Book review
Despite the progress made in India in many fields, its overall experience since the advent of independence has been one of defeated hopes, warped institutions and a fractured political life. This collection of over a hundred pieces from Sham Lal's writings analyze with a new zing the larger forces at work in today's world and their impact on the course of events in this country.

He is at his best when he describes how these forces often cut both ways. Globalization promotes a close-knit world society even as it creates a new international pecking order. Democratization gives subaltern groups a new say in policy making but also splinters national polity and creates a crisis of governance. Liberalization promises faster economic growth at the cost of widening income disparities.

The author interacts with many eminent historians, sociologists, economists, political scientists, poets and novelist not just to locate flaws and gaps in their reasoning but to test and correct his own ideas of the processes at work. His lifelong interest in literature and the social sciences has given a sharp analytical edge to this book.



About the author SHAM LAL born in 1912 took a master's degree in English Literature in 1933. He joined the Hindustan Times in 1934 and moved to The Times of India early in 1950, took over as its editor in 1967 and retired in 1978. For the last several years, he has been writing regularly for The Telegraph and occasionally for Biblio: A Review of Books, a literary journal. Soon after he was transferred to the main edition of the paper in Bombay, he began writing a weekly literary column under the general heading 'Life and Letters'. This column was the first to introduce many Indian readers to scores of writers and thinkers who left their mark on post-war literature and social thought. F