The journey of India over the past quarter century, from a largely poverty-stricken country to a society on the road to development is the theme of "The Elephant, the Tiger, and the Cell Phone: India, the Emerging 21st-Century Power" written by Shashi Tharoor.

The book was released on September 17 in New York City.

In his new book Tharoor, formerly the UN Undersecretary General for Communications and Public Information and now Chairman of Dubai-based Afras Ventures, describes the momentous changes that are turning this "once sleeping giant" into a world leader in the realms of science and technology. India now has a middle class of 300 millions, which is comparable to the entire population of the United States.

Tharoor's examination of the India phenomenon is divided into sections that dwell on politics, economy, culture, society, and sports. With a mix of hard facts and statistics embellised by personal opinions and observations narrated in a lucid style, Tharoor offers what is described by some as "a fresh, insightful look at the world's second largest country".

The presentation of the book in New York's Asia Society and Museum on Park Avenue was followed by a conversation involving Tharoor and Pramit Pal Chaudhuri, a Bernard Schwartz Fellow at Asia Society and Foreign Editor of The Hindustan Times.