A Feast of Vultures: The Hidden Business of Democracy in India

by Josy Joseph

'Every day, millions of people -- the rich, the poor and the many foreign visitors -- are hunting for ways to get their business done in modern India. If they search in the right places and offer the appropriate price, there is always a facilitator who can get the job done. This book is a sneak preview of those searches, the middlemen who do those jobs, and the many opportunities that the fast-growing economy offers.'

Josy Joseph draws upon two decades as an investigative journalist to expose a problem so pervasive that we do not have the words to speak of it. The story is big: that of treacherous business rivalries, of how some industrial houses practically own the country, of the shadowy men who run the nation's politics. The story is small: a village needs a road and a hospital, a graveyard needs a wall, people need toilets.

A Feast of Vultures is an unprecedented, multiple-level inquiry into modern India, and the picture it reveals is both explosive and frightening. Within these covers is unimpeachable evidence against some of the country's biggest business houses and political figures, and the reopening of major scandals that have shaped its political narratives. Through hard-nosed investigations and the meticulous gathering of documentary evidence, Joseph clinically examines and irrefutably documents the non-reportable.

It is a troubling narrative, but also a call to action and a cry for change. A tour de force through the wildly beating heart of post-socialist India, the book is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the large, unwieldy truth about this nation.

Genres: Nonfiction, India, Politics, History, Indian Literature, Economics, Business

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 10, 2016

About the author

Josy Joseph is an Indian investigative journalist.

Reviews

[Dr. Appu Sasidharan (Dasfill) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dishonest or illegal behaviour, especially of people in authority, is the definition of corruption in the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary.
Josy Joseph tries to explore the corruption in depth in India in this book.

The author tells the secret of why the ultra-rich people and industrial houses are becoming richer while the poor are becoming poorer. Multiple scandals, murders, double-crossing, and all the dirty sides of our society are revealed in a thorough manner with all the proof by the author.

There are some shocking revelations about many industries that the mainstream media are afraid to touch in this book. You will be awestruck to read some of the details that the author discusses regarding the airline industry and government machinery.

My favorite three lines from this book.

“National interest can also be an excuse to clamp draconian colonial-era rules on those trying to bring in transparency.”

“Another industrialist who was sitting next to me said: “I don’t understand. You people are stupid. You know the minister wants Rs 15 crore. So why don’t you pay it?” I (Ratan Tata) just said: “You can’t understand it. I just want to go to bed at night, knowing that I haven’t got the airline by paying for it.”

“If you fight persistently, you can get something you deserve with a lot of difficulties. If you have money, you can get it without a fight.”

This book is an incontrovertible example of investigative journalism at its best.

[Arun Divakar · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a few words hardwired into the Indian psyche that only float to the surface at the time of elections. Some that I can think of are - development, secularism, anti-corruption, growth, anti-fundamentalism etc. These words lavishly peppered with other well-worn ones like democracy and freedom are used and abused in speeches and other promotional material during the elections. The amusing thing about these words is that they disappear into thin air once someone wins and comes to power, only to be dusted off and brandished again during the next round. The actual value of the words themselves have been trampled into the dust a long time ago and yet kids still learn about them in social sciences classes as the constituent elements of what keeps India together. The real India, seven decades after its independence from the British is a long way away from these words and its meanings across its length and breadth. A feast of Vultures is a long, hard and cold look at some of the facts about the huge gap across social strata in India and also in how to get things done here. There are a few areas that the book focusses on – corruption, the role of middle men, the cost of doing business in India and the price to be paid by the commoner for infrastructural development. The end result is a very hard hitting account of the ground realities.

The mainstream media has a very flimsy approach to reporting the specifics of crimes. If a crime is perpetrated by an individual who is from a background sans political connections, financial backing or supporters in high places then all of his/her details including vital physical statistics and perhaps even the home address will be published by the media. If on the other hand, the person in question is a ‘big shot’ then the media calls this person as only a ‘prominent’ individual. Two entirely different forms of treatment for individuals from different social strata for similar crimes !

