Since 1947, the exuberance of becoming a free nation, improving healthcare, freedom from famines and an extremely sensitive state, have combined to quadruple our population. And for once, let us admit it is a purely people created problem. The government is blameless. You may at the most, accuse it of being clue-less for an answer; it is working a muscular democracy, after all. India has tried various methods but has not been able to wrestle the monster down. Today there's a huge state machinery, that delivers information, condoms, pills, surgical services, entertainment, incentives and other many other feeble gestures. Population has remained a self-determining statistic and bears no relationship to the huge budget and number of workers deployed by the state

Hridayesh Gupta, an IT consultant in Boston, USA, has begun to demonstrate an effective solution in a pilot project in Madhya Pradesh. As an IT professional he knows how to create systems and make them acceptable to users. He so fervently believes in his idea that he has put $40,000 of his own money to fund Project Small Family [PSF]. The kernel of his conviction is this: don't waste money on processes—reward only results. PSF is open to young women in the age group between 18 and 35, who are willing to show up once in three months and be checked for being pregnancy-free. If found free, they are paid at the rate of Rs.250 per month. It sounds simplistic until you dig deep into its potential as a revolutionary idea. The idea has been at work since April 2003, in Seoni and Chhindwara districts of MP covering about 300 women.

Gupta says, all efforts by governments have failed so far, because they have refused to share with women, "any money [the nation] saved by their not producing children or delaying their births." He says the central budgetary expenditure per person per year is about Rs.5000. With each woman producing an average of 3 children [ie Total Fertility Rate or TFR of 3], even robust growth in the economy will keep that allowance per person static. He suggests that if we simply gave away Rs. 5000 per year to women above 21 without a baby, we would drop the TFR and have resulting surpluses. In fact, he has calculated that we can even give away Rs.5000 per year to women above 25, with one child and still make it a profitable investment for the nation. PSF has the system to make that distribution, leak-proof. All that money would be going directly into family-level development of human resource, instead of government run family-planning programmes. In just 3 quarters, TFR fell from 3.45 to 1.3 in the PSF pilot area, though admittedly it's a small sample size.

Obviously, the idea will not fly without political vision and leadership. Gupta has prepared a detailed proposal for the government to study. He has written to leaders in the establishment and regrets he has not heard in response. An unsurprising exception is President A P J Abdul Kalam who listened to a 40 minute presentation by Gupta and asked probing questions. Gupta is convinced he has the President's mind-share.MORE

Sunday is a time for relaxing, for catching up on your reading, and watching sundry T.V. programs, and shopping. But for book-lovers back home in Delhi, Sunday has an additional attraction – the famous Sunday Book Bazaar.

Also known as the kabari bazaar, the Sunday Book Bazaar at Daryaganj is a treasure trove of books, books, and more books. Virtually everything finds its way there, from the shiny new covers of an encyclopedia to the worm-ridden, damp, yellowed publications from an old library. Novels, storybooks, school kunjis, college guides, preparatory material for competitive exams, drawing books, dictionaries, government reports, magazines, journals, newsletters, books on embroidery – you name it, you have it. If you’re exceptionally lucky you just might come across a work you’ve been unable to find in the bookstores in Delhi.
But why at Daryaganj, and why on Sundays? Simple, Daryaganj from tradition and Sundays for convenience. The market is closed on this particular day and that leaves the book vendors with ample space to display their ware, on the patri, of course (where else did you think?).

Starting from around 10 in the morning to 5 in the evening, the bazaar sees plenty of business being done, for the market attracts all kinds, be it students, teachers, house wives, executives, elderly people, young people, in a nutshell – everybody. People arrive in hordes and on days when the weather’s pleasant the crowd can be pretty foot crunching. The wares lie at their feet (literally). Some stand and some squat.
The rules of shopping in this market are few- keep a close watch on your money, carry a big sturdy bag in advance, and be prepared to pay exactly half of what the vendor asks. Also wear sturdy shoes and comfortable clothes. Occasionally you’ll come across a gem of a book, or one you’ve been looking out for ages. Do Not whoop for joy; one expression of delight on your face and the price will shoot sky-high. If you want to get the best out of the bargain keep your face poker-straight and ask in an indifferent tone the price of the Gem. You just might get that coveted title for a tenth of the market price.

For those who find rooting for books makes them hungry, there are some decent eateries in the vicinity. There’s Mithai on the main road itself, and then there’s Udupi, a hot favorite of those who love South Indian food and genuine filter coffee. It lies near the TOI building on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, barely a kilometer away from the Bazaar. There’s another popular restaurant – the Bhaj Govindan – which serves excellent South Indian food. Finally there’s the underground Coffee House on the same road.

The Sunday Book Bazaar is a great place to visit but not all wonderful though. Pickpockets are common there, so are seedy characters who perpetually hang around the Cinema hall located in that area and occasionally stray into the Bazaar. The vendors do their best to swindle you and there is an occasional flare-up between a customer and a bookseller. But those are the risks you should expect and be prepared for when visiting a flea market. This place is certainly no place for the weak-hearted, but for those who love books as I do, like reading (or can afford to read only) second hand books like I do, and do not mind spending a Sunday browsing through piles of printed material of dubious origins, it’s the best place to be. If you love books, you’ll love this place.