Simon Denyer

Presents a cultural portrait of today's India that evaluates the role of political corruption, economic inequality, and civil rights violations in the economic promise of five years ago.

Five years ago, India was an emerging world power being courted by the world's most powerful political and business leaders, an upbeat story of unparalleled economic growth. Since then, it has failed to account for the human capital at the heart of its effort to modernize: more than one billion people clamoring for what has become known as the "Indian Dream"--An education, a career, and an opportunity to pull one's family out of poverty and into prosperity. Today, India is suffering an immense crisis of confidence--crippling political corruption, politicians mired in the status quo, economic inequality, brutal violence against women, and rampant social injustice. Simon Denyer, former Indian bureau chief for the Washington Post, perceptively captures India at this crucial tilting point in its history--from the Nehru-Gandhi family dynasty that has ruled the country for most of its post-independence years, to flawed heroes such as news anchor Arnab Goswami and anticorruption crusader Arvind Kejwiral, to, most compelling, ordinary people fighting daily against corruption and the system. They, Denyer convincingly shows, are harnessing the force of the world's largest democracy to positive effect, demanding transparency and accountability as never before. The battle between the deep-rooted system of graft and patronage and the forces demanding change will have huge global significance, and Denyer's insight makes Rogue Elephant a vital contribution to the international conversation about India's present and future.

harnessing the power of India's unruly democracy

Rogue elephant

John Elliott

Bernard Imhasly

This Collection Marks The Fiftieth Anniversary Of The Founding In 1958Of The Foreign Correspondents&Rsquo; Association Of South Asia (Fca)&Mdash;Renamed The Foreign Correspondents&Rsquo; Club (Fcc) In 1991.South Asia Is A Specially Favoured Assignment For Foreigncorrespondents Because Of The Immensity Of The Story. It Is A Placewhere Politics And Major Events Unfold On The Streets, Not Just In Closedrooms. This Book, With Its Collection Of Reportage, Comment Andphotographs, Reflects This Story. It Does Not Seek To Cover Every Eventin The Decades Since 1947, But Focuses Instead On Good Writing Andhistoric Moments That Give A Picture Of How Foreign Correspondentshave Reported South Asia Over The Last Fifty Years.Peter Kann&Rsquo;S Pulitzer Prize-Winning Account Of The Fall Of Dacca In1971 And Barbara Crossette&Rsquo;S Eyewitness Report Of Rajiv Gandhi&Rsquo;Sassassination Are Two Justly Celebrated Pieces, But All The Contributionsbring To Life Subjects As Diverse As Tiger Hunts, Religious Fanaticism Andthe Indian Enthusiasm For P.G. Wodehouse. This Illustrated Anthology Of Great Reportage, Analysis, Writing Andstories That Demand Your Attention, Is A Vivid And Valuable &Lsquo;Draft Report&Rsquo;.

Fifty Years of Reporting South Asia

Foreign Correspondent

Five years ago, India was an emerging world power being courted by the world's most powerful political and business leaders, an upbeat story of unparalleled economic growth. Since then, it has failed to account for the human capital at the heart of its effort to modernize: more than one billion people clamoring for what has become known as the "Indian Dream"-an education, a career, and an opportunity to pull one's family out of poverty and into prosperity. Today, India is suffering an immense crisis of confidence-crippling political corruption, politicians mired in the status quo, economic inequality, brutal violence against women, and rampant social injustice. Simon Denyer, former Indian bureau chief for the Washington Post, perceptively captures India at this crucial tilting point in its history-from the Nehru-Gandhi family dynasty that has ruled the country for most of its post-independence years, to flawed heroes such as news anchor Arnab Goswami and anticorruption crusader Arvind Kejwiral, to, most compelling, ordinary people fighting daily against corruption and the system. They, Denyer convincingly shows, are harnessing the force of the world's largest democracy to positive effect, demanding transparency and accountability as never before. The battle between the deep-rooted system of graft and patronage and the forces demanding change will have huge global significance, and Denyer's insight makes Rogue Elephant a vital contribution to the international conversation about India's present and future.

Simon Denyer

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