Book Review

By Dr. Himanshu Gupta

P.C.S. (U.T.) Batch 2016

NON STOP INDIA BY MARK TULLY.

Author: Mark Tully
Publisher: Penguin books
Pages: 257
Price: Rs 399
ISBN 978-0-143-41967-9
Twenty two years after the India born British journalist, Mark
Tullys celebrated No Full Stops In India was published, he has
come up with a new and upgraded version of the Indian story in
his book Non Stop India.
Since his last publication which centered around issues of
modern sati, his exploration of Calcutta to Kumbh Mela in
Allahabad to the televising of a Hindu epic, a lot of things have
changed. So whether we should keep faith in The India Story
which tells us that the road to Indias becoming of an economic
superpower is let with green signals along the way or not In a
way, to be optimistic or pessimistic about Indias future? Be
assured or worried?
Writing in a manner which doesnt sound too simplistic for
Indian readers or too complicated for our British counterparts,
he has used his travels and his penchant for striking a
conversation with a myriad range of speakers from religious
babas to corporate honchos to academicians etc. to weave a
superb series of stories.
The third umpire in Tully has perfectly judged the topics without
any prejudice or bias. The book starts with a debate on jugaar.
Whether it is a talent for muddling through or is it leading to a

sense of complacency in which we believe that India has been

through so many crises that there is no need of any urgency in
tackling the problems it faces. This lively discussion leads us to
the core of the book.
The state of poor governance is highlighted in chapter on
widespread Maoism which reflects failure of grassroots
democracy, role played by caste and community in vote bank
politics and issues of North East which has been completely
forgotten and ignored by the mainstream India. In the chapter
on Building Communities, the author beautifully displays the
organised and systematic way by which government
institutions are eating into the developmental works done by an
NGO in a remote village of Rajasthan.
However, a bright spot is seen in the case where dalits are
emerging as leaders of their fight against casteism and
untouchability with their voices being heard. In the
Entrepreneurship Unleashed, the author through the lens of a
successful multinational company explains the emergence of a
new entrepreneurial spirit and how corruption is being
challenged leading to recentering of Brand India. In chapter
Saving the Tiger, it shows how a vibrant and assertive civil
society is trying to make various projects on animal
conservation a success.
However, the book falls short in the aspect of its concluding
part. After building up the debate and discussing finer details of
the issues, the author gives over simplified solutions like
governance reforms, civil society activism, alert media etc.
These appear easy on paper but are difficult in form.
Inspite of this, the book is a must read for all groups from
students to politicians to academicians. The message from the
book is clear: India is on a non stop trajectory, which may be
interlaced with some commas. BE CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC.