CONTENTS 1India Betrayed: Looking Local 1 A Rich Nation Remains Poor3 - From the ideology of running the nation as a family13 - To the ideology of running the nation as a department store18 India Under Lens42 - Land of the dying destitute43 - Mass illiteracy and the mafia raj46 - The withering repressive state53 - Indian jails -A veritable hell: criminals outside, innocents inside 64 - Disinvestment or abdication of macro responsibility? 69 The Betrayers 78 - Our insensitive, shameless, communal politicians79 - Dysfunctional judiciary and corrupt law enforcers81 - Guardians of status quo: Media and the academia86 2Happy Capitalism: Thinking Global 93 The Quest for a Better World: From Dictatorial Communism to Dictatorial Capitalism95 - The democratic revolution to end all exploitation97 - The dictatorial return of the smoke 'em out cowboy99 The Wild West Believes in the Survival of the Fittest/12 - Market capitalism never satisfied anybody112 - Illusion of democracy: Individual masters of life or slaves to the system? 123 Happy Capitalism: The Most Urgent Humane Agenda 134 - Survival of the weakest and the trickle up theory: Redefining some rules 137 - The law of increasing marginal utility: Redefining satisfaction 146 3The Great Indian Dream 165 Restoring Pride: Alternatives for a Journey Towards Dignity 167 - Philosophical and economic basis for the India of our dreams 168 - An employed, well-read, biryani-eating and AIDS-free India (The biryani can of course be veg. or non-veg.) 176 - Courts which are not on strike203 - Igniting the spirit of entrepreneurship and patriotism205 - Voting without being embarrassed220 - India after 25 years: A vision statement225 Appendix 227