Synopsis

With a Foreword by Montek Singh Ahluwalia

A woman and a girl set out to see India, lugging along the baggage of their pasts, on a journey towards understanding the country. From the abandoned tea estates of Jalpaiguri to the crowded bylanes of Varanasi, from the pristine forests of the Andamans to the seething valley of Manipur, from the scattered habitations of Ladakh to the flooded villages of Barmer – these are the roads less travelled.

Beautiful Country compels you to experience the hope and despair, misery and triumph, failures and innovations of another India – an India that does not make it to the front pages of newspapers, and has not been captured by the roving cameras of the 24x7 media channels – an India that remains invisible to most Indians.

What the Critics Say

"It is quite remarkable that Syeda Hameed, a leading figure in Indian planning, joined a young - and very gifted - journalist, Gunjan Veda, to produce this wonderful book about Indian people and their problems and concerns, observed minutely across the country, with sympathy, curiosity and solidarity. The book may have been generated by Syeda's frustration with distant planning, but the result is a great observational introduction to India."
- Prof. Amartya Sen

"The truth about India's development as told by those who know it, makes for a compelling read." -Khushwant Singh

Additional Information

Join the facebook page for a story a day: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Beautiful-Country/300348120021320

Watch the curtain raiser at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Auocr7vk_jA