Invertonomics: Eight Ideas to Transform India

by Goonmeet Singh Chauhan

For decades since Independence, India has been beset by some fundamental and chronic problems. There is poverty and inequity in society, the air in cities is hazardous, there's garbage on the roads, women feel unsafe in public places, the traffic is poorly managed, levels of basic education are low, the rural economy is decadent and there is an overall governance deficit. These problems have lasted so long that they often feel unsolvable in our lifetimes. But Goonmeet Singh Chauhan, an architect and futurist with a passion for transforming people's lives, argues that they can actually be solved decisively. For achieving this, he presents a new methodology that he calls Invertonomics -- inverting problems and looking at them instead as economic opportunities. He identifies eight persistent problem areas and proposes well-resolved, thought through, pragmatic and, in some cases, successfully implemented models for tackling them. These are solutions that will help us realize the dream of a great India.

479 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 30, 2020

Reviews

[Sonali Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did you know Mumbai ranks 7th and Delhi ranks 24th amongst the dirtiest cities in the world??
Rightly said- “Dont waste in Haste, Segregate your waste!” - Seerat Chauhan.
Not just waste management, other major problems of air pollution, noise pollution, public safety, hygiene also have been highlighted.

What I learnt out of it!!
- Every line of the book is worth quoting with facts.
- All the major problems are explained in details, their cause, who are the people creating such nucience, what are the laws formulated to curb such problems as well as new models to further rectify the problems.
- Everything is explained in the form of figures and diagrams that was super easy for me to grasp.
- Invertonomics- solutions that could indirectly benefit the economic status of our country- the concept really blew my mind.
- I would recommend this book to upcoming engineers- it has some really great models for you to work upon as it involves a lot of digitalization.
- This book has the perfect picture of the new prosperous and digital India.
- my personal favourite was the road map created to make a safe space for pedestrians and cyclists. Also more cameras installation scheme for the safety of woman on road. Even the Crash rescue vehicles for post-crash response is a great idea.


What could have been better??
- I would have appreciated more models explained how we, the common people, could initiate solutions with the need of government interference. But book was more of models that needs to be implemented at government levels.
- Some models, though would be definitely effective to curb the problems, yet they do not seem feasible to me, atleast not at this moment. Eg- Air Medical Transport in case of a road accident is not possible- 1) too high budget. 2) landing of a helicopter on road is not possible at all areas of accident. I would have prefered a solution like- recognition on newspaper or tv or even a cash prize could be awarded to people who would take the patient from the accident spot to the hospital. Also more female cab driver services could be a good solution and offering advantages to female drivers would encourage women to learn driving.

But overall this book is going to leave a lot of impact in the long run. Kudos for taking the initiative to come up with such innovative proposals.

[Sree Priya · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Invertonomics' is a new way of looking at problem-solving. India is the biggest democracy in the world, but in this we cannot forget everyday issues, which continues to pose hurdles in the progress of the nation.

In this book, the author tried to give a solution to various problems that are being a barrier for the country's development. It speaks about Honk-free India , Cleaner Air, Traffic compliance, Safer cities, Currency Garbage, Toilets, Equity etc.

The book is not written in the way of depicting the problem that are only speaking by the politician without doing any steps to overcome but it is written by giving solution with some great technical methods. If the things mentioned in this book came to enforce means then the country will reach a good place.

It is a must read book for all the Indian citizens. The author has done really a great and appreciatable work. The book gives some good knowledge about India, about its problem and some technical ideas. It will make the readers to come forward to change the things that they can do from their side to control the issues. Because everyone have to some take the responsibility in their hand, otherwise it's impossible to cross hurdles.

[Akilesh Ganesh · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book takes a central idea of Public-Private-Citizen partnership and goes about trying to solve different urban/rural issues, in an underwhelming manner. While the author's architecture/urban planning background fleshes out his solutions with more details and illustrations, the bottomline (for me) after a point felt like we are being shown an exaggerated rehash of age-old solutions that we've seen Intellects, urban planners and rural development officers discuss for so many years.

The approach, the writing and the structure is top-notch. It is crisp and clear covering many aspects like user personas, sample revenue model, organizational structure, etc.

Readers who have not had any exposure/readings on how these problems like Pollution, Waste Management, Governance, etc. are solved in other countries and the current proposed solutions in general, then you'll get a very good understanding on what's the root cause, current systems in place and how to go about in a methodical way proposing a solution. Also, it's pretty optimistic about its solutions and how much progress India can make within a short period of time.

[Anandh Sundar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very few Indian books on rural India so this book does bridge a crucial public policy gap. Even though most of the measures revolve around PPP(public private partnerships) and ioT, it does serve as food for thought. Timely and nice read