From personal happenings to national movements, Portraits of Power covers it all.
‘An authentic narration of India’s rise as an economic power, written by an important shaper of our liberalization strategy.’
—Manmohan Singh, Former Prime Minister of India
ABOUT THE BOOK
N.K. Singh has been a formidable civil servant, an empathetic politician, a keen chronicler of India’s socioeconomic history and the quintessential academic that academia never got. His life’s work, as chronicled in this book has indeed been intertwined with the progress India has made. In many such cases, Singh has been not just an active contributor but has also given shape to those many momentous decisions—whether through the use of diplomacy or the rigours of understanding the mechanism of the levers of power or, for that matter, by consensus building.
Portraits of Power is not just an autobiography of a man, who for several decades has played an active role in India’s march towards becoming a formidable economy; it is indeed, on multiple levels, a book that profiles myriad institutions that work in harmony to make things happen. And in everything that N.K. Singh has done, so in this book too, there is both incisive clarity and insightful anecdotal heft.
This book helps readers navigate the vast complexities of India but in a way that is stark and yet elegant.
From personal happenings to national movements, Portraits of Power covers it all.
KEY SELLING POINTS
• Portraits of Power presents the saga of N.K. Singh’s early life and his public policy engagement for over five decades.
• It highlights the author’s interactions with Prime Ministers from Rajiv Gandhi, V.P. Singh and Narasimha Rao to H.D. Deve Gowda and Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
• This book focuses on India’s economic and social development over a long period as we seek to move away from the consequences of a long colonial era to embracing the new world driven by compulsions of demography and fair play of productivity.
• The book, in a sense, is a time slice and, in some ways, explains a few important changes in our liberalization process and the challenges encountered by political entities even while we seek to jealously preserve parliamentary democracy.
• Profound, analytical and thought-provoking, this is a must-read.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
N.K. SINGH is a renowned politician and economist. He is presently the chairman of the Fifteenth Finance Commission of India. Until recently, he was a member of the Rajya Sabha from the state of Bihar. He has been among the country’s top bureaucrats and has handled important portfolios such as secretary to the prime minister, expenditure and revenue secretary and member of the Planning Commission. He was also the principal interlocutor with multilateral institutions during India’s balance of payments crisis.
‘This is history in NK’s words. All who care about governance in India and beyond have much to learn.’
—Lawrence H. Summers, President Emeritus at Harvard University
‘N.K. Singh’s well-defined strategies have enabled India to play an increasingly important role in the fast-changing global economic landscape.’
—Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Trusts
‘Portraits of Power will be indispensable in assessing India’s recent economic history.’
—Jagdish Bhagwati, University Professor (Economics, Law and International Affairs), Columbia University
‘This is mandatory reading for anyone trying to understand the contours of India, yesterday, today and tomorrow.’
—Mukesh D. Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director, Reliance Industries Ltd.
‘Portraits of Power is a stimulating articulation of India’s recent economic history and rising global influence.’
—Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum.
Loading...