Josy Joseph however does not spare any punches and calls out the names of every individual who finds mention here which include the ruling elite, opposition parties, industrialists and celebrities. What makes the cases more persuasive is that the author travels to some of the affected locations which the government has almost forgotten. There are villages and rural hamlets in Bihar where electricity is yet to make an appearance and the most sought after item by everyone is a road which a motor vehicle can pass through safely. There are people living on the fringes of a coal mine which has permanently polluted their home lands and water bodies and these are all literally droplets in the huge ocean of India’s populace. To these people, high-strung words like development and growth are pretty much hot air and nothing more. For the simple reason that they lack money and powerful connections, they are one among the many forgotten chapters of India’s multitudes.

For getting anything done through the government or associated agencies, the people living on the lower rungs of the society need to rely on the middle men. These are the people who grease palms, move the right cogs and talk to the right people to ensure that the giant bureaucratic machinery keeps moving. Joseph writes :

In short, he (the middleman) must ensure that the government keeps running in the sinister and corrupt way that has become the norm. It would be no exaggeration to say that these powerful intermediaries play a critical role in ensuring that the Indian government does not grind to a halt, its armed forces modernize regularly, that highways are constructed, and the economy keeps growing at a robust rate rather than stagnate. In a perverse way, these middlemen are the answer to an inept and stagnating government.

The contents are rather bleak as reality is wont to be and the author does not shy away from the hard facts. Also he does not take a stand that favours any of the prominent political powerhouses of India and examines almost all of them in critical detail.

Highly recommended for a reality check on how India functions.

[Raji · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been a difficult book to read. As a citizen of the country, you cannot be ignorant of the corruption and injustice festering through its length and breadth. However, this books offers the jarring realisation that we have only seen a somewhat sanitised version of it. It fills me with despair, guilt, shame, anger and helplessness. That urban India, which gripes daily about infrastructure woes, is largely ignorant of the many struggles of its rural counterpart is brought home rather effectively here.
At the same time, I am filled with a sense of awe. I realise that every achievement we hasten to celebrate and claim as ‘national’ is in spite of what our country has become and not because of it; that every honest person who is a part of the system fights a daily battle with his/her environment; that those chronicling the injustice and attempting to fight it keep on despite little hope. The perseverance necessary to prevail in a world of undisguised and seemingly endless greed has to be lauded. However, I am now suspicious of every corporate and political success. In fact, I am suspicious of the very nature of the ‘truth’ we encounter on a daily basis.
Joseph must be lauded on his courage. These are not stories that make it in their entirety to mainstream media. I am a little surprised that media is not x-rayed here, given its more materialistic bent over the past few years. But then there are only 200-odd pages here or maybe there is a sense of fraternity that is difficult to turn against.
As I mentioned earlier, this is a difficult book. Well-written, well-thought out, well-presented, its content seems to suggest that things might never change, at least not in my lifetime. The battle seems to be against a finely-honed system that thrives regardless of caste, creed, religion or political affiliation and speaks only the language of wealth.
Since the vultures are feasting, maybe Indian democracy is already dead.

[Ashish Iyer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing new to offer. Dullish read.
I read this book with a lot of expectations. Those who read newspaper or magazine on regular basis already know all these things which are mentioned in this book. Its basically like article is written in elaborate versions. No genuine new research. This book is just like a rant.

Avoid it.
Not recommended.

[Harsimran Khural · Rating 4 out of 5]

One line summary:

"yeh bik gayi hai gormint!"

[Umesh Kesavan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliant overview of the multiple actors who run our country from behind the screens. The author will be facing litigations from big corps and they are the best reviews for this book.

[Ajay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okayish. Not that good read. Maybe i had expectation from this book. It was just collection of information that we already know. Almost everything is pictured to be black and disorienting. Too left leaning and without convincing arguments. The author seems deliberately trying not to look biased and fails to do so with confusing and contradicting views.

[Rohit Enghakat · Rating 4 out of 5]

An explosive book which explores the underbelly of Indian democracy and the loopholes exploited by business houses to conduct and expand their businesses, by hook or by crook. Every democracy has its own black sheep and legacies steeped in corruption. Reading this book validates your suspicion in how the entire business of running industries and conglomerates in India is nothing but the art of dealing with corrupt bureaucrats and politicians and exploiting the poor and the marginalised.

