INDIA UN8CUND A 8ook kev|ew

resented by
Ananya Srl
Aksha Anand
ueeksha kaul
Carlma Sekhrl
karan 1hakur
naveena ve[ella
"1he story I will be telling is soft drama. It is taking place quietly and
profoundly in the heart of Indian society."
- Gurcharan Das
India Unbound is the story oI a nation. It is a journey through Iive decades that
portrays the challenges, the developments, political and social upheavals that have
created the Iabric oI modern India. The book not only celebrates the champions,
but also highlights the opportunities wasted. It also analyses the deIining impact
that the British Raj has had on the country. The author reIlects on the diIIerent
scenarios that could have made India a world superpower.
INTRODUCTION
About the Author
urcharan Das was born in Lyallpur, India (now Pakistan) into a Punjabi
Hindu Iamily. He spent his childhood in Shimla and Delhi. He went to high
school in Washington D.C.
He graduated with honors Irom Harvard University in Philosophy.
He later attended Harvard Business School (AMP), where he is Ieatured in
three case studies.
He was the CEO oI Procter & amble India and later Managing Director,
Procter & amble Worldwide (Strategic Planning).
$UMMARY
@|me||ne
Sprlng of Pope
6S
8eblrLh of ureams
66
LosL CeneraLlon

osL
lndependence
1lmes of
1urmoll
osL Lconomlc
LlberallzaLlon
!ost Independence Era
1.The British Raj
a. Railways & Canal Systems
b. The English language
c. No governance
d. No economic development
2. Nehru v/s Gandhi
3.The Temples of Modern India
4. $ocialism- Capitalism
Times of Turmoil
1. Caste $stem
a) Impact on Competitiveness
b) Innovation on the backburner
2. India with Indira: The transition Irom Lal Bahadur Shastri to
Indira andhi.
3. Monopol of !$U`s: MRTP, FERA
!ost Economic
Liberalization
1. The $econd Revolution: Freedom Irom license Raj
2. The Indian Entrepreneur turns global: A testimonial to
liberalization
3. Misconception between 'Western and 'Modern
4. Democrac and Capitalism
5. Knowledge: IT and entrepreneur
Core Issues
. Adopted an inward-looking, import substituting path.
2. IneIIicient and monopolistic public sector.
3. Over regulated private enterprises.
4. Discouraged Ioreign capital and world-class competition.
5. Extremely low productivity.
6. Ignored the education oI children.
$tle of Writing
. urcharan Das` narrative is very crisp
2. Analyses the two sides oI a given issue and substantiates them
with Iacts.
3. 360 degree view oI encompassing economics and socio-cultural
impact.
4. Personal anecdotes add to micro understanding oI the events
stated such as Emergency
5. Usage oI What-II
. Why Indians lack team work
2. .D. Birla
3. Subhash Chandra
Interesting Takeawas
Lessons in
Management
. Small is Big
2. Team Work and the Indian Mindset
3. View Irom the bottom
4. Optimum utilisation oI resources
What the Others
Had to $a
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ctltlcol os well os optlmlstlc
AmarLya Sen
1bls btlllloot wotk lo polltlcol
ecooomy ls fot oll yoooq loJloos"
n8 narayanan MurLhy
#lott memolt pott jootoollsm
pott blstoty ooJ pott
moooqemeot blble"n? 1lmes
#lofotmotlve eotettololoq ooJ boslcolly
cottect oboot loJlos oeeJs to embtoce
copltollsm" 1he LconomlsL
#coolJ be oo eyeopeoet to teoJets oofomlllot wltb
tbe toJlcol ttoosfotmotloos ooJetwoy lo tbe
sobcootloeotJashlngLon osL
Conclusion
As young clLlzens of modern lndla we rarely geL a gllmpse lnLo whaL creaLed Lhls
greaL counLry and Lhls provldes us wlLh a valuable lnslghL Pe gave a human face Lo
Lhe sLory of an enLlre naLlon maklng lL an exLremely engaglng read whlle belng
lnformaLlve aL Lhe same Llme
JhaL makes lL dlfferenL from Lhe oLher books of Lhe same genre ls Lhe opLlmlsm LhaL
he reflecLs Lhrough hls wrlLlng 1he book llngers on wlLh you even when you are
done readlng
A slmple book wrlLLen uslng slmple language lL appeals Lo varlous age groups and ls a
musL read