About the Book

This is a riveting novel that travels through the highways and byways of corruption that plague our polity and society. It is told in simple, matter of fact language, with the most entertaining cynicism and humour. A deal is struck by a government agency for building a satellite and leasing it out to a foreign company. The deal progresses and transitions smoothly to the succeeding government. But a scandal erupts, and the government cancels the deal. This refreshingly irreverent novel goes into the details of how deals are made out of the taxpayers’ money, how they mature, how they get exposed, and then get buried at further cost to tax payers, which they will never know. The novel is a purely fictional account, reflected through a clever mesh of fiction and realism. A novel that reveals the real seamless conduits through which corruption flows unhindered, under the camouflage of law, rules and procedures. A fascinating story that keeps the reader spellbound.

About the Author

Veena S Rao is a retired officer of the Indian Administrative Service, with a distinguished career in Karnataka and Government of India. She is a post-graduate in Political Science from the University of Jammu and Kashmir, and Development Studies from the University of Cambridge, UK. Before joining the IAS, she taught Political Science in Mount Carmel College, Bangalore. She is an expert on development issues and governance, particularly malnutrition, and writes extensively in national and international publications. She works closely with the Government of Karnataka, the World Bank, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, and the Institute of Development Studies, Sussex, UK. Her pioneering work in addressing India's malnutrition can be seen in www.karnutmission.org Her first work of fiction, Charlotte’s End inspired by Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca was published in 2016. The Tale of Quarles, the Prince who Fails, a ply written by her, been staged very successgully by Pierrot's troupe. Veena S Rao lives in Bangalore, India, and can be contacted through e-mail at nobel_6@hotmail.com

Book Review