India in the Age of Ideas: Select Writings: 2006-2018

by Sanjeev Sanyal

The idea of constantly and organically updating one’s views/actions through feedback loops shows up in many places in my writings. This derives directly from the view that the real world is fundamentally unstable and unpredictable (i.e., it’s not a matter of having a better forecasting model). The best response to such a world, therefore, is to have a good grasp of what is currently happening and to respond quickly and flexibly to the evolving situation.

My worldview derives from many sources ranging from religious philosophy and long-range history, to Chaos Theory and Network Theory–with many of them integrated under a broad CAS framework. Some of the foreign writers and thinkers who have influenced me include Friedrich Hayek, Joseph Schumpeter, Daniel Kahneman, Lee Kuan Yew, Nassim Taleb, Karl Popper, Charles Darwin, Sun Tzu, Vidiadhar Naipaul and Jane Jacobs, to name a few. The Indian influences are even more varied and range from ancient texts such as the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Kautilya’s Arthashastra, to more modern thinkers such as Swami Vivekananda and Sri Aurobindo.

Genres: Nonfiction, India, Economics, History

328 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 28, 2018

About the author

Sanjeev Sanyal is an economist, urban theorist and writer. He grew up in Sikkim, Kolkata and Delhi before heading off to Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. He spent the tumultuous summer of 1993 in South Africa as it transitioned from apartheid, and then extensively travelled through Guatemala as it emerged from civil war. These experiences made him a keen observer of rapidly changing societies, an interest that reflects in many of his varied writings.

Sanjeev spent most of his adult life battling international financial markets, a few years in Mumbai and many in Singapore. One day in 2008, mostly on a whim, he decided to move back to India and travel all over the country with his family. This resulted in his hugely popular second book, Land of the Seven Rivers. Then in 2011, again for no particular reason, he went back to finance and took up a role as the global strategist of one of the world’s largest banks. He also spent the next few years exploring the Indian Ocean rim—Oman, Sri Lanka, Zanzibar, Vietnam, Indonesia, and up and down India’s coastline. These travels resulted in The Ocean of Churn: How the Indian Ocean Shaped Human History.

Currently Sanjeev lives in New Delhi where he serves as the principal economic adviser to the Indian government.

Reviews

[Ashish Iyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s always fun to read Sanjeev Sanyal. Some ideas are brilliant. Felt repetitive at times but it has no pretension. It gives an objective understanding and evokes thinking.

[S.Ach · Rating 3 out of 5]

Considering I lean left in my cultural biases and slightly right in economic stance, it is important for me to also understand the views and rationale of the ideologues that take an opposing stand that of me time to time. However, in the cacophony of TV debates and venoms in social media, it is difficult to find a saner voice whose words can be understood without going nuts. Thanks to voices like Sanjeev Sanyal, whose sane tone gives a lot of legitimacy to the so called 'right wing' ideologies and can be listened or read to understand, without necessarily agreeing to those.

I precisely picked up this book for that reason. But, little did I know it is nothing but author's articles appearing in newspaper over last 10 odd years and like most newspaper articles, these are though succinct, but fail to put forth any point with detailed analysis. The articles in this book are categorized, but lack any structured concepts. Articles of 500 odd words without context could provoke thoughts to an extent, but since there are no follow-through, chances are that your thoughts would die as soon as you read the next one.
Currently, Sanyal serves as the principal economic adviser in the ministry of finance of Indian Government, and hence wanted to know more of his economic ideas, sadly, apart from providing some very highlevel direction in any of the articles, there were no

The author appears to be obsessed with "Complex Adaptive System" and tries to relate every aspect of culture, economy and urban development to that. Nothing wrong in some of the analogies, but reading it again and again, become repetitive and annoying at times.
But as mentioned before, I find Sanyal's tone and tenor to be moderate and rational enough for him to be given more chance to elaborate on his ideas, and hence, I would like to read more from him. But, this book, sadly, I won't recommend highly.

[Vineet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice collection of ideas; beautiful insights. I enjoyed this book. It helped to broaden my views on topics like urbanisation, globalisation, economic imbalance etc.
Thank you Mr. Sanyal.

[Abhishek · Rating 4 out of 5]

India in the Age of Ideas is not a book/novel in the conventional sense, as it is a compendium of articles written and published in print media by the author, Sanjeev Sanyal, over the last decade. But it is in an innovative format to write a book as it was easy to read a bunch of articles which tell a story.

