Presents social, political and economic history of India. Examining the cultural foundations that made India's accelerated transformation from socialist economy to capitalist powerhouse possible, this title provides a picture of what it is like to live at a time when millions have pulled themselves free of poverty.

Synopsis

One of this century's greatest surprises has been the economic and social revolution in India. What is the real nature of this rapid change, and where are its roots? India takes the reader on an extraordinary journey, geographically from the remote Buddhist north to the tropical far south and socially from the new multi-millionaires to the many Indians still crushed by caste and poverty.

Reviews

'French combines his lifelong passion, India, with his scholarly interest ... a fascinating anaylsis, revealing a deeper truth.' -- Salil Tripathi, The Independent

'It is a funny, witty book; also dense, gripping, thrilling. What blazes through from each page is French's absolute and uncondescending engagement with India' -- Neel Mukherjee The Times

'Wide-ranging, clear-sighted, warm-hearted and immensely readable' -- Nirpal Dhaliwal Evening Standard

'French is a fine reporter, with an appealing fascination for all things Indian ... an accomplished portrait of momentous times in a remarkable country' Economist

'Admirable ... There are many Indias, and Patrick French sets out, with enthusiasm and empathy, to encounter as many as he can find -- David Gilmour, Spectator

'Mr. French compresses 63 years of post-independence history into 450-odd pages fizzing with wit, insight and infectious curiosity ... a riveting read, and one suspects that Mr. French could not pen a boring passage if he tried.' -- Sadanand Dhume Wall Street Journal

About the Author

Patrick French is a writer and historian, born in England in 1966. He is the author of Younghusband: The Last Great Imperial Adventurer, which won the Somerset Maugham Award and the Royal Society of Literature W. H. Heinemann Prize, Liberty or Death: India's Journey to Independence and Division , which won the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award, Tibet, Tibet: A Personal History of a Lost Land and, most recently, The World Is What It Is: The Authorized Biography of V.S. Naipaul, which was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize and won the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Hawthornden Prize. Patrick has also recently created the incredible new website: www.theindiasite.com. More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation