India is now one of the world’s biggest economies, yet for millions, daily life still feels stubbornly unchanged. Power cuts, toxic air, unsafe streets, crumbling schools, endless queues, and overcrowded hospitals sit uneasily beside headlines celebrating record GDP, unicorn startups, global summits, and “Viksit Bharat 2047.”
How can a country rise so fast on paper while remaining so hard to live in on the ground?
Systems Over Slogans: Faith, Hope & Hard Numbers takes this contradiction head-on. It argues that India’s problem isn’t dreaming too big, it’s settling too easily for spectacle over substance. Decades of slogan-driven politics, quick fixes, and headline-chasing reforms have eclipsed the unglamorous but essential work of building strong institutions. Through data, vivid on-the-ground reporting, and the stories of families, workers, and young professionals across states and abroad, the book shows why India often applauds symbolic victories while its basic systems continue to falter.
This is not a gloomy book. It is a clear, steady, and constructive one, written for readers who love India enough to examine it honestly. Students, professionals, civil-service aspirants, entrepreneurs, and anyone grappling with India’s uneven development will find a framework to think more critically about the country’s progress. The book argues that real national pride must rest on functioning public schools, breathable air, responsive policing, fair courts, a trustworthy media, and a state capable of delivering everyday dignity, not just rhetorical triumphs.
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Vivek Acharya
The author is an MBA-trained technology strategist, AI researcher, and systems-thinking practitioner who works at the intersection of artificial intelligence, healthcare, governance, and the public sector. He has advised organizations on the responsible use of data and emerging technologies in governance. In this book, he weaves together research, on-the-ground observations, and practical frameworks to explore how India can move from slogans to accountable, data-driven governance by 2047.
