Recasting India

Author :  Hindol Sengupta

Publisher : PanMacmillan, Rs499

What makes these stories especially unique is that their narrative is often ignored by ivory tower experts holding forth on television studios. This book sees them as individual agents of change, writes MAYURI MUKHERJEE

It was the confiscation of a vegetable vendor’s cart by corrupt policemen in a small Tunisian village in December 2010 that sparked the Arab Uprising in the Middle East. The movement grew into a regional call for freedom and democracy, in a land ruled by monarchs, despots and autocrats, before it collapsed into civil wars. But, at its heart, the Arab Uprising was driven not so much by political motives as it was by economic concerns — the people were out on the streets not only because they had wanted more rights and a greater say in the Government, but mostly because they were frustrated with employment and rising prices.

Around the same time there was also a similar wave of protests and popular demonstrations in India — in the form of the India Against Corruption movement. The question here is why didn’t the movement in India, which is also home to millions of poor and marginalised folks who are constantly in conflict with a corrupt system, follow the path of the Arab UprisingIJ

The easy answer here is that India is a robust democracy that allows its people a genuine voice for change. However, as the Maoist insurgency that is still raging in the country’s heartland tells us, this is just one part of a much larger and complicated narrative. Yes, the ballot box is a powerful tool but it doesn’t change the fact even today, standing in front of the imposing 27-floor, billion-dollar Mumbai home of India’s richest man is still a “surreally disempowering” experience — not just for the poor but also for sections of the middle and affluent classes. So, why aren’t the locals pounding on the gates of Antilia, alreadyIJ What’s preventing an outright civil war in this countryIJ

Hindol Sengupta has the answer: The extraordinary enterprise of ordinary people. In his latest book, Recasting India: How Entrepreneurship is Revolutionizing the World’s largest Democracy, Sengupta explains that when the average Indian looks at Antilia, he is not bothered so much by the income inequality it represents but the fact that the system may have denied him the opportunity to build a home as tall and big. But increasingly, enterprising Indians are learning to work their way around the system-- and in the process, they are no longer waiting for the state or the Government to create opportunities for them but instead are wresting the opportunity for themselves and moulding it with their own hands. This, he describes, as Per Capita of Hope.

In Recasting India, Sengupta, who is the editor-in-chief of Fortune India, travels across the country to bring us stories of civic minded entrepreneurs who are re-shaping the India Story. He tells us about a young girl who is reviving the ancient art of carpet-weaving in Kashmir, about a man who has been producing low-cost but good quality sanitary napkins for rural women, and about some of India’s lesser known corporate entities that have built empires by catering to the poor.

What makes his stories particularly fascinating is that they come from the unlikeliest corners and, in the process, give us a whole new perspective into the way the ordinary Indians or the aam aadmis are driving the national narrative in this era of change and transitions. For example, through several examples from Kashmir and Gujarat, he explores how entrepreneurship has emerged as one of the key elements in maintaining peace and stability in regions that have witnessed insurgencies and communal tensions alike.

Sengupta also talks about Dalit entrepreneurs who have freed themselves from the shackles of caste and successfully staked their claims as equal citizens in a modern India. Through the story of the Gurgaon-based Maids Company, he shows us how both Indians are being forced to re-evaluate their notions of the domestic help — both in their positions as employers and employees.

Sengupta tells us about the Paanch Bhai brand, which many of us in the cities may not have heard of but it is a staple in the countryside. Started in 1957, Paanch Bhai caters to the villager using soap for the first time. Desh Bandhu Madan, whose family owns the business that is now spread across Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Jammu & Kashmir, profiles his customers for Sengupta: “It’s the village woman who has been using ash to clean up for a long time until she learns of Government campaigns and goes to buy the soap.”

Note how both these stories tell us about the aspirations of the rural poor and how that is changing their consumption patterns. Soaps and shampoos were considered luxury items once but that’s no longer the case today. Even the poorest of the poor understands the importance of cleanliness and sanitation. As Chandubhai Virani, the owner of the snacks and chips empire Balaji Wafers, tells Sengupta: “Now the idea of bacteria is understood by everyone, even by BPl customers. Something sealed in a packet is considered safe”.

But this narrative is hardly uni-dimensional, and Sengupta does a brilliant job of bringing out those constant pulls and pushes in all directions.  Here’s a nugget from Vivek Puri of Shakti oils that he shares with us. Shakti oils, though an aspirational product, is shabbily packed because, as Puri explains, “Most of our buyers are women who live with their in-laws, and while they want to buy a superior product, they don’t want to be seen spending money on a fancy cosmetic product.” It is nuances such as these that add richness to Sengupta’s stories and allow his readers a truly nuanced understanding of the incredibly complex yet exciting story that is unfolding in India.

Also, what makes Sengupta’s stories especially unique is that the narrative they bring to us is often ignored by ivory tower experts holding forth on television studios. In their almost romantic view of poverty, the latter inadvertently see the poor as lesser humans incapable of taking charge of their own lives. And so they insist that it is the state that must provide the poor with a job, an education, a livelihood and what not. But Sengupta sees them as individual agents of change, empowered beings that under enabling circumstances are perfectly capable of scripting their own destinies.