The book is divided into three sections - Indian history, Urban Dynamics in India and Economics, fields which the author is known to have interest and expertise in. All these fields are covered under the umbrella of "Complex Adaptive Systems," that which involves dynamic interactions and relationships and whose individual entities do not sum up to the entire system, unlike a Newtonian system. Since there is a tendency to look at history, urban dynamics/planning and economics as a static planned system which can be entirely explained or simulated, it was refreshing to see it from this perspective.

As a history buff, I enjoyed reading the first part the most, in spite of it containing a few rehashes from his other books (which was the case for the other sections as well). Particularly interesting ones were on the need to have the Independence Day speech from different locations in India and the need to rewrite history books, for which the author deserves a lot of credit.

The articles under urban dynamics stressed on the importance to develop cities by using a framework which can adapt to changes over time and the need for institutions to be an integral part of any city/town rather than being walled away both ideologically and physically. While I agree with both these points, the repetition of the same in most of the articles was tedious.

Lastly, the ones under Economics were a bit abstract and esoteric, but nevertheless impactful. Looking at the world from an economic perspective makes one aware of the challenges countries face in terms of debt, maintaining fertility rate and so forth.

Overall, a well-organized book giving us an insight into the various aspects through which the author looks at India, and one which makes us want to create positive change in these fields.

[H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was the part of Prime books from Amazon & sitting in my library for quite some time. Decided to read this as a part of the year end vacation.

An awesome collection of essays . The author claims some were old, unupdated, but they still remain relevant to this day.

I would describe his views as refreshing departure from the norm, as he calls it, ‘publishing for awards’. His views are blunt, sometimes against the establishment. The only difference of opinion i have with him is the ppl moving from rural areas in to urban areas. Not against it, but, who will grow the food we eat? Why not pay or ensure they get a fair value for their effort and man power?

Another surprise point is, how did he survive all these years. The establishment either missed him or he was below the horizon? The opposition to the Nehruvian model and his argument to adopt Chanakya’s model would be red herrings!

Just loved this prescription for India
1. Karma
2. Dharma
3. Manthan
4. Rule of law
Can it get more simpler than this? This is what the ancient knowledge has been telling us. Will We the People hear this? Listen to this?

[Ajay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite educating.

[Nithesh S · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Complex adaptive systems' was the most important idea/concept I learnt from this book. It is full of original ideas and combative takes on the most contentions issues related to governance, politics, history and economics. It further reinforces my opinions about the author. He is one of the few genuine polyglots in India today.

[Avi K Sabavala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

This is a good read with topic from a wide range of subjects. The author has used his knowledge to capture the essence of each subject with clarity

[hemant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful

This book contains most, if not all, of the answers running in modern age youth's mind. The one who faces a dilemma of choosing culture or modernity should give it a read. The one who wonders whether the world has turned chaotic and is looking for order, should give it a read.

A wonderfully detailed and well-explained array of relevant topics, by a well-versed writer should never be missed.

[Gitanjali Mutte · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of informative and easy to read essays on India's History, Urban Dynamics and Economics. Gives you a perspective on different topics. But most of the ideas keep recurring which is a big bummer. Finally to summarise, ideas-wise it's a good book but still editing could have been better!

[Raj Shengale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding

Superb vision for India has been described in this book. Only if half of the ideas here are to be put into reality, it would work wonders for our country.

[Nirbhay Kanoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is a bit hard to review because it's a collection of previously published essays, so some are excellent and some average or outdated.
For example in Ashoka, The Not So Great and Is Brexit Really Irrational the connections he makes and the theories he proposes are tenuous at best, and some of the essays written in 2011, etc are outdated (I read the book in 2019). Also given I'm a big fan of the author and love Land Of Seven Rivers, I've come across a lot of the information he discusses already (in all fairness, he mentions this in the foreword).
At the same time, about 1/3 of the essays are dedicated to the cities, towns and living spaces of India and are all brilliant. Very thought-provoking and informative. If you aren't inclined to read all the essays, certainly read the ones in this section.

[Anshuman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not just a mere collection of articles.

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that practically hums with intellectual confidence. It’s not just a collection of essays; it’s a manifesto masquerading as miscellany, a thoughtful yet swaggering look at a nation mid-transformation.

Sanyal, the economist, urban theorist, and unapologetic contrarian, uses these essays to chart India’s journey through a dozen years when old certainties were being dismantled and new paradigms were still finding their shape. The result is a text that feels at once diagnostic and prophetic — like reading the country’s MRI report while the patient is still sitting in the waiting room.

