Perestroika and glasnost for India v.2

After the success of the Marx-Len inist brand of communism, sharpened and perfected by the Stalinist statism in the Soviet Union and the countries of Eastern Europe for nearly seven decades, there is a dramatic and breath taking swing towards humanisation of communism by democratisation of polity and liberalisation of economy. The central figure in this dramatic turn-around is, of course, Mikhail Gorbachev. He exposed the inadequ acies, inefficiencies and ineptness of statism and underlined the imperative need for activating the rich springs of human action through democratisation and liberalisation in order to accelerate economic growth laying emphasis on peace, progress, development, interna tional understanding and world peace.

This change conceptualised by Perestroika and Glasnost, rightly characterised as the 'Gorbachev Revo lution', is catching the imagination of the peoples the world over as a means of liberating the human spirit and is changing man's thinking in that direc tion. The ingredients of the revolution with appropriate modifications to suit the Indian ethos are necessary to spur the rate of change in India. The coun tries of the third world in particular are in need of revolutionising their society in order to free themselves from the hold of custom and tradition which have bound them down to "low level equilibrium trap".

The book discusses the modality and mechanics of restructuring of Indian economy, polity, society and international economic and diplomatic relations so as to accelerate economic growth, alleviate poverty, purify dem ocratic institutions, foster social cohe siveness and promote international understanding and world peace to achieve total renaissance. As the problems of the countries of the third world are similar to those besetting India, the author argues for globalisa tion of Perestroika and Glasnost.

This fascinating book is an eloqu ent testimony to the author's depth of scholarship, breadth of vision and his capacity for rigorous analysis and reasoned argumentation. It will be of immense value to students, business men, policy makers and to the intelli gent public in the countries of the third world in general and in India in particular. It is bound to become one of the best-loved books of our times, a contemporary classic that teaches and entertains, inspires and elevates the reader. The book which is a tour de horizon is in the gorgeous genre of Gunnar Myrdal's Asian Drama.