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ShareMany of us believe we know best what this country needs. But while most of us simply vent our convictions at cocktails and dinner parties, some pen a book.
William Nanda Bissell, managing director of Fabindia, which was set up by his American father, is one such soul to put his ideas on paper. His book contains two aspects: the first is where he details all that is wrong with India; and the second, where he puts forth suggestions on how to change and improve India.
The first part provides rare insight and perception. Unlike armchair academics, Bissell speaks from real experience. Sample this: to run Fabindia, he has to comply with some 27 departments. He painstakingly points out how unreasonable laws and rules stifle India's growth. He points out how communists rile against big business but support laws that prevent new business from growing, thus allowing existing big business to grow bigger! His writing on property tax is an eye-opener.
It is the second aspect, of improving India, that gets into grey areas. Bissell's suggestions are based either on his experience while running Fabindia or from his readings. The first follows weak inductive logic, wherein if something works for Fabindia, it is likely to work across India.
Yet, there is sufficient empirical evidence to the contrary. For instance, he writes of his experience of a community-owned company with two artisans as directors, a move that generated tremendous enthusiasm. But move this to an all-India scale and one can be sure that it won't be so simple.
While his intentions are noble and many of his suggestion worthy of consideration, there's a hint of arrogance in such sweeping proposals to change India. History is, alas, replete with good intentions going badly wrong.
