India is on the up. Historically derided as the lumbering elephant of Asia, this vast sub-continent has quickened its pace. The economy is booming. Tens of millions have been pulled out of poverty. Software & service companies abound. Millionaire entrepreneurs are springing up at every turn. Bollywood is going global & Indian expats are flooding back home. What`s more, these changes are occurring within the world`s largest democracy
- a far cry from neighbouring China. But who & what lies behind India`s apparent ascendency? In ” India Rising” Oliver Balch takes the voices & stories of everyday Indians & presents a fresh, vivid, highly personalised account of the changes as they are unfolding. Travelling the length & breadth of the country, Balch leads readers off the tourist trail & onto the streets of modern day India. From cricket stadiums & shopping malls to rural schools & shanty towns, the book blends the best of reportage & travel writing to get under the skin of this nation in transition. What emerges is a captivating portrait of a country at a crossroads. Old versus New. Global versus local. India`s march into the twenty-first century is full of tensions & uncertainties. But so too is it brimming with optimism & hope. With over half of its billion plus population under the age of twenty-five, India`s future will be written by its youth. In describing their hopes & exploring their fears, ” India Rising” unpicks what makes this vast nation tick & asks where it`s heading.