Fab50 – Fifty books on Contemporary India

Dear reader,

Since you  have reached till the first line, I assume that you are a “serious” civil services aspirant. In these times of information overload , every aspirant reads the same editorials in the same newspapers, practises the same maps in the same NCERT books and purchases the same “Yojana” which recycles the same article it published in 2007 once again in 2017. To stand out from others, it is vital to develop a good reading habit . This list of books on contemporary India might come in handy for the aspiring reader.

One thing ought to be kept in mind : These books should not be treated like the exam preparation books (Laxmikanth, Bipan Chandra et al) which fill your reading desks. First comes the pleasure out of reading and then comes the exam. Because only when reading gives you joy, reading will give you exam-topping marks too.

Note : I presume that all the books are available for sale in e-commerce sites like Amazon. The list is ,of course, non-exhaustive. Add more deserving book titles in the comment section. Let’s celebrate reading !

1.An uncertain glory – Amartya Sen & Jean Dreze

The book by Sen and Dreze on the need for a strong welfare state will go down as a classic in the coming years. This is a scholarly work kept simple for the sake of the common reader. The book explores the problems in Health and Education sectors, in particular.

2.In Spite of the Gods – The Strange rise of Modern India – Edward Luce

A foreign journalist’s lucid account of what drives modern India. There are chapters on economy, society, politics and foreign policy. The book’s strength is its anecdotal approach mixing facts/theories with real-life stories which represent a rising nation. A special mention must be made of the chapter on IAS officers in which he interviews some serving officers on what it takes to effect change in our system.