The author brings out the stories of corruption in infrastructure projects, setting up businesses, allotting mining and telecom licences. How industrialists are involved in parliamentary standing committees concerning their respective businesses which are sheer conflicts interests, how the
Indian middleman is the go-to guy for any person setting up enterprises which require licences and how the politicians and bureaucrats are involved and have to be bribed right from the lowest to the highest echelons in the power corridors of the parliament. The author calls out the names of industrialists and ministers in the book who have indulged in malpractices and shady deals.

Special mention to the detailed stories of India's arms dealers and corrupt military leaders who have a say in India's huge military spends. There is also the detailed story of the rise of East-West Airlines and its promoter Thakiyuddin Wahid and the circumstances which led to its fall from grace to bankruptcy.

The author could also have given details of other much-publicised scandals like the 2G telecom scam (it is given in brief in the book without any detailed investigation), Commonwealth Games scam and the Adarsh housing scam.

This was, however, a truly satisfying read and the next time I read about a factory being set up or a business house winning deals, I have a fair idea of what went behind the scenes.

[Ekita Parmar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Same old Typical Crony Capitalism rant by a Left-Liberal.. And shows some clear biases at times..

[Annie Zaidi]

This is a brave book, based on some good, old-fashioned journalism. It serves as a reminder of the processes that are eating up our democracy from within - the black money that not only leaves but also returns to the country, via tax havens, in the form of 'investment'; the businessmen who are no longer content with simply lobbying elected representatives and are increasingly buying their way into both houses of Parliament and blatantly sitting on committees and in ministries where the conflict of interest is obvious and direct; and the incessant miscarriage of justice and silence of the media. I was shocked to learn that the government intelligence forces did have reason to believe that Mr Goyal/Jet Airways had ties with Dawood Ibrahim. I continue to be shocked that this is not a line of investigation being pursued given the murder of his nearest competitor Thakiuddin of East West Airlines, who was wrongly, cruelly linked to Ibrahim instead. It tells us a lot about the workings of business and media, police and the middlemen who manage, invisibly, the corruption that is all around us.

[ajay Kumar · Rating 2 out of 5]

while it picks up the right topics but the sense of detailing is so low that you fell like you are reading a long format newspaper article than a book...

[Ashok Krishna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Riveting. Revealing. Revolting.

Will share the full review soon.

[Sriram · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not what I like.

[Raghuram V · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too stark and difficult a read - not from a writing style perspective but from the presentation of the core theme. Nothing new/different from articles in most dailies.

[Hrishabh Chaudhary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a sombre book. It picks you up from whatever lonely couch is cupping your bum takes you through forlorn un-electrified villages where people can die of road-deficiency, meanders through intrigues of political capital, and through violent Mumbai of 90s where fishermen launch airlines. You are taken to sooted and booted towns in coal rich districts where kids play on ponds of fly-ash. On your journey you are introduced to typists more powerful than journalists, middlemen whose commissions more than life-savings of middle-class, industrialists who are criminals, criminals who are politicians and politicians who are industrials. Few do manage to do it all.
In the end you are brought back to your comfortable couch feeling guilty about the light you left on in the other room.

The book brings back memories of all the multibagger scams of past few decades you might be starting to forget as well as scams that didn't see much limelight. Along the way you realise how much things have not changed for better and how little they are likely to. Case in point: forced sterilization to meet govt targets. You are thinking of Sanjay Gandhi but the book is talking about what happened in 2014.

The book has potential to strip away hope. Thankfully, I was already hopeless.

[S.Ach · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intrepid journalist leaves no stones unturned in smearing the high and mighty of Indian political and business coterie, exposing the vicious nexus between politics, business and crime.
Even if the writing is not avant-grade, sometimes drifting away going all over the place, the startling exposé of how corruption and crime have been so deeply ingrained in our socio-political system across party lines, exploited by unscrupulous businessmen, make it a quite riveting read.
The story of rise and fall of East-West Airlines stands out.

[Yash Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

The People Who Are Running India : The Dalal’s (middlemen) Of Hindustan
-------------------------------------
Democracy is when the indigent, and not the men of property, are the rulers.

