Recasting India: How Entrepreneurship is Revolutionizing the World's Largest Democracy

by Hindol Sengupta

Twenty years after India opened its economy, it faces severe economic problems, including staggering income inequality. A third of its citizens still lack adequate food, education, and basic medical services, while Mumbai businessman Mukesh Ambani lives in the most expensive home in the world, which cost over a billion dollars to build. Despite the fact that India now has a Mars mission, there are still more mobile phones than toilets in the country. In most places, such a disparity would have the locals pounding at the gates. So why no Arab Spring for India? Hindol Sengupta, senior editor of Fortune India, argues that the only thing holding it back is the explosion of local entrepreneurship across the country. While these operations are a far cry from the giant companies owned by India's ruling billionaires, they are drastically changing its politics, upending the old caste system, and creating a "middle India" full of unprecedented opportunity. Like Gazalla Amin whose flourishing horticulture business in the heart of Kashmir has given her the title 'lavender queen.' Or Sunil Zode, who stole the first shoes he ever wore and now drives a Mercedes, thanks to his thriving pesticide business. Sengupta shows that the true potential of India is even larger than the world perceives, since the economic miracle unfolding in its small towns and villages is not reflected in its stock markets. Recasting India reveals an India rarely seen by the larger world―the millions of ordinary, enterprising people who are redefining the world's largest democracy.

Genres: Nonfiction, India

256 pages, Paperback

First published November 18, 2014

About the author

Hindol Sengupta (born 1979) is an Indian journalist and entrepreneur, who is the award-winning author of eight books.
In 2017, he was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. His three new upcoming books are a narrative non-fiction, a historical fiction and a history of the free markets in India to be published by Penguin and Simon & Schuster. Among his recent books is the bestselling Being Hindu: Old Faith, New World and You, The Modern Monk: What Vivekananda Means To Us Today, and The Sacred Sword: The Legend of Guru Gobind Singh. He is the youngest winner of the PSF prize for public service, an award won by, among others, the late Indian scientist and President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.

Reviews

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book immensely; it was eye-opening and fascinating in its detail and varied points of view. The author interviewed a large number of people in several parts of India and several social groups and economic levels. He came away very bullish on the entrepreneurship currently going on in India; he states that while there are still some things government must do, such as justice, in general the private sector leads to lower costs and better quality goods and services. I agree, and I am glad to see examples of how individuals have used their abilities to help others improve their lives, not by giving away stuff but by helping people stand up and work for a better life. Yes, it means the poor people they are helping must work and keep trying. But it is a much more sustainable model than pouring goods and services on the poor without any effort in return. By helping people help themselves, by helping their workers learn job skills and providing opportunities to advance through their own efforts, the entrepreneurs in this book are creating more entrepreneurs and more workers, who become less and less poor and much more productive people. I wish this attitude of do-it was more prevalent in the United States of America. It is not yet prevalent everywhere in India, but many people are realizing that relying solely on government to help is not getting them out of poverty, and is costing millions in waste and corruption.

[Adite · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Economic liberalization had had an equalizing, democratizing role; it had allowed all of us to dream and then try to become. It had given us Hope Per Capita," says the author in the introduction to his book. Every story that is told in this book reiterates this spirit of entrepreneurship that is driving Indian economy. The author does a brilliant job of telling every entrepreneur's story with amazing clarity: he delves into their lives, their passions, their quirks, the hurdles they overcame and the contributions they have made not just to grow their own entreprise but in adding to the Indian economy. This book is a must-read for every Indian who despairs of the 'politics, corruption and scams'. It is also a must-read for every non-Indian who wonders what makes this bewildering nation of one billion plus tick!

[Kuang Ting · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is written by an senior editor of Fortune Magazine in India. The book is very informative. I find author’s devotion to the research impressive as it is detailed. He provides us many numbers or statistics to support the arguments. It’s a book about current Indian grass root entrepreneurship. There are ten chapters each tells an interesting story. I feel much warmth reading these stories because these entrepreneurs really care for people in need. I smile from time to time as I imagine how these entrepreneurs help India become better and stronger.

The institution environment in India is improving but still there are some inadequacy. This is why informal institution comes to play. Sometimes a society grows due to change from the bottom. This is exactly sometimes what turns ordinary people into businessmen. They come up with sustainable business models to support the poor and break the strains imposed on them for centuries. In today’s India, there are opportunities for people from lower castes to break shackles. A chapter in the book discusses how ‘untouchables’ or Dalits strive hard to become recognized. In turn, the Dalits entrepreneurs help fellows get better lives.

Mr. Sengupta also discusses banking system, ethnic conflict, women minority, innovation, and information flows in India, just to name a few. For example, he went to Kashmir to see how a local bank succeed by building trust among the society. Another example, he visited a man dares to challenge taboos who invented sanitary napkin machines to produce affordable pads for Indian women. Generally, discussion on menstruation is strictly avoided by both man and woman. He was thought of lunatic as a result. According to a survey a few years ago, a low percentage (12%) of Indian women used pad properly. It caused health concerns as well as social problems. Girls may dropped out school, and women can’t work. The new innovation starts a new revolution. (For anyone interested, here’s the Tedtalks https://youtu.be/zkQL7UJYDIY)

Recasting India makes me understand India much more in the business context. As a rising super power, it’s beneficial for us to know more about this beautiful nation. Highly recommended!

[Lakshmi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sengupta really just picked a handful of successful startups that employ BOP or disenfranchised members from the community to highlight how India is being "revolutionized" through entrepreneurship. He definitely makes it seem like entrepreneurship is a vehicle through which even caste politics can be solved. There's nothing in this book that even slightly indicates that India (at that point) was seeing a wave of entrepreneurship that was revolutionizing the country. On the off chance that you come across this book, give it a hard pass.

[Debojit Sengupta (indianfiction_review) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is worth reading. It talks about people who are making a social impact in India through business. From Dalits to Marginalized domestic helpers, the kind of stories which don't get the coverage they deserve form part of this book. It's a must read and it does justice to the title, it does recast India through a new perspective.

[Kunal Kale · Rating 5 out of 5]

very well writing and an amazing overview of India.

[Darren · Rating 5 out of 5]

With my western eyes, a passing interest in what happens in India and a generally curious mind this book was rather a pleasant find. It is a demanding, possibly challenging read on many levels yet it is capable of giving a lot if you are prepared to invest a bit of time and patience.

The author carefully, sensitively and powerfully, with a modicum of humour, looks at the changing state of India, a country that is still reeling from the gradual opening up of its economy in the early 1990s. There is plenty of great material here for economists, sociologists, those involved with business and just those who are plainly curious.

Yet it can be a depressing read. Here is a country that is growing, which has an active space programme and yet still a third of its citizens lack adequate food, education and access to basic medical services. All this and at the same time the world’s most expensive home – built at a cost of over a billion US dollars – is located in India. Another statistic that might shock or depress you - apparently there are more mobile telephones in the country than toilets.

What is keeping the lid on things? Where is the Arab Spring for India wonders the author? Indians and Indian entrepreneurship is responsible. India is a country of small businesses. The largest 7,000 companies in the country employ about seven percent of the workforce. Thirty million companies employ an average of seven people. These are stunning figures. India is often talked up to be the location of the next Chinese-style mass-manufacturing revolution but the author knocks this theory down. The real economic powerhouse of the country is said to be its village economy – home to 60 percent of the population and responsible for half of the country’s GDP.

Indian society has a tremendous income disparity with over 400 million people scraping by on less than a dollar a day. Things are improving for those who have the least. It is still no utopia but improvements occur at a fairly hectic rate. When you earn so little, even doubling your income to two dollars a day – a pittance by our standards in the west – is a major achievement. Entrepreneurship is helping fuel change, breaking down old caste boundaries and creating unprecedented opportunity, the author notes, yet it doesn’t appear to be an over-heated short-term economic miracle. This growth is not reflected on the stock market so it is not getting the attention it deserves. Weaved throughout the book are many truly wonderful examples of entrepreneurship in action that cannot fail to leave you in awe at the innovation and determination of often relatively humble, ordinary people.

This is a compelling book. It brings some fresh thoughts to the reading table, challenges a few perspectives and lets the inquisitive reader see things in a possibly different light. Just what a great book should do!

Recasting India, by Hindol Sengupta and published by St. Martin's Press/Palgrave Macmillan Trade. ISBN 9781137279613, 256 pages. YYYYY.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

The long-form journalism genre generally does not produce page-turners, but this book was exceptionally readable and interesting. And, as is always important in this genre, the information it presents is incredibly recent; it even manages to comment on the election of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which only took place about five months ago. The chapter on Modi – and particularly his perception by Gujarati Muslims – was my favorite, in fact. Modi has been Chief Minister (Governor, basically) of the state of Gujarat since 2001, and in that capacity has been widely blamed (though not actually convicted) for Hindu/Muslim riots in 2002 which killed somewhere between 700 and 2000 Muslims. On the other hand, as Sengupta points out, Gujarat is ahead of the rest of India in categories like the Muslim literacy rate, the average income of urban Muslims, and even the percentage of police who are Muslims. This dichotomy obviously has inspired a lot of passionate feelings on both sides, and as Modi will be Prime Minister and therefore a world leader for at least the next five years, it's an important topic that really benefits from this sort of in-depth research.

Other chapters deal with other complicated issues of modern Indian society that are often ignored in business-focused writing: Kashmir, Dalits, tribals, the rural poor, women. The overarching focus of the book is, of course, on class, particularly the middle and lower classes, and how they have and are continuing to deal with the opening of India's economy since the liberalization of the early '90s. Sengupta is much more optimistic and prioritizes the role of business and trade more than I personally would, but his data and interviews are worth reading.

I read this as an ARC via NetGalley.

[E.T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 Despite predictions to the contrary by experts, what manages to keep our country together ?
How have we, with so many cultures, languages, religions and ofcourse problems of poverty, corruption managed to hold together as a country. The question has baffled one and all.
This anecdotal book by way of very well selected anecdotal datas, points out our optimism, our never-say-die entrepreneurial spirit that tries to make the most of life and get on with it. People in J&K, in Vidarbha, in post-riot Gujarat, maids in Gurgaon, Dalits every1 is aspiring to a better life and this is what binds us together.
This is a feel-good book. I liked Restart: The Last Chance for the Indian Economy by Mihir Sharma more. Still think it was ghost-written by someone sensible :)
Also, may follow-up with In Spite of the Gods: The Strange Rise of Modern India

[Deepesh Nanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just gifted this book to a senior colleague with this short note,

Dear Sir,

It’s always inspiring to meet you and I learn and enjoy the discussions that we’ve had on topics of common interest like INDIA.

I narrated an anecdote on Kalpana Saroj, the 15 year old Dalit girl who got married off at the age of 15 and was resigned to fate in abject poverty fueled further by her cast status, but then made it through the trials and tribulations of life to Ballard Estate, the toniest business district of Mumbai, as the owner of Kamani Engineering.

Read that and more in this inspiring piece of work by Hindol Sengupta aptly titled – Recasting India.

With kind regards,

Yours sincerely,

Deepesh

[Tirath · Rating 3 out of 5]

A shallow kinda book. Found it great in the beginnning - but there is something hollow about the writing style.
It felt more like an assembly of long magazine articles - ones that are easy to read but not as intensive.

The book does well in giving wonderful anecdotes about an India that most (incl me) would not be aware of.
There are some great stories there, and a few mediocre ones...

[Vipul Kane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some nice stories about Indian entrepreneurship. I sometimes felt the chapters were dragged a little too long. I was also looking for a few more views by the author on the subject and on the situation right now.

[Rohan Pinto · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book offers so many insights into transformative changes that are happening in India. Loved stories about the Shriram group and J&k bank and the Model village.

[Anant · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all, it is written for western audience.
There are a few riveting stories in the book no doubt, but it digresses a lot. Almost feels like to increase the length of the book.