Announcements

Anchoring Change: Seventy-Five Years of Grassroots Interventions That Made a Difference

HarperCollins

in partnership with Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP)

presents

Anchoring Change
Seventy-Five Years of Grassroots Interventions That Made a Difference

Edited by Vikram Singh Mehta, Neelima Khetan and Jayapadma R V

A unique book that celebrates positive change through grassroots interventions spanning the 75 years since Independence and explores their relevance for the future of India

PB | Non-fiction | 380 pp | Rs 699

Anchoring Change shifts the conversation from failures to successes and distills from these successes relevant design principles that might have wide relevance to create alternative, grassroots-based, sustainable development models.

The editors of the book are influential thinkers and experts in the field of social change and development and their work is relevant in corporate, government and non-government sectors.

Publishing in the 75th year of Indian Independence, the book revisits examples of civic action that have shifted the needle of society in positive directions.

Releasing 25 August 2022 | Available Wherever Books Are Sold


Vikram Singh Mehta says,
“From the rich tapestry of successful grassroots interventions over the past more than seven decades, we selected twenty-four protagonists to tell their stories, which are expansive in time, are geographically broad-based and cover multiple domains. We looked for entities that had made an unquestionably significant impact in their domain and social context. What is an interesting, perhaps even encouraging, outcome of this exercise is the confirmation that successful development rests on a bedrock of common principles and practices. Thus, if past practice and experience is any guide, our future developmental efforts should also be built on these foundations.”

Neelima Khetan says, “Seventy-five years ago, India awoke to ‘life and freedom’, and as our tribute to this moment, we wanted to put together a book celebrating institutions and individuals who have left a lasting impact on these years. Some of them are well known, some are not. The book is also our tribute to the future, to others who may someday walk these paths, with the hope that these pages will provide them some answers, but what is often even more important, the courage and conviction to carry on.”

Jayapadma R V says, “Social change is a process and not a destination. The stories in Anchoring Change speak to us of the imagination, drive, tenacity and purpose that have catalysed some of the most impactful social interventions in independent India. The seeding of ideas and the foundations laid by them have created pathways for citizen-led development and lasting social change. There is an element of looking back, through the rear-view mirror, at the wins and losses, and also looking forward, with the hope of building an equitable and sustainable world.”

Swati Chopra, Executive Editor, HarperCollins India, says, “I cannot think of a book more fitting to commemorate seventy-five years of India’s independence than Anchoring Change. The remarkable stories of social transformation in it not only aim to shift the narrative about India towards a more positive, can-do approach, the book also mines these to suggest new development models that can be emulated by others – organisations, individuals, government bodies – seeking to make a difference to the lives of common Indians. We, at HarperCollins India, are delighted to partner with CSEP to bring this most important book to readers this August.”


ABOUT THE BOOK

All too often, the focus of conversation in India is on our failure as a socio-economic polity. We despair about our inability to realize our full potential as a country: we find fault with our political system, the leadership, the state of our institutions, the economic model and much else.

What we do not do is reflect on the micro successes and the many examples of hugely impactful interventions that have shifted the needle of society in positive directions. We do not ask questions like: what were the ingredients of these successes? Are they scalable? Are there learnings from these that could be applicable elsewhere in India, and might these learnings provide the guts for new development models?

Anchoring Change attempts to answer these and several other such questions, through accounts of organizations from across the country, spanning the seventy-five years since Independence. The idea is to revisit these examples of civic action and explore their relevance for the future of India.

The book has two objectives: to shift the conversation from failures to successes; and to distill from these successes relevant design principles that might have wide relevance to create alternative, grassroots-based, sustainable development models.

ABOUT THE EDITORS

Vikram Singh Mehta is chairman and Distinguished Fellow of the Center for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP). He is an independent director of several companies including Larsen and Toubro Ltd and Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. He received Asia House’s ‘Businessman of the Year’ award for 2010 and ‘Best Independent Director in India’ award for 2016 from Asia Centre for Corporate Governance and Sustainability. He is the editor of The Next Stop: Natural Gas and India’s Journey to a Clean Energy Future (2021).

Neelima Khetan is a Visiting Fellow with CSEP. She also does consulting work on development issues, especially strategy, governance, design and impact. She has worked extensively with civil society organizations and corporate social responsibility groups, and currently serves on the boards of several foundations and non-profits. Other than family and friends, books and plants bring her abiding joy.

Jayapadma R V has keen interest and engagement in sustainable social development. For close to three decades, she has journeyed through, learnt from and contributed to the work of community-based organizations, bilateral aid and corporate social responsibility organizations, as well as academic institutions. A connector and catalyst is how she imagines her work to be. Travel, writing and music are some things she holds space for. Jaya is an alumnus of the Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) and a Chevening Scholar.

 

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For reviews, excerpts, interviews and more information, please contact Shivendra Singh or Vandana Rathore at
shivendra.singh@harpercollins.co.in |
vandana.rathore@harpercollins.co.in

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  • Does the release of the book coincide with the Independence Day? Any programme scheduled in Delhi?

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