Sanyal’s intellectual temperament sits somewhere between the empiricism of a trained economist and the romantic instinct of a civilizational historian. He’s fascinated by ideas — not in the abstract philosophical sense, but as blueprints that shape real-world systems: cities, markets, governance, and human behavior. Across the essays, he argues that India’s progress depends less on imported theories and more on reclaiming its own intellectual sovereignty. In that sense, the title isn’t boasting; it’s a call to arms. We are, he insists, in an “age of ideas,” and India must decide whether to be a consumer or a producer in that marketplace.

The first striking thing about the collection is its range. One moment Sanyal is explaining the spatial logic of Indian cities — tracing how ancient settlements grew along rivers, ports, and trade routes — and the next he’s dissecting monetary policy or debating the psychological underpinnings of entrepreneurship. His canvas runs from the Vedic period to Silicon Valley.

What holds it together is his restless curiosity and his deep conviction that India has been too long trapped in the intellectual categories of others — first colonial administrators, then socialist planners, and finally global financial bureaucrats. He wants to break free from that orbit and redefine Indian modernity on Indian terms.

That ambition gives these essays their electricity. Sanyal doesn’t just want reform; he wants a reprogramming of the mental software. Take his essays on economics — they’re crisp, occasionally provocative, and grounded in first-hand experience. As someone who’s moved between the private sector (Deutsche Bank, where he was Global Strategist) and public service (as Principal Economic Adviser in the Ministry of Finance), Sanyal writes with the authority of someone who’s seen both the spreadsheet and the street. He’s skeptical of the “consensus” thinking that dominated Indian policymaking for decades. Instead, he champions flexibility, experimentation, and a willingness to accept uncertainty — qualities he believes are intrinsic to India’s historical DNA but missing from its modern bureaucracy.

The essays on urbanism are among the most original. Sanyal’s earlier book The Land of the Seven Rivers had already showcased his fascination with India’s geography and civilizational continuity; here, he extends that inquiry into the present. He views cities not as planned entities but as organic organisms — evolving through trade, migration, and social negotiation rather than top-down design. He finds beauty in chaos, rhythm in irregularity. Delhi’s sprawl, Mumbai’s vertical hunger, Kolkata’s decaying grandeur — to him, these aren’t urban failures but evolutionary quirks. It’s a view that runs counter to the sanitized visions of “smart cities” being peddled by technocrats, and it’s refreshing precisely because it insists that the Indian city’s messiness is part of its genius.

Sanyal’s writing style is lean, lucid, and occasionally lyrical. He knows how to balance data with anecdote. When he speaks of India’s ancient maritime trade, he’ll just as easily segue into a meditation on 21st-century logistics. There’s a lightness to his erudition — you can tell he’s having fun with ideas, turning them over, testing them, laughing at their absurdities. Yet beneath the breeziness lies a sharp analytical core. He’s an economist who quotes poets, a historian who reads balance sheets. That hybrid sensibility — equal parts reason and romance — gives his writing its signature timbre.

What also stands out is the book’s structure — it’s divided into sections that broadly deal with economics, urbanism, culture, and global affairs. But it never feels compartmentalized. There’s an organic flow that mirrors the interconnectedness of his worldview. For Sanyal, economic growth isn’t separate from cultural confidence; infrastructure isn’t just steel and concrete but also imagination. The roads we build, he reminds us, are extensions of the mental maps we draw of the future.

In essays like “The Myth of the Socialist City” and “The Great Indian Demographic Dividend,” Sanyal challenges long-held beliefs about development. He rejects the fatalism that sees India’s diversity as an obstacle, arguing instead that it’s a competitive advantage — a self-correcting, decentralized system that absorbs shocks through multiplicity. His admiration for market dynamism and individual agency places him ideologically closer to the libertarian spectrum, but he’s not doctrinaire. He understands that a country as vast and complex as India needs both structure and spontaneity. His faith in human ingenuity is the thread that ties his economic liberalism to his cultural optimism.

Culturally, Sanyal is at his most compelling when he reclaims Indian history from the dusty grip of academic orthodoxy. He’s not rewriting history — he’s reinterpreting it through the lens of civilizational resilience. In his view, India’s history is not a linear narrative of invasions and empires but a network of interconnected stories — of traders, scholars, monks, and rebels — all contributing to a plural, adaptive civilization. This pluralism, he argues, is India’s true modernity. In a world polarized by ideology, India’s ancient ability to absorb, adapt, and synthesize may be its greatest export.

