Indians wryly admit that 'India grows at night'. But that is only half the saying: the full expression is: India grows at night . . . when the government sleeps', suggesting that the nation may be rising despite the state. But wouldn't it be wonderful if India also grew during the day -- in other words, if public policy supported private enterprise? What India needs is a strong liberal state, but, says Das, achieving this will not be easy, because India has historically had a weak state and a strong society.