Book Review: Imagining India

Imagining India talks beautifully about enterprising India. The county which we goona see by 2030. He explains in bit the journey of India after freedom through dark tunnel of protectionism and its economic freedom in 1991. This is something that we have read in almost every economics book focused on India and more profoundly in India Unbound by Gurucharan Das.

But that's just beginning of book, its just marvelous when book takes us through changes and changing definitions on six fronts of; Population, Entrepreneurship, Democracy, English then and now, Technology and finally India adopting progressive view of globalization after decade of debate between capitalistic and socialistic thought channels.

Best thing that I liked in book is the way author has explained concept of Demographic Dividend. Something that India is going to experience in around 2030. We will be young country in aging world. This is a lifetime chance in a century or two for any given country. Every country which has done homework and prepared itself to make best use of this time has prospered beyond expectations. China (from 1975-1991) and whole southeast Asia being best examples to quote. Demographic dividend is the time wherein country has maximum working age population and minimum depended. This happens when birth rates start falling and if somebody do proper research the result will be birth rates have already started to fall.

In my knowledge there is a theory in economics called Neo Classical growth theory (hope I m quoting right name of theory) which says when opportunity cost of staying at home and raising children increases, more and more women become part of working age population in there youth and thus birth rates decline. This is the time where country simply doubles its working age population.

Apart from this author has given emphasis on Education which is prime mover of economic growth but underestimated to heights in our country. he takes us through classrooms to explain the mistakes our teachers, parents and whole system has done with list of good suggestions with good global examples to transform this system for good. Though Obama and Thomas Friedman are saying that students in USA should study and work hard because there is going to be huge competition from China and India, I feel there is huge gap in this as far as India is concerned. whatever good that India has done in education is f0r 30% of population which is beneficiary of globalization rest 70% suffers same way it was may be decade back.

Author also takes us through journey of India's Environmental Challenges and her search for alternative sources of energy which will be again not only our need but pre-condition to our growth going forward.