That civilizational confidence fuels his critiques of Western intellectual hegemony. He takes gentle but firm aim at the lazy assumptions that Western frameworks are universal — whether in economics, sociology, or politics. The liberal order, he suggests, has often been blind to cultural nuance, treating societies as data points rather than living organisms. Sanyal doesn’t reject Western thought — he’s too cosmopolitan for that — but he insists on parity. India must engage, not imitate. It’s an argument that resonates powerfully in an era when the global balance of ideas, not just power, is shifting eastward.

One of the book’s recurring motifs is freedom — not just political or economic, but intellectual freedom. Sanyal champions the right to think differently, to dissent from orthodoxy. That’s why even when you disagree with him — and you will, often — you can’t help but admire the energy of his contrarianism. He’s that rare public intellectual who invites disagreement as a form of dialogue. Reading him, you sense the thrill of debate, the joy of wrestling with complex questions without fear of offending the establishment.

His tone, however, is never strident. There’s no chest-thumping nationalism here, only a calm, rational belief that India must narrate its own story. He’s allergic to victimhood, dismissing the idea that India’s destiny was written by colonialism or global capitalism. Instead, he sees India as a self-renewing civilization that has repeatedly reinvented itself after crises — from Ashoka’s moral empire to the Green Revolution to the digital boom. That cyclical vision of rebirth underpins his optimism.

The essays on globalization and geopolitics reflect this same confidence. Sanyal recognizes the emerging multipolar world as an opportunity for India to reposition itself not merely as a regional power but as a civilizational pole — a source of ideas, ethics, and innovation. He’s intrigued by the ways technology reshapes sovereignty, and how networks (digital, financial, migratory) create new geographies of influence. His reflections on Asia’s rise are balanced — he acknowledges China’s muscular assertiveness but insists that India’s strength lies in its moral and intellectual pluralism. The “Indian way,” for him, is not about domination but about diffusion — spreading ideas through exchange rather than conquest.

It’s in the essays dealing with heritage and identity that Sanyal’s prose becomes almost poetic. He writes about India’s forgotten waterways, the ancient trade routes that once connected the subcontinent to the world, and the syncretic art forms that flourished in coastal cities. He seems to be reminding us that the story of India has always been a story of connection. To read him is to be reminded that the modern Indian identity — whether in cuisine, language, or architecture — is a palimpsest of centuries of contact and conversation.

At the same time, he doesn’t romanticize the past. He’s wary of nostalgia. For him, tradition is valuable only when it’s dynamic — when it fuels innovation rather than ossifies into dogma. This is perhaps where Sanyal’s writing feels most alive: in his insistence that India’s greatness lies not in preserving its past in amber but in reinventing it for the future. That’s why he can talk about ancient maritime trade and blockchain technology in the same breath without irony — for him, they’re both expressions of human adaptability.

Critics sometimes accuse Sanyal of being too optimistic, too dismissive of structural inequalities or political dysfunction. And yes, his belief in individual enterprise occasionally underplays the systemic barriers that millions still face. But that critique misses the essence of his argument. He’s not denying India’s problems; he’s challenging the intellectual fatalism that treats them as permanent. His optimism isn’t naïveté; it’s strategy — a refusal to let cynicism become policy.

By the time you finish India in the Age of Ideas, you feel as if you’ve been taken on a high-speed tour through India’s intellectual landscape — past its economic reforms, urban experiments, civilizational debates, and geopolitical aspirations. The prose is brisk, the insights sharp, and the tone deeply engaged. You may not agree with every argument, but you come away invigorated. In a world where discourse often collapses into outrage or apathy, Sanyal’s essays offer something rare: the pleasure of thinking.

What makes this book enduringly relevant is that it captures India at an inflection point — between the old world of bureaucratic inertia and the new world of digital acceleration. Sanyal stands at that intersection, looking both ways. He sees history not as nostalgia but as strategy, and the future not as destiny but as design. He invites us to think of India not merely as a place but as an idea — one still evolving, still negotiating between chaos and order, tradition and modernity, constraint and possibility.

And perhaps that’s the ultimate charm of Sanyal’s collection. It’s not a manual; it’s a mirror. It reflects back to us a vision of India that’s flawed, messy, contradictory — but also astonishingly alive. It tells us that the “age of ideas” is not happening somewhere else; it’s happening here, in the debates we have, the books we write, the cities we build, and the futures we dare to imagine.

In the end, India in the Age of Ideas is less a retrospective of 2006–2018 and more a declaration of intent — a reminder that intellectual courage, not just economic growth, will define India’s next chapter. It’s a love letter to the thinking mind, written in the syntax of a civilization rediscovering its voice.

