India Untouched: The Forgotten Face of Rural Poverty [Hardcover]

Abraham George (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2010

India Untouched is a personal account of the experiences of an extraordinary philanthropist of Indian origin, Abraham George, who has devoted his life to working for the poor in South India for the past eight years. The backdrop is the day-to-day lives of a great majority of Indians who live in the villages, mostly untouched by the rapid economic progress that has been occurring in every city across the country since reforms were introduced in 1991. George tells his powerful story candidly and honestly as he seeks solutions that would reduce the hardships faced by hundreds of millions of Indians still living in poverty and social deprivation.India Untouched is an inspiring work offering many innovative ideas for social and economic reform, born out of one man's vision for change.George makes the compelling argument and demonstrates through his social work that only by embracing departures from traditional ways can the problems of poverty and social inequality be effectively addressed in India and in other developing countries.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A remarkable story of what one man can accomplish with vision and determination." -- Ralph Nader, Consumer Advocate and Environmentalist

"A wake-up call." -- James F. Hoge, Jr., Editor, Foreign Affairs, Council of Foreign Affairs, New York

"Abraham George has precisely the kind of imagination that we should all want to emulate." -- Thomas L. Friedman, Foreign Affairs Columnist, The New York Times

"Dr. Abraham M. George has written an important and moving story about one of the world's most critical issues. -- Alex S. Jones, Director, Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy, Harvard University

"I see what a single man’s vision can do. I complement Mr. George for his incisive understanding of the situation." -- I. K. Gujral, Former Prime Minister of India

About the Author

A former Indian Army artillery officer with a PhD in Business Administration from NYU, Abraham George founded a software company, authored three books on international finance, served on the board of a global investment bank and consulted for over 100 Fortune-500 companies. Today, he shuttles between New Jersey and Bangalore directing the humanitarian projects of The George Foundation in India.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: The Writers' Collective; 1ST edition (January 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594111227
• ISBN-13: 978-1594111228
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #981,819 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Exactly as we saw it when we visited!!, May 18, 2005

By 

Wes Bernard "Bookworm in transition" (Christchurch, New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: India Untouched: The Forgotten Face of Rural Poverty (Hardcover)

India is an interesting place, and a land of extremes. Nestled among the large cities and prosperous transformation is an entire culture of have nots. This book tells of the have nots in a moving, unedited fashion. A very sad depiction of real life in modern India but one that is filled with hope. I must admit, sometimes it was a tough read, but never boring. It is just that it is such a true and sad state of affairs. It talks a lot of corruption and inefficiences in the system. It talks about the ways people are discriminated against in the "world's largest democracy," but most of all it talks about giving people hope. It talks about what someone is willing to do to give people a credible, sustainable future. It is great to see someone who has worked hard and earned his money now putting that money to work to give hope to others. A truly moving story and well worth the read.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reality check for wannabe activists, February 8, 2006

By 

Raghuveer - See all my reviews

This review is from: India Untouched: The Forgotten Face of Rural Poverty (Hardcover)

This is an important book for anyone who thinks 'educating people' is a magic wand that will somehow wipe away poverty and other evils in the third-world. It is unbelievable how many barriers exist in India even for someone who wants to provide unselfish help. This book is a reality check for those who, by watching some sappy movies, think that things can be changed easily by mouthing platitudes and by making token donations to NGO's.

How readable is the book? It reads very well when the author talks about his personal experiences in detail. His difficulties while he went about setting up his school are a real eye-opener to how things really are. But the chapters become cliched when he starts generalizing; you feels like you have heard similar talk before and probably have.

But George Abraham is sincere and has done what many of us think we should do. For that alone, he deserves a lot of praise and support.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Global Analysis, March 24, 2005

By 

William C. Schroth - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: India Untouched: The Forgotten Face of Rural Poverty (Hardcover)

With an understanding of globalization and public policy, the author dissects the problem of rural poverty in India and advances bold new ideas on how to improve the situation. Illustrated by his own extraordinary personal experience in south-central India, the author provides lessons which cross national boundaries for those who want to make a difference in the lives of the world's poorest citizens. The problem is deep-seated and the obstacles to improvement are many, but one finds hope in the book through the improvements one committed man has made in the lives of a small portion of India's rural poor.