Books of the Week - Saturday 25th December, 2021

The Kashmir Conundrum: 
The Quest for Peace in a Troubled Land
by General N.C. Vij 

About the Book
In The Kashmir Conundrum, former Indian Army chief General N.C. Vij – who himself hails from the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir – gives the complete picture. Starting with a history of Kashmir and its people, he covers the invasion and accession of the kingdom, the wars India and Pakistan have fought, the Pulwama attack of 2019, India's surgical strike at Balakot, and the various formulae that have been tried to settle the issue, right up to the controversial abrogation of the state's special status. In doing so, he draws on his own experience of dealing with the subject closely – as DGMO during the Kargil war; as vice chief of the army during the Parliament attack of 2001; and then as the chief at a time when Pakistan-sponsored infiltration was at its peak.
Informed by a field expert's astute perspective, this is a comprehensive and up-to-date account of Kashmir from an army man who has engaged with it at the highest levels.
About the Author
General N.C. Vij was the Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army from 2003 to 2005. Previously, he was the Director General of Military Operations during the Kargil War in 1999 and was responsible for coordinating the withdrawal of Pakistani troops from the war zone. After his retirement, he set up the National Disaster Management Authority and was subsequently Director of the Vivekananda International Foundation, a New Delhi think tank.
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Book of the Week - Saturday, 18th December, 2021

Justice for the Judge: An Autobiography
by Ranjan Gogoi

About the Book
"Clear-eyed, inspiring and incisive, this is the story of a man of consummate ambition, who made a significant and lasting mark on India’s judicial landscape.
The Supreme Court of India has witnessed a succession of larger-than-life chief justices in its seven-decade history. But it has never seen the likes of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi. Fiery yet charming, and simultaneously principled and pragmatic, Gogoi is a fascinating man of contrasts who has intrigued observers across the political and social spectrum.
Now, for the first time, Gogoi tells the dramatic story of his life in fascinating detail in Justice for the Judge. He traces his journey from Dibrugarh in Assam to the highest court of the land through people, landmark cases and his own judicial ambition, and reveals the lessons he learnt along the way about the country’s legal system.
Never one to shy away from contentious issues, Gogoi provides a no-holds-barred account of the extraordinary events that characterized his tenure in the apex court—the ‘infamous’ press conference prior to his elevation as the most powerful judge in the land, unsubstantiated allegations of sexual harassment and the impact of tabloid journalism.
He also takes readers through the important meetings, intense interactions and private confrontation that preceded the landmark verdicts authored by him—Rafale and the contempt proceeding initiated against Mr Rahul Gandhi, Sabarimala, NRC and Ayodhya.
Justice for the Judge is also a definitive insider’s account that fills a large gap in our understanding of the drama and majesty of the nation’s highest court. "

About the Author
" Son of a former chief minister of Assam, RANJAN GOGOI remained steadfast in the practice of law, which he chose to join after graduating from the Faculty of Law, New Delhi, in 1978. Earlier, he had spent five years in University of Delhi studying history at St Stephen’s College.
He preferred to wait for the call from the Bench instead of plunging into electoral politics, as many expected. The call came in February 2001 when he was appointed a judge of the Gauhati High Court. After serving as a judge for nearly two decades, he demitted office as the 46th Chief Justice of India on 17 November 2019.
Essentially a family man who has always kept a low profile—away from the limelight, Gogoi did not hesitate to answer life’s challenges whenever they arrived. Fiercely independent, he refused to be overawed by the series of controversial issues that had confronted him in and out of Court.
Criticized and revered in equal measure, he will be remembered for the undiluted verdicts in the Rafale and NRC cases and, of course, the litigation of the decade if not the century—the Ayodhya case."
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Books of the Week - Saturday, 11Th December, 2021

India Reckoning:
 
