Lamakaan invites you to an evening of Book introduction of "Gas Wars: Crony Capitalism and the Ambanis" - a book written by Paranjoy Guha Thakurta and followed by a discussion with P. Sainath and other guests.
About the Book:
'The two brothers had fought over many issues, but what sometimes got lost in the din of the battle cries was a simple fact: much of the tussle was over India’s natural resources, about how the resources were intended to be mined, marketed and monetised.'
Paranjoy Guha Thakurta shows how the simmering controversy over the rich natural gas reserves in the Krishna-Godavari Basin boiled over into a primetime storm on gas pricing involving the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas as well as the Prime Minister's Office, even as he introduces new dimensions to it. While many reasons have been attributed to the split in the powerful Indian business family, the Ambanis, this book argues that the battle between the Ambani brothers was largely about wresting control over reserves of natural gas that are below the ocean bed along the basin of the two greatest rivers of southern India.
With painstaking research, a meticulous perusal of press reports, as well as a few surprising exclusives, Gas Wars highlights cases of crony capitalism that allowed the Reliance group to blatantly exploit loopholes which were consciously retained in the system to benefit it. Even as the book tells the story of how the country’s largest corporate conglomerate has benefited from the way government policies are structured, it lays bare the alarming facts of a natural disaster waiting to happen due to the ruthless exploitation of the country's natural resources in order to swell the fortunes of a few.'
About the Author:
Paranjoy Guha Thakurta is an independent journalist and an educator. His work experience, spanning more than 37 years, cuts across different media: print, radio, television and documentary cinema. He is a writer, speaker, anchor, interviewer, teacher and commentator in three languages: English, Bengali and Hindi. His main areas of interest are the working of India’s political economy and the media, on which he has authored/co-authored books and directed/produced documentary films. He lectures on these subjects to general audiences and also trains aspiring – and working -- media professionals. He participates frequently in seminars, is a regular contributor to newspapers, magazines and websites and is featured on television channels and radio programmes as an anchor as well as an analyst and commentator.
Heading the discussion panel after the Hyderabad launch of the book will be Ramon Magsaysay Award winner P. Sainath - a journalist focusing on social problems, rural affairs, poverty and the aftermaths of globalization in India.
All are invited to join us for a tea & samosa at 6:30pm followed by the event at 7pm.
Entry - Free.