A Cabinet Secretary Looks Back
One of India's most distinguished civil servants, B.G. Deshmukh in these candid memoirs describes his long and remarkable journey from Poona, where he grew up, to the heady days when he was cabinet secretary under Rajiv Gandhi and then principal secretary to three prime ministers - Rajiv Gandhi, V. P. Singh and Chandrashekar. Deshmukh provides fresh insights into the momentous events of those times, including such controversial subjects as Bofors, the coterie that surrounded Rajiv Gandhi, the Union Carbide case, the Mandal Commission report, and India's involvement in Sri Lanka. He also charts the twists and turns in India-Pakistan relations, why terrorism took roots in Punjab and how it was eventually crushed, and the genesis of the Kashmir problem.
