The Elephant, the Tiger and the Cellphone: Reflections on India in the Twenty-first Century (English)

As India presses forward to becoming one of the worldƒ??s great superpowers, a little reflection on what made this country is always important. That is exactly what The Elephant, The Tiger And The Cellphone: Reflections On India In The Twenty-First Century is. It is not a quick glance at modern India in its upcoming glory or a woebegone look at the lost grandeur of one of the worldƒ??s great civilizations, it is merely an immersion into what India is.

Tharoor begins by taking a look at Indiaƒ??s elephantine movement in the first 40 years after independence, followed by the sudden surge of power felt in the 1990s. This he equates to the power of a tiger, and hence the title of the book. Despite his touching on the paradox of the fact that India is home to both one of the largest concentrations of billionaires and largest illiteracy rates in the world, it is not a critique of either. Instead, it offers an assortment of things which make India, such as famous personalities ranging from well known figures like Nehru to more eccentric and localized personalities like Krishna Menon, and an interesting inventory of all the little Indian idiosyncrasies which are a trademark of the country.

The Elephant, The Tiger And The Cellphone: Reflections On India In The Twenty-First Century is has the trademark blend of entertaining opinions and hard statistics which Tharoor has come to be famous for. It has been well received and has largely positive reviews to its credit.