'This is at once a passionate and sharply analytical account of how the pathologies of development have created a divide between Indians who live in the urban `dollar economy' and those that live in the rural `rupee economy.' Krishna's worm's eye-view possesses a rare authenticity as it documents the heart-rending ways in which talented young people from disadvantaged rural backgrounds experience the lack of opportunity and social mobility in their lives.' Niraja Gopal Jayal, Centre for the Study of Law and Governance, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.