South vs North: India’s Great Divide
Book Review

Imagine being born in a region with good education, good health facilities, and a good economy but still suffering because your government is undermining your region's progress. Author Nilakantan R.S., a data scientist, strives to explain this disparity in his book ‘South vs North: India's Great Divide’ by giving insight into the detrimental consequences of policies enforced by the BJP government, contributing to the burden on the southern region. This deepens regional inequalities and undermines the overall progress and well-being of the southern states.

The book is structured into three parts. The author explores three major indicators in the first part: health, education, and economy. He compares the developmental progress of the North and South and, through comparative data, explains why the South is outperforming the North. In the second part, he criticises the policies that adversely affected the South; in the last part, he proposes alternative strategies to rectify these issues.

The book asks, “How far is the North from the South on health, education, and economy?” It addresses this question by thoroughly analysing the socio-economic disparities between South and North India. The author utilises compelling data to highlight significant challenges India faces in the contemporary era.

To underscore the importance of health, he highlighted the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), explaining how India performs poorly in IMR compared to other South Asian states. For instance, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the southern states, achieved an IMR of 7 and 15, respectively, comparable to the US IMR of 6.

Northern states exhibit significantly higher IMRs, such as Madhya Pradesh, 48, and Uttar Pradesh, 43. These figures are alarmingly close to those observed in war-torn countries like Afghanistan and Nigeria.

The book's comparative data draws attention to the profound regional disparity within India. Southern states' lower IMRs reflect their better health facilities and policies. Conversely, the higher IMRs in northern states indicate their poor healthcare initiatives.

The book transitions seamlessly from discussing health to exploring the realm of education, skilfully explaining how the education sector in the South is again ahead of the North. The system focuses on getting children to attend school and addressing hunger issues by feeding them. Northern states are still in stage one of improving their learning outcomes, while southern states have progressed to stage two. However, the National Education Policy, which is centrally sponsored, has imposed a standardised approach that inhibits state governments from tailoring education policy to meet the requirements of their specific regions, and such initiatives hinder the development of southern states. The graph represents how nearly every age group in Kerala is literate. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu has a reasonable literacy rate among young adults and a lower percentage for older people. However, Northern states like Uttar Pradesh and Assam also have significant harmful residuals, indicating poor performance.

The author's main argument is that educational policies in the South are driven by sub-nationalism and a strong sense of local identity, which played a pivotal role in their success.

The third indicator is the economy; the book analyses how southern states have transitioned from agriculture to industries introduced higher-paying services and improved living standards. The analysis primarily focuses on southern states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, which have attracted investments in the manufacturing and technology sectors, helping them prosper financially. On the other hand, northern states have made very little progress towards industrialisation and remain predominantly agrarian.

In the book's second part, a significant portion is devoted to determining why the Southern states' policy implementation has been more effective. The author discusses India’s federal system, where the central government controls more money and power. The author has praised the administrative capacities of southern bureaucracies and their ability to formulate and implement effective policies. This section provides a nuanced assessment of the socio-political and historical context that shaped the governance within this region.

Lastly, the book focuses on re-examining the inefficiencies in India's representative system and its power dynamics favouring the central government taking control of the union. Southern states suffer more from such policies, which have politically marginalised them despite their economic contributions. Examining the impending electoral division and its potential impact on Southern political representation at the national level provides essential depth to the analysis.

Therefore, the author has proposed a model of “gamified democracy”, which will act as a tool to develop a decentralised system where autonomy will be in the hands of the local governments and citizens can be directly involved in law-making through a regulated and structured process. However, implementing such a system will be under question due to policymakers' inflexible interests and the proposed model's complex structure.

To conclude, “SOUTH VS NORTH: India’s Great Divide” is a diligently researched and well-argued book. However, its most compelling argument critiques the central government’s policies under the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party). The author claims that the size-fits-all approach has hindered the southern states' development and aggravated the regional fault lines. Despite the South being the highest contributor of taxes, they are not receiving a rightful share, and their development in various sectors is being undermined. The government must adopt a more nuanced and impartial approach to policymaking to meet the diverse needs of each state and prevent the marginalisation of the South.