Book Review: Indian Economy: Invisible Markers

The book Invisible Hands of the Indian Economy explores the often-overlooked labour that underpins India’s economic foundation. With a striking mix of academic insight and artistic presentation, this photobook brings to light the vital contributions of women from all walks of life, urging a reexamination of traditional economic measurements that fail to account for these efforts. The author’s examination of 22 poignant stories calls for a broader view of productivity, highlighting women's essential, yet invisible, roles in domestic, informal, and supporting work.

The narrative traverses a wide range of invisible labour, from the uncounted efforts of homemakers to the paradoxical role of domestic workers, whose work supports upper-class women in entering the formal economy. The author sharply critiques how entrenched gender roles and societal expectations obscure women’s economic contributions. Self-employed women, despite their entrepreneurial drive, remain unseen within a patriarchal system of business practices and bureaucratic indifference. The book also delves into the systemic barriers facing women in labour-intensive sectors like construction work, where limited opportunities and generational poverty perpetuate the cycle of hardship.

One of the book’s most compelling insights is its analysis of the link between economic invisibility and financial exclusion. By highlighting the reliance on informal moneylenders over institutional banking in rural areas, the author exposes a key policy gap that deepens economic vulnerability. With its seamless blend of personal stories and economic critique, Invisible Hands of the Indian Economy encourages readers to reconsider who truly drives India’s economy. It offers a persuasive case for creating more inclusive frameworks that acknowledge and value the unseen forces that quietly, but powerfully, shape the nation. It speaks to policymakers, economists, and citizens alike, urging them to recognize the crucial, invisible hands guiding India’s economic future.