-Aristotle




A feast of vultures, the hidden business of democracy in India is a stellar piece of investigative journalism. And before I write on this topic I wanna salute to the author of this book for being courageous and honest in his thoughts.

And the USP of this brilliantly written book is that within few hundred pages he unravelled the dark reality of the world’s largest democratic country, India.

So, let’s start with some basic questions. What is democracy? Who are those people who are running this country (India)? And how dangerous is the lethal combination of Politicians-businessmen-criminals-middlemen, for India and it’s inhabitants? And what are the solutions to save India and it’s institutions from such kind of vultures?

Theoretically speaking, Democracy means ‘People’s Rule’, but in reality it’s an another form of exploitation of the common man by the elected representatives.

And the people who are running this country are the heinous combination of Politicians-businessmen-criminals-middlemen. These people decide the fate of the 1.3 billion People. From the shady defense deals to the construction of an airport are decided by these people who sometimes works below the radar.

And the best example to show that how dangerous these people for the country can be gauged by the fact that ‘India is a rich country with too many poor people’.

These narrow minded people always put their self interest first and they also make sure that all the wealth of this country resides in their hands only. They promote their own family members to the top position of this country. They have the habit to fool the people of this great country in the name of pseduo-socialism and pseduo-secularism.

And to save this country from these vultures we have to shed the slave mentality which sadly ingrained in most of the Indians who foolishly accepts the hereditary transition in Politics as well as in bollywood too.

I will end with these lines of Dr BR Ambedkar :-

Democracy in India is only a ‘top dressing on an Indian soil, which is essentially undemocratic’.

My Ratings : ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

I hope you like this, thanks for reading, Jai Hind.

[Amartya Gupta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a tough book to read. It's not just because of the hard hitting questions posed by the writer or the sheer visible rot in the Indian democracy or the laying bare of the nefarious symphony between the political and business class. Instead I like this book because of how it tries to make its reader understand the ginormous scale of corruption and vested interests that coexist between business and political class.
The writer takes the reader through the corridors of power in the government, hand holding you through the shady deals and backrubbing. He takes you through the naked destruction of ecology and minority rights in the name of growth and development. The book follows the backroom dealing in civil aviation, showing the connections it has with the mafia, and the government. The author has highlighted the importance of middlemen who know the inside out of government deals and business licensing, who make sure to tell you which pockets need to be stuffed and how the stuffing reaches the right people.
This is a must read book for anyone trying to understand the nexus between businessmen and government, who want to see the underbelly of corruption in India.

"This is a crisis that privileged Indians are in denial about, because all of them – all of us – benefit from it. India has become a very rich country of too many poor people."

[Sainath Sunil · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is a troubling reportage of the state of affairs of governance and its the various arms that are meant to keep corruption and malpractice in check. sadly we have seen a cohabitation of both. this book explores the role of middle men who could be anything for ex military to politicians to stenos or personal assistants of ministers and bureaucrats who would the real power. this book also discusses the rapid rise of how corporate India remains a benefactor of which ever party that comes to power and thus have to be nimble footed. it also recounts the role of activists and civil society in ensuring that some modicum of justice can be preserved often at terrible personal costs. all in all an amazing book, not those for the light hearted for sure...

[Sankarshan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book does not provide any material new information or, surprise if the reader is familiar with publicly available data and books on the topics viz. petrochemical deals; Air India and private players and such. The chapter which has been excerpted and concerns the 'backroom individuals' is an interesting one. In the sense that it manages to not have much while providing a great deal of insight about the manipulations and machinations. And yet again, a book like this needs a companion web-site of notes, references, secondary research material and so forth. That makes it easy to discover one's own path.

[Parth Arora · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating read on the corrupt and vicious relationship between politics and big business in India. We have all heard about how money controls politics and vice versa in India but the glaring examples that Josy Joseph brings out, backed with quotes from diverse sources, anecdotes and in some instances data hits you pretty hard. I was specifically mind boggled by the extremely shady rise of Naresh Goyal, CEO of Jet Airways, an entrepreneur I used to respect previously. It makes me wonder about the kind of moral choices Indian entrepreneurs have to make to become successful doing business in India.

