‘In a democracy, it’s normal to have political families. But in India, the issue is that of scale’

Patrick French, author of books such as Younghusband: The Last Great Imperial Adventurer, and The World is What It Is, a biography of V S Naipaul, is out with his new book, India: A Portrait. In this Idea Exchange moderated by Charmy Harikrishnan, French speaks about his book, Naipaul and dynasty politics in India

Charmy Harikrishnan: Tell us something about your new book, India: A Portrait.

This book is partly how and why modern India has transformed the way it has after Independence, how the Constitution was put together and how the ideas of the founding fathers came to fruition or, alternatively, were rejected over the last 60-70 years. I’ve told the story largely through personal stories. In other words, thinking about a larger idea—economic progress, social stagnation

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