Insights on the Evolving Rural India

His debut book, "A Wall Street View of Rural India" basically took birth mid-way during his decade-long rural trips, says author Sujit Sahgal. The insights, observations, views and comments that were coming in during his on-road rural trips, shaped this book into a kind of travelogue, which has an appeal to a very wide audience. A banker, poet, golfer and a multi-faceted author, Sahgal talks about him and why he felt a strong urge to put his experiences on paper and spread his insights

Released recently, "A Wall Street View of Rural India" is a compilation of author, Sujit Sahgal's observations, insights and views are drawn from nearly a decade of deep rural road trips done across India's 7-8 states covering nearly a hundred villages and meeting few hundred villagers, farmers and key opinion leaders. The trips were on an average four-five days long and included visits to farms, houses, open houses, village walks, focus groups and visits to feeder towns and the entire retail channel. The book is written in a diary format and every chapter is preceded by an actual incident and meeting with a real person. The reader is bound to feel as if he/she was a part of these trips.

The book is divided into five sections, starting with the income of the farmer and trends, drivers, solutions to increase it; followed by the spending of farmers, changing preferences and priorities. Next comes the section on rural indebtedness, loans and leverage how the increased supply of loans without end-use monitoring is leading to bad debts but also a bad habit. The fourth section is the supply chain, distribution and logistics challenges to transport, store, selling the produce at a fair price, regulations, restrictions and solutions.

The last section of the book is all about the social and demographic issues and future of farming how the younger generation does not want to do farming (grain drain I call it) and how it is a time bomb ticking unless this is reversed. Social changes like the role of women in running the panchayat, anganwadis, schools, savings, spending etc. and focus on education. Also, how technology use, such as mechanisation, to smartphones, internet and robots, precision farming, drones etc. can all be easy and cheap solutions to make farming more lucrative and independent of government help and sustainable.

Author Sujit Sahgal tells more about his rural trips, himself and how his book took shape.

"The vast and unlimited potential that all of us have, which is never ending, should drive and motivate each one of us to keep pursuing all our dreams with strong optimism"

Corporate Citizen: How did you get into writing?

Sujit Sahgal: I have always been a writer right from the beginning of my career. As a research analyst, my day job was to write research reports some running into hundreds of pages. I also spent a few years working for a leading national investment magazine and hence, wrote articles, features and stories for them. Lastly, even in the last 10 years in a sales and business role in equities, I am writing my own "blog" or "newsletter" of sorts where I am communicating my views to our clients all the time. So there you are-writing has been a part of me all the way

CC: How do you decide on the subject of your book?

My debut book, 'A Wall Street View of Rural India', basically took birth mid-way during my decade long rural trips. The insights, observations, views and comments that were emerging from these meetings and field trips, had so many layers of information and knowledge that it felt a shame to just limit my experiences to a coffee table conversation. I felt a strong urge to put on a paper and spread the insights and experiences to a wider audience. Since the core of the meetings happened on road trips the book had to be a kind of a travelogue and appeal to a very wide audience, hence, the story like the non-quantitative style of writing.

CC: What disturbs you the most while writing?

I have learnt from my initial writing years that one can reduce a page into a paragraph, a paragraph into a sentence and a sentence into a word. Secondly, using jargon is a no-no. So, these two aspects are always front and centre when I am writing. My message should get across in simple English without extra words and information. Also, I always am concerned that the reader should not get lost in my words and lose the message. So, I keep my writing to the point, simple to read, engaging and bereft of tables, charts, data and more conversational.

CC: YOUR FAVOURITE BOOK?

Growing up it was "Pulling Your Own Strings" by Dr Wayne W. Dyer, which I read when I was all of 16 years old. Also, another book by the same author “Your Erroneous Zones”. Both have had a huge impact on me and made be centred and very focused on what I want to do and prioritise personal, family and social goals.

CC: What is the one thing your readers still don’t know about you?

I believe not many know but I pursue my Urdu poetry writing very seriously. I am in the process of publishing my first collection of poems which I have written since I was 13. I have been participating in Urdu mushaira and art festivals across India and reciting as well.

CC: How do you de-stress?

Love my cup of ginger tea! And I can have half a dozen in a morning, believe me. Writing poetry is very destressing and I can spend hours doing that and switch off from everything else.

CC: Tell us about your next book?

Well, I am just about to start that (apart from my book of poems). Without saying much, I will say that it is very much connected with farming and agriculture and is focused on the future it starts where my first book ends if you have read my book you will know.

CC: What do you like most in life?

The vast and unlimited potential that all of us have, which is never-ending, should drive and motivate each one of us to keep pursuing all our dreams with strong optimism.

CC: If you were not an author?

Well, I already am more than just an author. Career wise I have been a banker and now taking my poet role also very seriously.

CC: Your favourite tag line?

Let me be all that I am capable of, nothing more and nothing less.

About the author

Sujit Sahgal is currently the head of institutional equities for HSBC, India. He has over twenty-seven years of experience in the financial markets doing macro, strategy, sector and company research and sales as well as investing globally across asset classes. Sujit completed his MBA in 1993 and has spent most of his working career based in Singapore having recently returned to India. During his research days, Sujit was consistently ranked as a top-three analyst globally and in Asia by Asiamoney and Institutional Investor. Apart from his interests in the financial markets and rural India, he is a travel enthusiast. He is a serious poet of Urdu and recites in mushairas and Urdu literature events all over the country.