Book excerpt: The 1991 liberalisation was India's biggest moment in its economic history after independence. As its effects began to percolate into how India lived and worked, the potential it had to lift the country and its millions out of the 'Hindu' rate of growth began to become apparent. Thirty years later, we seem to be on the cusp of a different story. In India after Liberalisation, Bimal Jalan offers a wide-angle view of how liberalisation has shaped up over the intervening decades. What emerges is the story of a country best placed to catch the tide to high growth and a system that, time after time, fails to live up to the challenge of decision making. For any student of economic history or policymaker or participant, who wants to understand why we are where we are, this is a timely, telling and essential guide.