The opening up of the Indian economy in 1991 decisively brought the country into the age of globalization, and there has been no turning back. The policies set in motion by the Congress and later carried forward by the Bharatiya Janata Party have shaped the country over the last two decades—not just its economy but also its culture and society. Places like Gurgaon transformed from nondescript towns to luxury-living addresses almost overnight. Indian IT firms earned renown and respect abroad, while big names such as the Tatas and Mittals grabbed headlines with high-profile overseas acquisitions. Those that managed to find a place in the enlarging-yet-shrinking global world have prospered. But increasing numbers farmers and adivasis, migrants and slum dwellers are feeling left out, bringing to the fore wide gashes in India’s social fabric. Based on personal interviews, field trips and research, Dilip Hiro weaves a narrative out of the stories of the ordinary and extraordinary Indians about how globalization has affected the country and its many children, both home and away.

Review : “Ranks with the best of Dilip Hiro’s books and with the best of books written on India in recent times...the absorbing flow of research and reporting, facts and events, narrative and analysis with no essential detail or statistic missing — a bright and sparkling stream moving to its inevitable and thoughtful conclusion... finely structured and the style enable it to range effortlessly from Gurgaon to Dandakaranya and reinforce the impression of complex scholarship lightly carried.”

-Mainstream

"How globalisation has affected the country and its many children, both home and away, is based on personal interviews, field trips and research by the author." Statesman  

“Witness the exponential increase in sleaze. Witness the sorry state of agriculture. Witness the distortions of democratic institutions of governance. The depiction will tug at your heart-strings... An extremely readable book.”  Mail Today

"There is much in the book that would attract the interested reader. Above all, as with everything that Hiro writes, it makes for a very easy read... It effectively summarises much of the news that has been around for the past two decades about all that is going wrong in India as it deregulated its markets" Sunday Tribune

"With acute observation and sharp expression, Dilip Hiro covers Indian production, communication, finance, and culture in a world beset by hectic change and seeming homogenisation, and his attention to laws and policies is salutary...He always identifies processes behind events... He has achieved a remarkably comprehensive analysis of contemporary India." - The Hindu

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dilip Hiro is a seasoned political writer, journalist, and analyst based in London. He writes for many newspapers and magazines, including the Guardian, Observer, Independent, New York Times, Washington Post and India Today. He is a frequent commentator on West, Central and South Asian and Islamic affairs for the BBC, Sky, CNN and Al Jazeera International, among others. He is the author of more than thirty books. Among them are the highly praised Between Marx and Muhammad, War without End, The Essential Middle East, Blood of the Earth and The Timeline History of India. His most recent book was Jihad on Two Fronts, published by HarperCollins in 2011.