NON-FICTION
India Rising: Tales From A Changing Nation by Oliver Balch is published in paperback by Faber and Faber, priced £14.99. Available now.
After exploring the beautiful and politically unstable nations of South America in his debut travelogue Viva South America, Oliver Balch heads eastwards to India to find out more about a country that has been on the global radar in the past decade.
His latest offering is all about the voice of the people - resounding from Mumbai's downtrodden slums and overcrowded cricket stadiums to the glossy malls and information technology hubs in Bengaluru and Chennai.
Travelling across the country, Balch takes a detour from the beaten tourist track to find out how economic boom has catapulted the nation into the limelight and how its citizens are coping with the transition.
From cab drivers and charity workers to budding actors, corporate stalwarts and seasoned politicians - they all tell a story of 'New India'.
Witty and entertaining, Guardian journalist Balch keeps the pages turning with anecdotes and personal accounts of his interviewees, while analysing what makes modern India tick.
7/10
(Review by Nilima Dey Sarker)
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