Degeneration of India / by T. N. Seshan and Sanjoy Hazarika

New men in modern India have been both loved and F hated as much as the charismatic Chief Election Commissioner T.N. Seshan. Known for his fearless, principled battles with those who would subvert democracy, the one thing that everyone agrees about in regard to him is that he has made a difference to the status quo. In 'A Note from the Author', Mr Seshan explains why he decided to write The Degeneration of India: 'I spend sleepless nights worrying about the degeneration of the country and wondering what my contribution to the regenerative process can be; my concerns are varied and wide-ranging and I thought the best way to clarify my mind on the core issues would be to put down my thoughts on paper. That, essentially, was how the book came to be."

The 'core issues' the author examines include the deterioration of institutions, the rise of venality in public life, the corruption of the nation's religious and cultural heritage, the brutalisation of the poor and underprivileged and the malaise that has spread to every aspect of the electoral process.

This book, the first of a two part study of India (the second volume, The Regeneration of India, to be published later this year, will look at what needs to be done to revitalise the nation) is divided into four sections. The first section examines the decline of the Executive, the Judiciary, the Media and the Polity, In Section II, the author lashes out at the mess we have made of our economy, budget allocation, environment, scientific bodies, defence forces, industry and the like.

In Section III, Mr Seshan grieves at the debasement of our religious and cultural heritage and asks the crucial question: What does it mean to be an Indian? In the final section, the CEC places our electoral system under the microscope and tells us what needs to be done to restore it to full health.

Blazing with indignation and power, and supported by the accumulated wisdom of decades of troubleshooting at the highest levels, The Degeneration of India is essential reading for anyone who has any concern for the state of the nation.