The book "Redesigning the Aeroplane While Flying: Reforming Institutions" was written by which Indian management thinker and former member of the Planning Commission?

Introduction / Context:
This question links public policy, management and authorship. The title "Redesigning the Aeroplane While Flying: Reforming Institutions" is a metaphor for changing systems while they are still operating, and you need to identify which Indian expert on institutions wrote it.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The book is about reforming institutions.
• The author is an Indian public policy and management expert.
• Four well known Indian names are given as options.
• Only one of them is directly associated with this specific title.

Concept / Approach:
Arun Maira is a management professional, former chairman of the Boston Consulting Group in India and a former member of the Planning Commission. He has written extensively on institutional reform and uses the aeroplane metaphor for complex change. The other options, although famous, have their own different books and contributions.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that Arun Maira wrote books on change management and institutional reform in India. Step 2: Connect the metaphorical title about redesigning an aeroplane while flying to his style of explaining reforms. Step 3: Consider Amartya Sen, a Nobel winning economist, who has different famous works such as "Development as Freedom". Step 4: Raghuram Rajan and Nandan Nilekani also have well known books but not this particular title. Step 5: Therefore, Arun Maira is the correct author.

Verification / Alternative check:
Book catalogues and publisher descriptions clearly credit Arun Maira as the author of "Redesigning the Aeroplane While Flying". This matches his profile as a thinker on governance and institutions, which supports the selection.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Amartya Sen: Writes on welfare economics and philosophy under other titles.
Raghuram Rajan: Known for works on finance and economic policy, not this book.
Nandan Nilekani: Famous for technology and identity projects, and his own books on those themes.

Common Pitfalls:
Many candidates guess Amartya Sen or Raghuram Rajan simply because of their high public profile. The key is to connect the specific title and its metaphor with the correct writer, rather than choosing the most famous economist in the list.

Final Answer:
Arun Maira