48. Book Review: Chanakya’s New Manifesto to Resolve The Crisis Within India

Title – Chanakya’s New Manifesto to Resolve The Crisis Within India
Author – Pavan K. Varma
Publisher – Aleph
Year of Publication– 2013


In “Chanakya’s New Manifesto to Resolve The Crisis Within India”, Pavan K. Varma outlines some very deep issues abounding India today, while at the same time, providing effective ways to deal with them. Varma focuses on key areas where lawmakers could bring about drastic ‘radical’ change. The author achieves this by drawing up a detailed and practical plan modeled on Arthashasthra. The book is not a onetime read, but it is a compendium that can encourage healthy debates in society.


Pavan K. Varma is a former Indian Foreign Service officer and was an adviser to the Chief Minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar. He had also been the press secretary to the President of India, the official spokesperson of the Foreign Office and the director-general for the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. Hence, the book can be considered as an insider’s view on the various issues that the country is facing. Varma has authored 19 acclaimed and bestselling books on a wide range of topics, from economics to translations and fiction, to politics. Interestingly, “Chanakya’s New Manifesto” is the first of his books I have read.


It is no doubt that Varma is a lover of Chanakya’s Arthashastra. According to Pavan K Varma, ‘ in the course of one lifetime, Chankya groomed a king, deposed another, helped to throw out the mighty Greeks, united a fractious territory and helped consolidate the Mauryan Empire- the first true empire in India’s history’. Indeed, Chanakya was the greatest thinker and strategist of all time. Born in 371BC, he was a royal advisor, philosopher, and economist, and dedicated his life to forming the Mauryan Empire. ‘Arthashastra’, is considered as the world’s first comprehensive treatise on statecraft, economic policy, and military strategy. To date, Arthashashtra continues to inspire political figures and strategists. But why did the author choose Chanakya? Varma believes that history doesn’t unfold in watertight compartments. Even if the challenges and priorities of each historical phase are different, they are linked. Hence, the greatest thinker of all time could have the answers to the crisis facing India today.


The context of the book is India as we see it today. According to the author, India, a 5000-year-old civilization and a young republic are going through a crisis in five different areas: governance, democracy, corruption, security, and in the area of building an inclusive society. This is surprising considering how resilient the Indian society has been if we consider the diversity, antiquity, and continuity of the Indian civilization. Hence, Varma believes it is high time India acts before it is too late. For the author, this crisis will fall on the youth and middle classes of India. Hence, the target group for this book is youngsters, aged between 15 to 35. But, according to me, the book is a necessary read for the policymakers of our democracy too.


The 248-page turner is divided into 7 chapters, and each chapter provides a comprehensive, but a quick recap of the five issues identified by the author. Every chapter starts with an excerpt from Arthasasthra. The author does not only address the problems facing India, but he also dedicates an entire chapter to acknowledge the successes of this vast country since 1947 or the “First Revolution”. The author repeatedly praises the founding fathers of India, who decided on the highly successful democratic system and constitution. Varma also talks about the consequence of the planned economic model of the country. Here he applauds the success bought about by the Green Revolution and the growth of the private sector, while particularly mentioning 1991 Financial Reforms and the growth in the Information Technology sector. Third, he acknowledges the secular characteristics of Indian society and the coexistence of different faiths. Fourth, the success of a conscious policy of affirmative action, where he talks about the reservation system. Finally, Varma believes that the fact that the country has stood up as ‘one’ for decades is the epitome of success.


As a whole, the writer has been successful in providing a comprehensive picture of the challenges facing India. The book is well researched. What I liked about the book are the detailed solutions that the author has provided for each issue. The book offers strong and bold ideas that, if acted upon, can bring about changes.


Secondly, the author corroborates his arguments with data and statistics. The facts and figures of his ideas helped readers to better comprehend his arguments. He has not only provided reliable data for the case of India, but also other countries with a similar situation which offers a comparative analysis of his ideas. The author also talks about issues that we often ignore, for example, we are so busy complaining about the misdoings of the government that we often forget about the achievements of our 70-year-old democracy. The author also reassures its readers that his work should not be treated as a final verdict, but it is a blueprint for debate.


However, there were a few aspects of the book that I couldn’t agree with. First, Varma’s ideas were a little too ideal and radical. While the suggestions were pragmatic, many of the suggestions he provided were not feasible in the long run. For example, he suggested an electoral reform called “Right to Recall”, whereby voters will get the right to recall the winning candidate should his/her conduct deserve such a response. While I agree the idea is good, it is not practical. A reform like this will lead to chaos and confusion in the society. This will also put a strain on the administrations for supervising the innumerous right to recall petitions. This is just one example. The book has many such instances where the ideas of the author were well thought of, but which had little or no practical usage. Besides, many of the suggestions provided by Varma were not new, and barring a few, were not revolutionary in any way.


Secondly, the book lacked the descriptive analysis of some basic principles of Chanakya’s Arthashastra. The title of the book is misleading as it has little or almost no connection with the content, as Chanakya’s ideas in relevance to the 21st century are not discussed at all. In fact, the book was a compilation of Varma’s ideas in the voice of Chanakya.


In conclusion, Pavan K Varma’s “Chanakya's New Manifesto to resolve the crisis within India” is an interesting take on the current state of the country. The analysis of the facts presented by the author is appropriate and the book can be considered as a ‘checklist’ for the policymakers. In some way, the book is a call for action.