[Kushal Bajpai · Rating 2 out of 5]

...This book highlights the plight of those who believe in the ‘system’ and the might of those who are believed to be the ‘system’... The only interesting read would be the chapter detailing the business rivalry between Thakuyuddin Wahid, owner of the first private airlines in india, ‘East west airlines’ and Naresh Goyal of Jet airways, both trying to outdo the other using their political connections. While the latter wins the race with flying colors, the former loses his life with flying bullets.. An overhyped book.

[E.T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very courageous book that names and shames India's top industrialists for their illegal and inhuman paths to riches. Also gives a glimpse into how the political machinery works at all levels.
However, the book seems to be written in a haste and it should have been longer and indepth.

[Viola · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars

This would have been an invaluable companion book while I was pursuing my Journalism degree.

[Gowtham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book review    


 “India is too much of a democracy” என்று Nitiaayogஇன் செயற்குழு தலைவர்(CEO) ஒரு நிகழ்வில் தெரிவித்துள்ளார்,அவர் எந்த இந்தியாவில் வாழ்கிறார் என்று தெரியவில்லை. இத்தனைக்கும் அவர் UPSC மூலம் தேர்ந்தெடுக்க பட்ட அதீத தகுதிவாய்ந்த  நபர். பின்னர் நான் அந்த அர்த்தத்தில் சொல்லவில்லை அது தவறாக புரிந்துகொள்ள பட்டது என்றும் மறுப்பு தெரிவித்துள்ளார். நாட்டில் ஐ.ஏ.எஸ் அதிகாரிகளின் நிலை இப்படி இருக்க, இந்திய ஜனநாயகத்தின் நிலை இதை விட கொடூரம்.


கடந்த வாரம் வாசித்த “A feast of vultures” என்ற நூல்இந்திய  ஜனநாயகத்தின் கவலைக்கிடத்தை உறுதிப்படுத்தியது, இத்தனைக்கும் அது 2016ஆம�� ஆண்டு வெளிவந்த புத்தகம். இந்தியாவில் உள்ள வெகு சில நல்ல நேர்மையான  ஊடகவியாளர்களில் மலையாள நாட்டை சேர்ந்த “Josy joseph”ஐ சேர்த்துக்கொள்ளலாம். தொடர்ந்து இந்தியாவில் நடக்கும் ஊழல்களையும், அதிகார மையத்தில் நடக்கும்னு தில்லுமுல்லுகளையும் பதிவுசெய்தும் உண்மையை வெளிப்படுத்தியும் வருகிறார்.  



புத்தகம் மூன்று முக்கிய தலைப்புகளை மையமாக வைத்து எழுதப்பட்டுள்ளது, குறிப்பாக "ஜனநாயகத்தில் இடைத்தரகர்கள்" "தனியார் துறையும் அரசு அதிகார வர்க்கமும்"  "பெருமுதலாளிகளின் உண்மை நிலை" என்ற தலைப்பின் கீழ் 10 கட்டுரைகள். 


இடைத்தரகர்கள் என்றால் நம் தாசில்தார் அலுவலகத்தில் இருப்பவர்கள் மட்டும் அல்ல, அரசின் வெளிநாட்டு விவகாரங்களில் நடக்கும் ஆயுத,விமான ஒப்பந்தங்களுக்கும் பல இடைதரர்கள் இருக்க தான் செய்கிறார்கள். இவர்கள் அந்த ஒப்பந்தத்தை எளிதாக்குகிறார்கள், மறைமுகமாகவே முடிகின்றன  இத்தகைய பல நிகழ்வுகள்.  


இதில் லோக்கல் லெவலில் சில நன்மை செய்யும் இடை தரகரும் இருக்கிறார்கள் அவர்கள் அரசு அதிகார வர்கத்தை அணுகமுடியாத மக்களுக்கு தங்களால் ஆனா உதவிகளை செய்து வருகிறார்கள் என்று ஒரு கட்டுரையில் குறிப்பிடுகிறார். அதை அவர்கள் ஒரு சேவையாக செய்கிறார்கள், அதற்கான பணம் எதுவும் வாங்குவதில்லை என்கிறார் ஆசிரியர்.


