise on the subject/field.
I will try to pen down my takeaway from the book.
To me ,it helped in {creating /sharpening/modifying/understanding} various views associated with India as democracy and the constitution as a pillar its standing on. Shekhar Gupta's long association with India'S makers and breakers allowed him to roll out overall analysis of india's building blocks.
It was really an old time journalistic view ,hold firm around democracy and constitution,which is impossible to find in today's time.
Thanks.
I will try to pen down my takeaway from the book.
To me ,it helped in {creating /sharpening/modifying/understanding} various views associated with India as democracy and the constitution as a pillar its standing on. Shekhar Gupta's long association with India'S makers and breakers allowed him to roll out overall analysis of india's building blocks.
It was really an old time journalistic view ,hold firm around democracy and constitution,which is impossible to find in today's time.
Thanks.
May 14, 2016
An excellent book for readers interested in Indian Politics! Shekhar has very eloquently put across the rules of the game in Indian Politics and Governance with an unbiased and rational assessment of its successes and flaws. I really liked how instead of focussing on simply the negatives, the book highlights so many unknown and remarkable people in India's Political, Bureaucratic as well as Public domains who have had the vision, foresight and spine to have built remarkable institutions in difficult circumstances for which we are so proud today. Thank you Shekhar! Jai Hind!
February 7, 2016
This is a book featuring articles of Shekhar Gupta's Column in various Newspapers.The first half is good. But it loses its momemtum in the middle.
December 13, 2015
Excellent viewpoints/opinion on current affairs
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews