The India Mosaic

Searching for an Identity....
is essentially a collection of writings borne out of deliberate thinking to pen down ones thoughts on the 'Idea' of India. The authors / Contributors to this volume together represent a varied cross-section of India's intelligentsia. The 'Idea' of India has been interpreted by different people in different ways. Perhaps there is no single 'Idea' of India at all. Whatever be the interpretation (or interpretations) of Idea of India there is an unambiguous sense that there is an attempt to change the Idea of India... Consciously, to any Indian, the Idea of India triggers a lot of thoughts, some overwhelming feelings maybe, but far too many questions. Perhaps for most, there are not any easy answers.

There is plenty of food for thought in these papers about what India stands for and about what it should stand for. The world and India are bullish about the Indian economic performance in the next 20 or even 50 years. A recent Goldman Sachs report (Dreaming with BRICs : The Path to 2050) is but one instance. The economy is the easy part. But India stands for much more than the overall economic performance alone. There is much in this volume for India's citizens to think about.

BIBEK DEBROY is Director, Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies, New Delhi. He is the author and editor of several books, papers and popular articles. Bibek Debroy’s special interests are international trade (in particular the WTO), law reform and the political economy of liberalization in India.

D. SHYAM BABU is a Fellow at the Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies, New Delhi. His research interests range from national security and arms control to socio-economic problems of Dalits, and Liberalization and Social Justice. A former journalist, Shyam Babu’s publications also include a book on Nuclear Non-Proliferation.

ABOUT RGICS :

The Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies (RGICS), New Delhi is part of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and functions as a think tank. The target audience of the RGICS includes parliamentarians, legislators and representatives of political parties, public policy makers and their advisers, the intelligentsia, the media and various interest groups. To interface with these groups, RGICS uses different modes of communication like books, monographs, working papers, symposia, discussions, talks and lectures. The RGICS research work is focused on international economic relations, law reforms, IT and economic reforms in India.