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A brilliant collection of essays on the changing social, economic and political landscapes of India and the subcontinent by one of the country’s most-respected journalists A Mirror to Power is the subcontinent according to M.J. Akbar. Featured here are the heroes, villains and fence-sitters of the past decade and the events that they have been part of, in a grand parade of observation, analysis and comment.

Starting from the turn of the century, the book covers the political and social dilemmas that underlie the period. Most political parties and groupings are included, as are their leaders, like Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Dr Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul, L.K. Advani, Narendra Modi and, for comparison, the towering Nehru and Jinnah of a past era, and the problematic issues that disfigure, like varicose veins, the system’s functioning – corruption, terrorism, delayed justice, a slow governance, insensitivity to the deprived… Alongside is a marvellous miscellany of pieces on subjects from cricket, film stars, reading and the fads and foibles of the rich and famous. Written in Akbar’s inimitable, elegant style, this is a collection that offers the best guide to a transforming decade.