அடுத்து “சூரரைபோற்று” மாறன் அய்யங்கார் புனைவு கதையை விட உண்மை தன்மைகொண்ட ஆதாரங்கள் கிடைத்தும் மறைக்கப்பட்ட Thakiyudeen Wahid தொடங்கிய “East west” விமான நிறுவனம் வீழ்ந்த கதை.  தங்களுக்குள் இருக்கும் போட்டியால் அரசின் உதவியுடன் ஒரு நிறுவனத்தையே காலி செய்த “jet airways” நிறுவனர் Naresh goyal கதையும் இதில் ராஜிவ் காந்தியின் மரணம் ஏற்படுத்திய தாக்கமும் சுவாரசியம், கூடவே அரசு எந்திரத்தின் அலட்சியமும் பயமூட்டுகிறது. 


கடைசி பகுதியில் கருப்புப்பணத்தை மீட்பேன், ஊழலை ஒழிப்பேன் என்று உதார் விட்ட அண்ணா ஹசாரேவின் கதையும், அது மோடிக்கு ஏற்புடுத்திய வெற்றியையும் குறித்து எழுதுபட்டது. மேலும் மும்பை இந்தியன்ஸ் அணியின் உரிமையாளரும் வருங்கால இந்தியாவின் உரிமையாளருமான அம்பானியின் வீட்டை பற்றிய கதை. 27  அடுக்கு , 173 மீட்டர் உயரம் பல சொகுசு வசதிகள் நிறைந்த அந்த வீடு ஒரு சுடுகாட்டின் மீது கட்டப்பட்டது என்றும் அதை பல கோடிகள் குடுத்து வாங்கினார் அம்பானி என்றும் அதற்கு அரசு எந்திரம் தாரைவார்க்கப்பட்ட விதத்தையும் விரிவாக விளக்கி எழுதி இருப்பார். இதை தாண்டி சச்சின் டெண்டுல்கர் வீட்டின் சர்ச்சையும், இன்னும் பல அரசு-முதலாளி பரிவர்த்தனைகள் பற்றிய செய்திகளும் கேட்க புதுமையாகவும் சிந்தித்து பார்க்கையில் ஆச்சர்யமாகவும் இருக்கிறது. 


அம்பேத்கர் அன்று நாடாளுமன்றத்தில் பேசிய “In politics we will be recognizing the principle of one man one vote and one vote one value. In our social and economic life, we

shall, by reason of our social and economic structure, continue to deny the principle of one man one value. How long shall we continue to live this life of contradictions?” பேச்சு தான் நினைவுக்கு வந்தது. 


அவர் அன்று கூறிய முரண்பாடு நிறைந்த ஜநாயகத்தின் விளைவு தான் இந்தநிலை. அரசியல் அதிகாரம் பெற்றவர்கள்(சிலரை தவிர) நம்மை கைவிட்டு விட்டார்கள். சமூக பொருளாதார ஏற்றத்தாழ்வுகள் அதிகரித்த வண்ணம் இருக்கிறது. இத்தனைக்கும் இடையில் நாடு வளர்ச்சி அடைய வெங்காய அமைச்சர்,(நி சீ ரா) அரசு துறைகளை  தனியாருக்கு ஒருபக்கம் தாரைவார்க்கும் வேலையே செய்கிறார். ஒரு பக்கம் அரச வன்முறை, போராட்டங்களுக்கு செவி சாய்க்காத ஒன்றிய அரசு. ஊழல், சாதிய வன்முறைகள், பாலியல் வன்முறைகள், மதவாத கலவரங்கள், மனித உரிமை மீறல் என்று இந்த உலகின் மிகப்பெரிய ஜனநாயக நாடு இன்னும் என்னவெல்லாம் சந்திக்க போகிறதோ.


இந்தியாவை கட்டமைத்த முன்னோர்களுக்கு நாம் மிக பெரிய துரோகத்தை செய்து வருகிறோம் என்பதற்கு இந்த புத்தகம் சாட்சி. தோழர்கள் மற்றும் உடன்பிறப்புகள் அவசியம் வாசிக்கவும். குறைந்தபட்சம் நமக்கான பொறுப்புகளை உணரவைக்கும் என்று நம்புகிறேன். 


BOOK: A feast of vultures-the hidden business of democracy in india.

