I was born in a mentally retarded country, Thus begins this provocative, stylish, and racy literary rant against India by a twenty-four-year-old awaiting capital punishment. When Dr M Vidyasagar (‘Sagar’), retired chief of CBI, gets an unusual request from his old friend and the President of India to privately investigate if Vikrant Vaidya—sentenced to death for motivelessly killing his teenage neighbour Iqbal—is innocent or not, little does he know how convoluted a conspiracy he is setting foot in. With a narrative that springs forth from and weaves its way through the Emergency, anti-Sikh riots post Indira Gandhi’s assassination, Ram Janmabhoomi Rath Yatra, anti-Mandal Commission protests, economic liberalisation, Babri Masjid demolition, and Godhra riots, readers will find themselves in the grips of a chimerical tale, asking and answering the question: Is India truly a mad nation?
About the Author
When asked, Sriram Karri is never quite sure if the nation he was born in, and loves so much, was and is really mad, or if merely he is. Either way, he has witnessed his country grow fondly, sadly, joyfully, regretfully, and above all, hopefully. He began his career as a journalist and worked in Deccan Chronicle and Indian Express, and has worked as a corporate brander with TCS, Infosys, Satyam, the Indian School of Business, and also co-founded a tech start-up. He writes for The New York Times, and has contributed to The Guardian, The Hindu, and The New Indian Express. His first published work, The Spiritual Supermarket, was longlisted for the Vodafone Crossword Book Award in the nonfiction category in 2008. An accomplished orator, Sriram is an invited speaker and panellist at several fora and discussions. He lives in Hyderabad with his wife and son.
