Includes bibliographical references (pages 321-337) and index.

India in the 21st century is better off than it has ever been since the country achieved independence in 1947. Yet, the nation always seems to be teetering on the brink of disaster. The chronicle of the modern Indian state is one of missed opportunities, poor planning and shoddy execution, punctuated by a few shining examples of initiatives which have actually delivered.

It would seem that everything the country has achieved has arrived by accident, by calamity. Is Indias inability to fulfil its potentialand achieve the superpower status it cravesa cultural and political flaw?

In this learned and original work, Shankkar Aiyar examines Indias ascent through the paradigm of seven game changers: the economic liberalization of 1991, the Green Revolution of the sixties, the nationalization of banks in 1969, Operation Flood in the seventies, the mid-day meal scheme of 1982, the software revolution of the nineties, and the passing of the Right to Information Act in 2005. These turning points in the countrys history were not the result of foresight or careful planning but were rather the accidental consequences of major crises that had to be resolved at any cost.

Through first-hand investigation and a thorough analysis of these milestones, the author argues that, in order to be effective and bring about lasting change, Indias leaders must radically redefine the way they intend to meet the multiple challenges the country currently faces. If the lessons of history cannot be absorbed the nation will continue to lurch from who worked behind the scenes to keep India from crisis to crisis.