Read it and recommend it to others.

[RAJAN R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing ideas around culture, urbanization and economy of India. I always learn from sanjeev Sanyal.He is such an amazing intellectual person.

[Kapilgade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compilation of all the articles written by sanjeev sanyal. Touches on many issues which are often neglected like the over hyping of ashoka the great, loss of indian archealogical treasure, rethinking on slum development etc.

A good read worth the time.

[Vishal Vishu]

More of a PEP talk, not a in-depth treatise

This book is basically a collection of essays covering various regional , international, historical, social facets. These essays have appeared in various journals across the years. This book is suitable for someone who wants to gain a basic understanding on the things happening around us, not for someone who is looking for a in-depth work

[satish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Good Read

This book has so many ideas and gives really good insight how the economy or the social culture of India should have been .Hope to see more such ideas to be implemented .

[Rajeev · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a compilation of essays that have appeared in various publications from the period 2006 to 2018. Reading the book in 2023, the overwhelming feeling one gets is that a substantial part of the narrative is outdated. However, the fundamental ideas discussed in the book have stood the test of time and can be considered as a template on which developmental policies for India can be shaped. This collection of essays opens up a fresh perspective on subjects as varied as religion, history, urban planning and economy.

An interesting concept that is often repeated in most of the essays is about Complex Adaptive Systems. This concept postulates that in most situations “the whole is not necessarily a sum of the parts”, unlike in a Newtonian system. Sanyal argues that in fields like urban planning, it is better not to lay down plans in a straitjacketed manner and to allow for adjustments and corrections as the system evolves. This does not necessarily mean that development has to be unplanned but calls for laying down plans and policies in such a way that adequate leeway is provided for changes if the need so arises.

The first part of the book covers Indian history. By no stretch of the imagination can one say that Sanyal has covered the history of India in great detail through these essays. All he has done is provoke the reader to think about the way in which Indian history has been depicted by Indian intelligentsia who have a predominately Western liberal thought process. This has understandably caused the Indian minds to have less regard for the ancient value systems that an old civilisation like India has. The Indian mind has been trained to be apologetic about the heritage of India. He talks about the need to rewrite Indian history in a manner that is more representative of the ethos of the nation.

The section on urban planning is quite informative and thought-provoking. Sanyal argues that cities and settlements have to develop organically instead of being nudged to grow and develop in a particular fashion. Ample scope for adjustments to the developmental plans has to be incorporated into the system so that cities grow and evolve with the main focus being on the requirements of the people inhabiting the place. He also stresses on the importance of centres of learning to be co-located within urban conglomerations rather than being located far away from cities as is the case with most of the institutions of higher learning in India.

The section on economy explores the interplay and the interdependence of economies of countries around the world. Sanyal’s main forte is economics which is amply demonstrated by the fact that he holds the important appointment of the Principal Economic Adviser in the Modi Government. Not surprisingly he is bullish on the Indian economy while at the same time cautioning that the country has a long way to go before attaining an acceptable level of economic power and parity with the leading industrialised nations of the world. However, I found Sanyal’s discourse on economic principles a bit tough to grasp.

This collection of essays is undoubtedly a work of import. The lasting impression one gets on reading this book is that Sanyal is a thinker par excellence and moreover, he is incredibly patriotic with the good of the nation being uppermost in his mind.

[The Conch · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is divided in three sections - history & culture, urban dynamics and economics. In these three sections, author's previously published articles are arranged accordingly. Author introduces the concept of CAS (Complex Adaptive System). It is same what Rajiv Malhotra discussed in his book 'Being Different'. CAS is like complex ecological system for e.g. forest, ancient city like Varanasi which grows organically. Author is in favor of CAS in sector like economy and urban planning. Too much control or monitoring of economy or meticulously planning for urban sector is not effective in long run. Failure of Chandigarh is one of the example. As per author's opinion city, university, institution must be in the heart of the city so that it can not be separated from organic culture of people.

History section as usual reflects author's expertise. Remarkable articles, given below, are eye-opening.

>Ashoka, the not so great
>Investing in the long term future of Hinduism
>History of Indian ocean
>Need for re-writing our history books
>Once upon a river
>The forgotten genocide

The author is principal economic adviser of Govt. of India, hence economics is his forte. Reader will get good insight about history of economics of India and world, importance of Kautilya's arthasastra in comparison with The Prince of Machiavelli, scenario of world economy. However, economy section of the book is could be difficult for a non-economic background reader. Overall, this book is full of valuable information on history, urban planning and economics.

