Daily Times

India Now & In Transition, edited by Atul K Thakur and published by Niyogi Books was officially launched at India International Centre, 40, Max Mueller Marg, New Delhi. The book is compiled in the memories of Indian Express and Hindustan Times former editor Late BG Verghese

The book was launched by Reserve Bank of India former governor Bimal Jalan, the book’s editor Atul K Thakur, public policy professional and journalist TSR Subramanian, Former Cabinet Secretary of India Wajahat Habibullah, Former CIC & Panchayati Raj Secretary, GoI, Dhruva Jaishankar, Senior Fellow, Brookings India, Omair Ahmad, Author, Journalist and Columnist, Pallavi Rebbapragada, journalist.

The book has 37 essays, contributed by Ramachandra Guha, Shashi Tharoor, Wajahat Habibullah, TSR Subramanian, Omair Ahmad, Dhruva Jaishankar, Atul, Jayati Ghosh, Reetika Khera, Rajeev Bhattacharjee, Kajal Basu, Tabish Khair, Manu Bhagavan, Samir Saran, Vinod Rai, and Robin Jaffery.

While giving the opening remarks, Bimal Jalan said, “The book is an excellent collection of 37 essays covering politics, culture and governance, security, language, economics, foreign policy. Those interested in South Asian affairs will benefit from these wide range of topics covered by the book. It covers India Now & In Transition. Jalan calls for an open discussion among the panellists.”

TSR Subramanian, a contributor of the book, has highlighted how the book covers a wide range of topic that immediately matter to India at cusp of big change and appreciated the contributors for knowing their subject so well while dealing with a complex theme called ‘India.’

Served as India’s Cabinet Secretary, he shared his disappointment on the non-functional and damaging acts of bureaucracy that has been keeping India way below its actual potential. He raised question over the falling performance of India on HDI and lack of reform in key areas concerning the masses, including health, education, employment, nutrition. He also criticised the GM Foods and lamented over giving it a node to India while serving country’s topmost executive post in early 1990s. He requested Atul to come out with the next volume that will have complete focus on rural India.

‘The book is an excellent collection of 37 essays covering politics and culture’

Wajahat Habibullah, who has written this volume’s most detailed piece, shared, “I had tried to focus on the people of Kashmir, but for failure of govt initiatives, the goodwill on ground that existed until late 1980s withered away. In last seven decades, India has been facing a challenge in transition from a former colony into a nation. How did the syncretism give way to religious extremism? It is due to wrong Indian policies. The early 1990s witnessed the exodus of Pandits from valley and the Kashmir remained the same again. My colleagues and I have failed. The violent political movement were in the early ‘90s has its roots in anger at being let down. Frustration at the then state government, stemming from Sheikh Abdullah but now focus has moved to India, which is seen as a Hindu state. Wrong governance and policies have led to this. Yet as much I know Kashmir and Kashmiriyat, I am optimist about the future despite noticing many challenges upfront.”

Dhruva Jaishankar said that now the world matters more for India while focusing on his topic “India’s relation with the rest of the world.” He shared, “The world matters more for India and vice versa than they have ever done in history.”

Published in Daily Times, July 24^th 2017.