Indians Are Privately Smart and Publicly Dumb - V. Raghunathan

This piece about Indians and how they behave as a group is fantastic. The concept of “Indian crab” is well-known (documented and experienced), but this refreshing lowdown on the behavior of Indians backed by some sound theoretical arguments makes a good read.

I think we see this all around us. The title of the book says it all, doesn’t it? Agreed that democracy is a leveling doctrine. But the Romans who conceived it hoped that it would help raise the bar at every available opportunity. This duality of self-propelling governance which balances excellence and mediocrity but at the same time continues to raise the bar for definition of both is what ideally makes democracy an interesting concept. However, like all the medicines with side-effects, democracy comes with its own strings. I think this book will make people understand why democracy in India has actually managed to put India where it is – a good distance away from the MDGs as the half-time reviews show!