[Jai · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really want good reads to give me ability to rate something 3.5. 3 for me as on par and 4 for me is having enjoyed it. This one falls somewhere in between.

I picked it because Sanjeev Sanyal is one of my favorite writers and Land of Seven Rivers was an absolutely amazing book and I enjoy his videos on YouTube and getting his perspective on things. So going in I was fully aware that since this is just collection of his writing I would be reading stuff I have either already read or heard in his interviews. This was precisely the case, but I wanted it available in print and to read it all at go, so I am happy with my purchase and Sanyal remains somewhat of thought leader to me.

Book is split in three different parts, his writings on History and Culture, Urban Dynamics and Economics. I enjoyed the first part most, followed by second and just quickly wrapped up on economics which if somewhat ironic considering he is the Principal Economic Advisor in the ministry of finance which makes him a full time economist.

My one ask/ disappointment was that it doesn't include white papers that we may have published. One on risk which is pinned on his twitter feed was pretty great.

All in all, if you are Sanyal fan you know what you are getting.

[Nilisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

The collection of articles are well put together to lay out a different approach to thinking. I particularly appreciate his views on city planning and urban development.
There are two things that I felt didn't quite fit right for me, the first- mentioning the date of the article at the end, instead, if it were placed at the beginning, I believe I would have a changed perspective while I was reading, based on the time frame it was written in. The second thing was the content getting a bit repetitive, however, in the hindsight that worked as a positive, replenishing what I had read.
The author's thoughts are well synchronized throughout the book and that makes it better since there is relevance everywhere if even if the topic of article shifts from culture to economy.
Overall, it's a good book to peep into different aspects and angles to a certain issue.

[Anagha S Jahgirdar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in 2022 because I really appreciate someone telling about age of ideas than others liking only jibber jabber that instigate nothing but old traditional trash. There is always hope with those who swim against the tides. It is refreshing like art mixed with science. That should also be one of the main ideas in the age of ideas I feel. Only at institutes? Including schools also can it be a revolution? Already done that, some have filled that gap of generation thru many more appreciative activities for both school children and institute PhDs. Because no not all PhDs can be expected to read. Any? Just ideas at the institute that's not enough anyway! This book reminds me about Dr APJ Kalam's books but in more exact ideas replenished I get that whole reading each chapter.

[Anirudh Jain · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is a collection of essays by Sanjeev Sanyal and his thoughts on various topics right from urban planning to history to models for development.

This book is great if you want to dip your toe into various fields that you have not even imagined like Town planning or Complex Adaptive Systems but it only shows the sketch not the whole picture.

Additionally there is no structure to this book and the way the topics are arranged reminds of my college notebook, only one book which had all topics from Maths to Social Studies to my whimsical poems.

So a good book to read at your own pace as this book does not grip the reader in any manner.

[NEEL Singathia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though repetitive but good book by Sanjeev Sanyal. I like these type of books which have compiled editorial/essay from newspaper so that we can finish it fast and those are easy reads.

Similarly this book is collection of essays from 2006-2018 which are divided in three sections : 1. Culture and History 2. Urbanization and Urban Planning 3. Economy and Globalization.

I would not say it is a must Read but good and fast read. People should read *The Indian Renaissance: India's Rise After a Thousand Years of Decline* from same author too.

[Rohith Ajjampur · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of the author's articles in recent years. Although the quality of the articles is excellent and the breadth of the topics covered is great, it suffers from a lot of repetition from the very fact that these articles appeared over a period of time and do contain references to other ideas explored in other articles. Apart from that, one can definitely learn a lot from the text.

[Suveer Gaur · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent read.

As the preface correctly tells us, the ideas are repetitive.
That doesn't take away from their relevance though.
Despite being a Bachelor's level Economics student, I found the Economics portion full of jargon.
The portion about cities was just about okay.
The portion about culture was the only true page turner.

[Vivek · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a good collection of essays written by author in last decade or so. There are plenty of good ideas revolving around economics, history, urban design - all encompassed through a common notion of Complex Adaptive System. Though at times, the ideas are repeated - should have been edited better!

[Shubhendra Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book by sanjiv sanyal is the sum total of his ideas that were reflected upon in his earlier works of Land of seven rivers and ocean of churns. Overall a good read but some chapters of urban planning seems repititve.

[Vikram Ketkar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read, some repetition, wide range

The author is obviously a greater intellectual with interest and knowledge in a wide range of topics. He also writes in a very engaging manner.