'India still caged in backwardness'

As India steps into 62nd year of Independence, renowned sociologist Dipankar Gupta questions its 'rags-to-riches' story and says the country is still 'caged in backwardness.'

As India steps into 62nd year of Independence, renowned sociologist Dipankar Gupta questions its 'rags-to-riches' story and says the country is still 'caged in backwardness.'

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In his new book "The Caged Phoenix-can India Fly?" Gupta draws a comparison between a Phoenix and free India.

"Unlike a Phoenix which rises from its ashes, India which rose from the ashes of British rule could fly. India is still waiting to fly despite having so much talent, human resource and an open society," says the sociologist.

Dissatisfied with the projection of rural India by several writers as caste bound the author says he was tempted to reflect the reality in his new book.

"I spent several years in rural India and discovered that none of the books written on it reflect the reality" he says.

The author who is a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has worked on ethnicity, rural mobilisations, informal labour, caste and social stratification and modernity in his book says that the fruits of economic and technological growth and development hardly permeate to the grassroot level.

"Why is the IT sector that employs a few million people growing rapidly, while the agricultural and handloom sectors that employ the most remains largely neglected? says Gupta.