This book is an interesting chronicle of events and ideas articulately put forward with an ingenious sprinkling of the ancient basic truths of Indian life backed by the inquisitiveness of a sincere bureaucrat who unfolds many odd facets of governance, politicians and the system of his times. The prevalence of the ‘harem culture’, a diagnosed by the author, penetrates deep into the reader’s mind, exposing the hollowness of the system, and the utter uselessness of the huge bureaucratic framework, as far as the common man is concerned. This is a wonderful trek into interesting areas of memoirs, history, sociology, travel, poetry, biography, fiction, current affairs, politics, reference, sarcasm, wit and literature, all put together in simple language and in a rather fascinating manner. It leads the reader through the bureaucratic monolith of the modern Indian State that has inherited the tyranny and turmoil of the feudal age and which continues to pervade the wide spectrum of governance. The Babu in the office, the Patwari in the field, and the Inspector in between, wielded most of the power, while the bureaucrat remained confined to the cosy chambers perennially trying to add to his privileges and find avenues to use ‘discretion’. That was all about governance. This book is a readable memoir of immense interest, coming straight from the horse’s mouth, an insider within the system. It is bound to be of interest to all those interested in knowing how the system of governance works, or does not work, in the country.
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