Sound Bite
When he called India a "functioning anarchy," economist Kenneth Galbraith may have been thinking about Uttar Pradesh (UP), in northern India. Known as a home of deep poverty, incurable corruption and sticky social problems, UP is the "other" India; the one that modernity has largely left behind, and this book is a good-natured chronicle of Rick Connerney's repeated residencies over the last 18 years in that state.
Most of India's 1.13 billion people live far from the call centers of Bangalore and Delhi and Westernized cities like Mumbai. A huge slice of humanity, 17.5% of the world's population, is practically invisible and impenetrable to most Americans. Exploring the realities of agriculture, business, the environment, politics, the economy, marriage, language and the arts, the author introduces the real people of India. At the heart of each chapter lies an epiphany about Indian culture—Copernican intellectual shifts, radical reverses in the way the author made sense of the environment, when the evidence seemed to support one conclusion but further experience pointed to a different answer.
About the Book
Imagine a vast, ancient banyan tree—its roots tangled deep in centuries-old traditions, while its branches stretch upward, reaching toward the bright, swirling winds of modernity. This is India, a land of paradox and transformation, where the old and new continuously intertwine in unexpected ways. Richard Connerney takes us on an intimate journey into the heart of this complex nation, focusing on Uttar Pradesh, a place often overlooked yet vital to understanding India’s cultural heartbeat.
Far from the glossy images of booming metropolises and tech hubs, Connerney reveals a world where poverty, corruption, and social challenges persist, but so does an indomitable spirit shaped by custom and history. His metaphor of the Ashvatta—the upside-down tree from Hindu mythology—beautifully encapsulates the bewildering, sometimes contradictory changes sweeping through society. Here, tradition doesn't simply resist progress; it evolves alongside it, sometimes in harmony, sometimes in tension.
From shifting family dynamics and the quiet revolution in gender roles to the collision of globalization with deeply rooted spirituality, the book paints a rich tapestry of a nation negotiating its identity. Education and technology emerge as powerful agents of change, bridging gaps yet also threatening to erode ancient knowledge. Yet, amidst all this flux, the resilience of India’s cultural soul shines through.
In short, Connerney offers more than a dry sociological study—he delivers a vivid, nuanced portrait of a nation balancing on the edge of transformation, where the future is being forged as much by the gods of tradition as by the engines of modernity.
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