The Billionaire Raj: A Journey Through Indias New Gilded Age

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Over the past two decades India has grown at an unprecedented rate, rivalled only by China. Yet while the Bollygarchs revel in the riches of their new dynasties, millions languish in their shadows, still trapped in the teeming slums of the countrys megacities. From the sky terrace of the worlds most expensive home to mass political rallies in the streets, James Crabtree documents the struggle between equality and privilege playing out at the heart of this emerging superpower. Against a combustible backdrop of aspiration, class and caste, reformers strive to bring down the corrupt tycoons and the political power brokers who enable them. The Billionaire Raj is a vivid portrait of a divided nation whose future will shape the world.

Reviews

`James Crabtree, once a hugely-admired star foreign correspondent, has transformed himself into a brilliant writer and analyst of the Indian super-rich. This timely, fascinating and eye-opening book is also a rarity for a book about money wonderfully witty and beautifully written. -- William Dalrymple
`An enlightening and engaging story of wealth and poverty in India, but also a sad indictment of the power of inequity in subduing and overwhelming its areas of success. -- Amartya Sen, winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics
`Crabtrees stylish writing and sharp insights bring to life the extremes of a country changing with bewildering rapidity, and one the world will find increasingly hard to ignore. The Billionaire Raj is an essential guide if you want to understand modern India, as you must. -- Edward Luce, Chief US Commentator, Financial Times, and author of In Spite of the Gods: The Rise of Modern India
`Billionaire-watching may seem like voyeuristic fun, but it also provides serious insights about where a nation is headed. James Crabtree does just that in The Billionaire Raj, as he traces the incredible rise of Indias new super-rich and everything they reveal about the state of Indias political economy. Mixing colourful anecdotes with serious analysis, Crabtrees urgent book gives us far more than just vicarious thrills about Indias new Gilded Age. -- Ruchir Sharma, author of The Rise and Fall of Nations
`A lucid, detailed and at times epic account of the new India A must-read for all those interested in the political and economic destiny of the subcontinent. -- Robert D. Kaplan, author of Monsoon and The Return of Marco Polos World
`A fascinating look into the world of the Indian business eliteshedding considerable light on whether the country will sustain the miracle that is the Indian democracy or go the way of populism and authoritarianism as so many others have. -- Dani Rodrik, Professor of International Political Economy, Harvard University, and author of The Globalization Paradox
`James Crabtree distinguished himself as the most insightful journalist writing for the Financial Times from India. It is not surprising therefore that he has now written a book that offers a splendid overview of the issues that have been raised concerning Indias spectacular growth since the reforms began in 1991. It is bound to become a classic. -- Jagdish Bhagwati, author of In Defense of Globalization
`In this eye-opening rumination on wealth, power, and those who seek bothCrabtree brings a reporters precision and flair to his story An inside look into the corridors of power, this is an invaluable commentary on Indian democracy and the forces that threaten it. * Publishers Weekly, starred review *
`A wonderful book! It artfully weaves together lively stories of Indias billionaires while retaining a balanced perspective on the the big picture of the rise of India. It is not easy to write contemporary history but Crabtree manages to get to the heart of the matter the problem of Indias state capacity and the need to reform the institutions of governance. -- Gurcharan Das, author of India Unbound and The Difficulty of Being Good
`Who are the Indian nouveau riche and what do they want James Crabtrees The Billionaire Raj will prove the defining work on these questions. It is a must-read for anyone interested in wealth, inequality, India, or the evolution of capitalism. -- Tyler Cowen, economist, blogger and author of The Great Stagnation

Author Bio

James Crabtree is a writer and journalist who spent five years in India as Mumbai bureau chief for the Financial Times. He is now an associate professor of practice at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. Follow him @jamescrabtree.