Rarely one finds a book on the heroes of rural transformation. The book “Incredible Stories: The Changemakers of Bharat”, edited by Niraj Kumar, is refreshing and interesting. The twelve hard-hitting stories in the book tell readers what the hinterland is like and how villagers struggle with and triumph over seemingly insurmountable challenges. In simple language, often through dialogue, these true stories narrate sagas of pain and suffering, awakening and action, grassroots leadership and teamwork. They witness how ordinary men and women in Indian villages have shaped the lives and destinies of millions.
A unique combination of an academician and a practising professional as joint authors of each story has made each story factual and complete and has brought its context and players much closure to reality. Although every story is different – with different situations, challenges and players – they have the same message: be innovative, take the community along in overcoming obstacles, and make lives better for everyone. They reiterate that you do not need to be superhuman in order to bring about positive change. The protagonist in each story is confronted with a unique challenge, which may be social, technical, economic, natural (climate-related), or a combination of two or more factors. As each story progresses along a chain of setbacks and solutions, of hopes and despair, defeats and victories, readers find themselves relating to and identifying with the settings and characters. The presentation seems so natural that readers will never ever want to leave the story halfway and will cherish their journey to the final triumph.
While in one of the stories, the statements of a government official, “Single women should not be identified as eligible for the scheme … their inclusion will send a wrong message to society…. More and more women will want to be separated from their husbands for the land’s sake,” explains the current thinking towards women in society; in another story, a changemaker’s question, “a river flows across the village, yet we crave water. ……have we development professionals been able to meet even the villagers’ basic needs?” shows the challenge and frustration professionals encounter working in the villages.
Though narration in most of the stories is natural, in the case of a couple of stories, authors, to keep the interest of readers intact, seemed to have swept away and have become a bit theatrical. The success achieved by the protagonists appears relatively simple and easier, which may not be the case in reality. However, the book has been able to meet its objective of telling the true story to inspire the readers.
The book is a welcome addition to the existing literature on this hitherto ignored and less explored subject. The book will certainly appeal to a broad audience, particularly young readers, who have devoured books such as Ordinary People: Extraordinary Lives (Sudha Murthy) and Connect the Dots (Rashmi Bansal). But this book is handy for those interested in rural transformation, community empowerment, innovations at the grassroots, and inclusive and sustainable development. And a must-read if you aspire to inspire.