From: Rajani Yadav

People Power   

Posted On Tuesday, September 13, 2011

The fifth P by Arindam Mukherjee will make you sit and take control...

'The American Dream' vis-a-vis ‘Incredible India’, The Fifth P takes the reader on a roller-coaster ride, jerking him out of his complacency to delve deep into the subtexts of the grand narratives of history, politics and most importantly, economics. The author being a corporate executive who works for multinational organisations uses the metaphor of business coordinates such as ‘product, price, place and promotion’ to unfold the growth story of ‘Brand West’ or ‘US Inc’. The first few chapters are devoted to quote him, “similarities between how present day corporations manage their business and how this organisation applied the same practices to emerge as the most formidable power in the world.”

Right from the inception of the nation, US to its appearance on the global scenario, courtesy, Japan’s bombing of Pearl Harbour that triggered ‘the next innings for the race of supremacy’, the author’s account is incisive yet balanced. He revisits history, influenced of course by many before him but packages it in a manner that is uniquely his own. Aptly subtitled, Handbook for the future Indians, the book begins with the generic role of the fifth P, people (individuals or groups) that make and run organizations but are often ignored in management education. It then moves on to the PLC(Product Life Cylce) of the product USA Inc. From the acquisition of a brand image unlike the intended image thrust upon brands today to the westernisation of the marketplace, in this case the world and the decline of the product, USA Inc, the book offers a realistic account of the rise and fall of the American Superpower.

Threading together events in the history of the world, from World War I, II, Cold war, 9/11 and so on, it exposes what lies beneath US supremacy. Therefore, the second half of the book offers a stark contrast to the first. Just when you begin to feel that the writer perhaps has a strong almost palpable American bias that he surprises you with his critique of the West. It is not until Chapter IV that he comes to his native country, India. But he doesn’t spare the Indian legacy of indifference to things that do not concern them directly, thus, lagging behind in the global race for power, economic, military or both. Even as many feel and think that India is on its way to becoming the next superpower, the author belies an apprehension that is not unfounded. Lack of leadership ‘PEOPLE WITH SPIRIT’ unlike young America, alignment of the masses to the vision and mission of the nation and its leaders is seen as a major stumbling block to the steady rise of the Indian economy. But it is not without its optimism, urging the readers to ‘sweat it out and run the race. ’

This book will particularly interest those who have an affinity to history for it gives a critical account of the creation and dissolutions of the world orders. While every chapter begins with a quote, there are parts that have generous doses of quotes from newspapers, books and other secondary sources, making it a little cumbersome at times. But it bears testimony to the writer’s painstaking effort in creating something that calls for a great deal of introspection.