Changing India: Insights from the Margin

Throughout the twentieth century, every one of India’s leaders, from Vivekananda to Vajpayee, from Mahatma Gandhi to the Nehru-Gandhis, has been in the business of trying to change India for the better. India is changing, profoundly and inevitably. But in what direction should it go? And who are the agents of change? The politicians, the media, the environmentalists, the technocrats, the religious leaders, the internet whiz-kids, the missionaries? Here are stories of people who are contributing to India’s transformation. They work at the margins, pushing across frontiers of need. For example, the young parents who have pioneered medical care for children with special needs, the former rock singer who is now working for the environment, the NRI who catalysed India’s telecom revolution, the village women who have transformed health care in their communities. Their stories offer insights and hope for the future. They also throw light on another key question: what role does religious conversion have in bringing change? What factors lie behind it? Can it ever be positive? Does it have a place in the modern world? The writer’s reflections on these issues, and the stories of his friends, are fresh and appealing. The issues he raises are significant. I arrived back in India to work, straight from university. Like everybody else, I wanted to do my bit in the changing India. But I didn’t know how. In the last 35 years I have made a lot of friends and seen their work. I want to share their stories, to learn what kind of contribution can help to transform India.