Rewards and Discontents of Democracy
by Dr Bimal Jalan 

About the Book
As India enters its seventy-fifth year of independence, conventional policy is unlikely to combat the breadth of its economic challenges. Across a range of areas-human capital, technology, agriculture, finance, trade, public service delivery and more-new ideas must now be on the table. The COVID-19 pandemic has not only cost India many lives and livelihoods, it has also exposed major structural weaknesses in the economy.
A huge farm and jobs crisis, rising and massive inequalities, tepid investment growth, and chronic banking sector challenges have plagued the economy, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. It has also exposed the limitations of the Indian state, which tries to control too much-and ends up stifling the economy and the inherent energies of its young population. Climate change is no longer a distant threat, while disruptive technology has huge implications for India's demographic dividend. In addition, the dangerous lurch towards majoritarianism will cast its shadow on India's pursuit of prosperity for all.
Unshackling India examines the question: Can India use the next twenty-five years, when it will reach the hundredth year of independence, to restructure not only its economy but rejuvenate its democratic energy and unshackle its potential-to become a genuinely developed economy by 2047? The book argues that India can foster a prosperous and inclusive economy if it sets its mind to it, acknowledges the hard truths, and lays out the clear choices and new ideas India must adopt towards that end.

About the Author
Ajay Chhibber is Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the Institute of International Economic Policy, George Washington University, and Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council. He was Distinguished Visiting Professor at the National Institute for Public Finance and Policy and India's first Director General of Independent Evaluation with the status of Minister of State in 2013-14. From 2008-2013 he was UN Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant Administrator at UNDP. He served as the World Bank's Country Director in Turkey and Vietnam and led the 1997 World Development Report on the role of the state. He has published five books on economic development and many articles in international journals and in major newspapers. He has a PhD from Stanford University, a master's degree from the Delhi School of Economics, and has done advanced management programs at Harvard University and at INSEAD, France. He has also taught economics at Georgetown University and the University of Delhi. He won the David Rajaram Prize as best all-rounder at St. Stephens College, New Delhi.
Salman Anees Soz is an economic development consultant, author and commentator. He has extensive experience across a range of economic development issues in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Middle East and North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. He serves as a consultant to multiple World Bank teams and was previously a consultant at the Asian Development Bank. He is a recipient of the World Bank President's Award for Excellence. His commentaries appear in a avriety of media outlets. He also speaks on politics, economics and international affairs at universities, think tanks and conferences. He is Deputy Chairman of the All India Professionals' Congress and serves as an advisor to other institutions. He holds a master's degree in business administration from Yale University, a master's degree in economics from Northeastern University, and a BA (Hons.) in economics from St. Stephen's College, where he was the president of the Students' Union Society.

Books of the the Week - Saturday, 04th December, 2021

India Reckoning: Rewards and Discontents of Democracy
by Dr Bimal Jalan 

About the Book
For Jalan, there are two clear priorities for the future: to continue and benefit from the dramatic global changes in technology, trade, and investment over the previous three decades, and to get rid of the deadweight of the past in order to maximize the benefits from our economic and political strength.
Jalan offers a blueprint for the government to launch reforms to reduce corruption and administrative bottlenecks in the delivery of services to the people, such as by
  • Reducing corruption in the administrative system
  • Improving the role of the legislative, executive and judiciary in policymaking
  • Improving governance and politics in a resurgent India and
  • Strengthening the functioning of the financial and banking sectors.
In nine succinct chapters, Jalan with his characteristic insight and brilliance, discusses a range of political and economic issues which will help India realize its full potential as one of the fastest-growing, emerging economies in the world.

About the Author
Dr. Bimal Jalan is a former Governor of the Reserve Bank. He has previously held several positions in the Government including those of Finance Secretary and Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to Prime Minister. He was also a nominated Member of Parliament from 2003 to 2009. He was Chairman of Expenditure Management Commission during year 2014-16. He also represented India on the Boards of the IMF and the World Bank. In 2019, he was the Chairman of the Committee on "Economic Capital Framework", set up by the RBI in association with government.
Bimal Jalan has been associated with a number of academic and public institutions including the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata; the Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi; Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram as Chairman; and as President of National Council of Applied Economics and Research, New Delhi.
His books on India include India's Economic Crisis: The Way Ahead (1991); The Indian Economy: Problems and Prospects (1992); India's Economic Policy: Preparing for the Twenty-first Century (1996); India's Economy in the New Millennium (2002); the Future of India: Politics, Economics and Governance (2005); India's Politics: A view from the Backbench (2007); Emerging India: Economics, Politics & Reforms (2012); Politics Trumps Economics: The Interface of Economics and Politics in Contemporary India (Edited, 2014); India: Priorities for the Future (2017); India Ahead: 2025 and Beyond (2018); Resurgent India: Politics, Economics and Governance (2019); India Then and Now: An Insider's Account (2020); and India After Liberalisation: An Overview (2021).
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