AUTHIOR: Josy joseph


#Do_read

[Girish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Josy Josef's A Feast of Vultures is as courageous a piece of investigative journalism as we would ever see in this country. The book unpeels layers of corruption in political, industrial and bureaucratic systems that form the backbone for the glittering facade of progress.

I realised what a famous tamil movie called Thani oruvan was trying to say. We get distracted by thousands of news articles that come our way, but If you follow the same thread and find out related news - you understand the workings of the system and the people who are calling the shots.

The book starts off in a remote village - where basic things like roads, electricity and hospitals have not yet reached. The distance is not measured in kms but, the extent of corruption and greasing it is required. There are multiple human interest stories highlighted of people who have been at it.

It moves on to the people in the chain - the middlemen and the typists and secretaries who ensure the system benefits all the people who are willing to pay. From arms deals to assembly seats to assassination attempts - everything is bargaining chips. This part almost reads like a how to guide for anyone who wants to do the business in our country.

And then starts the processing of the vultures and eagles - the biggest business houses/barons, the pride of our country and their rise to power. There is research, there is conjecture and news items. Due to the high capital and hence opportunity to riches - we have the East west airlines, Jet airways and Kingfisher stories - a sector where Tatas failed (And their story) due to their integrity (read between the lines).

Then he turns his attention to the Jindals and Vedanta stories against the plundering of the central India. The last chapter around the Ambanis and their home in Mumbai -the continuation of it's ripples seen in news today - though not prominently.

The modus operandi of the strong seems to be to distract attention from what they are actually doing and give people something that is managed by the PR agencies. This book is a hard look at the country we live in. It is a must read for people who like to introspect what are we doing wrong.

[Ashish · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is the culmination of the information and knowledge that the author has gathered over an illustrious journalistic career, about the way our country works and what it takes to get anything done. It showcases the sheer amount of crony capitalism, rampant corruption and excessive greed which feeds the engine of "growth" at the cost of the environment, social justice and fair play. It's an eye-opening account for someone unfamiliar with how India works and provides a lot of insight to show how far the rot goes to someone who is aware of its existence. Power-play, buying people, influencing decisions, arm twisting and other nefarious means are employed on a regular basis to favour capitalism as we know it, leading to an increased social and economic inequalities, disenfranchisement of a majority of the poor and the tribals and further dividing an increasingly fragmented society. It is also the driving force behind the Naxalite movement. The author doesn't spare any party or person as he writes of the frustrations and hopes of the people and especially of the expectations from the new government, but he reiterates that there isn't show of much intention by actual work and not just empty rhetoric.

The author shows really well, showing us the apathy and hopelessness that past events fester in peoples' hearts. It also shows us the undying spirit of the people who she doing all they can to fight this cancer. He ends it at a somewhat positive note, celebrating the undying efforts from activists and whistle-blowers and the need for better reforms to protect, encourage and enable them to bring these issues out in the open, inform the public, incentivise popular support and engagement as they actively participate for their rights. He remains cautiously optimistic as the problems seem to be too extensive and too far engrained in the psyche of a country which has seen and been through so much.

[Tanya Fernandes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Through The Feast of Vultures, Joseph articulates much of what we know but fail to acknowledge. He brings to the light what we’ve for so long swept under the rug, hoping that the ever-growing not-so-well disguised pile of garbage can hither go unnoticed. That junk that we’ve let accumulate is a sorry representation of our political, social and economic system - a mere rubber stamp of democracy that buried under by corruption, crony capitalism and criminals.

We need investigative journalism of this stature leading our public discourse. Not the virile, screechy sycophants that have become evening show time features. Maybe then we stand a chance?

Oh and yes, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Please read it.

[Puneet Shetty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of the few lines that stuck with me after reading the book 'A feast of vultures' this one is probably the most moving - "Our cities are lit up with their tears." Their refers to the villagers who have for a very long time been fighting a losing battle against Indian conglomerates who have been exploiting the nation's natural resources for their personal gains. This book gives an immense understanding into the " business of democracy" since India has attained Independence and the kind of country that we have inherited today.

[Kaśyap · Rating 3 out of 5]

A journalistic work on how the rapacity and greed of the Government-Businessmen-crime nexus rules this nation.