Whole Numbers and Half Truths by Rukmini S.

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“Whole Numbers and Half Truths," authored by Rukmini S, is a thought-provoking exploration that stands apart from the traditional narrative-driven books often born from personal stories. While many books are grounded in the author's own experiences and anecdotes, her work caters to readers who rely on empirical analysis and data as the foundation for understanding societal issues. This book tells its story through hard data, primarily sourced from government reports. For those who trust the power of numbers over personal accounts, Rukmini’s work offers a compelling, evidence-backed perspective on India, making it a must-read for anyone keen on understanding the intersection of data and economy.

Data journalism pioneer Rukmini S, draws on nearly two decades of on-ground reporting experience to piece together and structure into chapters that investigate how India operates, spends, votes, loves, falls sick, grows old, and much more. It explores topics such as employment, spending behavior, healthcare systems, and urbanization. Chapters like “How India (Really) Votes” and “How India Tangles with Cops and Courts” challenge conventional political and law enforcement narratives, while others, such as “What India Thinks, Feels, and Believes,” delve into the cultural and ideological fabric of the nation.

Who’s to blame when women spend 84% of their time on unpaid work while men dedicate 80% of theirs to paid activities? Is it society, the system, or simply tradition? And what does it say about our aspirations when a survey of teenage girls reveals their top career choices to be skilled professions like teachers, doctors, policewomen, and nurses—yet a quarter still primarily aspire to become teachers? Are these preferences shaped by freedom of choice or by the limitations we've normalized for generations?

Even our sense of justice and reform carries contradictions. While Delhi is often labeled the most unsafe city for women due to high crime numbers, the reality is more nuanced, it’s also a place where reporting is taken more seriously. Compare that to a state like Rajasthan, where only 29% of crimes are reported. This paradox raises a deeper question: are we penalizing those who report more, or is our definition of safety itself flawed? To complicate matters further, a significant portion of reported sexual assaults turn out to be consensual relationships criminalized by family pressures, prompting us to ask not just “Where are women unsafe?” but “What are we really trying to protect women from?”

Rukmini S points out that many Indians misidentify their socioeconomic status. The 2014 survey stated in the book revealed that over half of India’s wealthy and more than 40% of its poor considered themselves middle class, blurring the lines of socioeconomic identity. The story of healthcare in India, too, reveals a surprising twist: what you see on paper isn't always what you get in real life, In Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. informal healthcare providers were shown to possess more medical knowledge than fully qualified doctors in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

Personally, people do not really have any animosity towards people of other faiths, but would still like to live within their own community. Then there’s the idea of caste. We often hear about growing openness and inter-caste harmony, especially in urban areas. But the data tells a different story. Less than 10% of urban respondents said they married outside their caste — a figure that hasn’t changed much since the time of independence. In many ways, the numbers reveal a gap between what we say and what we actually do — making this book a necessary reminder that truth in India is often layered and complex.

As discussed by Rukmini in Whole Numbers and Half Truths, India generates an enormous volume of data that holds the potential to illuminate the country’s many complexities. However, she emphasizes that this data often arrives without the crucial context required for meaningful interpretation. The book highlights that while outright manipulation of data is less common than widely assumed, the more pressing issues lie in the form of data gaps, inconsistencies, and the overall challenge of drawing coherent narratives from scattered and incomplete information.

India’s diversity extends beyond its population to the wide range of problems and challenges it faces. Each region carries its own set of complexities, making it difficult to apply one-size-fits-all solutions. Yet, amid this complexity, one powerful tool emerges as a unifying force: data. By telling our stories through data, we create a shared language that guides meaningful progress. The Problem Isn’t Just Lies—It’s Missing Truths, Rukmini S offers a compelling roadmap for how to talk—and think— about India more honestly. Whether or not one agrees with every conclusion, this book is essential reading for researchers, policymakers, students, and anyone invested in decoding the truth about Indian society through numbers, not noise.