India: The Siege Within: Challenges to a Nation's Unity

by M.J. Akbar

Traces the history of India since the Partition in 1947, and analyzes the current political situation and India's future

Genres: India, History, Politics, Nonfiction

336 pages, Paperback

First published August 6, 1985

About the author

Mobashar Jawed "M.J." Akbar (born 11 January 1951) is a leading Indian journalist and author. He was the Editorial Director of India Today, India's leading weekly English news magazine published by the Living Media group till his resignation in October 2012. He also had an additional responsibility of overseeing the media conglomerate's English news channel, Headlines Today.
He launched "The Sunday Guardian", a weekly newspaper in 2010, and continues to serve as Editor-in-Chief. He is also the founder and former editor-in-chief and managing director of The Asian Age, a daily multi-edition Indian newspaper with a global perspective.
He has written several non-fiction books, including Byline (New Delhi: Chronicle Books, 2003), a biography of Jawaharlal Nehru titled Nehru: The Making of India, a book on Kashmir titled Kashmir: Behind the Vale, Riot After Riot and India: The Siege Within. He also authored The Shade of Swords, a cohesive history of jihad. Akbar's recent published book is Blood Brothers, a skillfully crafted family saga covering three generations and packed with information of events in India and the world, particularly the changing Hindu-Muslim relations.
His book Blood Brothers has been translated into Italian as Fratelli di Sangue. It was released in Rome at the headquarters of Adnkronos on 15 January 2008.
He published his latest book "Tinderbox: The past and future of Pakistan" in January 2012 discussing the themes of identity crisis and class struggles in Pakistan.
Akbar was also the editor-in-chief of The Deccan Chronicle, a Hyderabad-based news daily.

Reviews

[Srinidhi Ng · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author is way too biased in his narrative. Bottom line, this book is an exercise in mental gymnastics, not worth the time.

He literally calls the Nobel laureate VS Naipaul's criticism of the Nehru-Congress license Raj, too biased and not worthy of commenting upon. Congress apologia to the core.

Everyone knows that anti-Sikh riots of 1984 in Delhi were systematic and organized with Congressis sending death squads to Sikh localities by looking at the election rolls. However this author does not even mention the Congress government inactivity, complicity in violence but attributes the violence to 'lumpenproletariat'. His exact words, anti-Sikh riots were done by, 'the urban lumpen and the poor', he doesn't even mention the Congress cadres turned into death squads. Such a shame this is.
If you read the Punjab part of this book, it feels like those extremists in Punjab were innocent but everything was thrust upon them by 'Hindi speaking Hindus'. According to his narrative, all Hindus are bad and all minorities are innocent.

When it comes to narrative about Kashmir he portrays Sheikh Abdullah is a paragon of virtue, the book almost reads like narration by a courtier. He expects India to trust the 'words of Sheikh' and keeps repeating Sheikh was always with India. But the fact of the matter is words are just words, if Sheikh and Kashmir recognized themselves as Indians completely. They would have simply accepted the Indian union and not write their nationality as 'Kashmiri Muslim'. The fact of the matter is, for all the speeches of Sheikh, he didn't trust the Hindu majority India. He wanted Hindu majority India to trust him explicitly, it was a one way street from the beginning. Jinnah didn't trust Hindus and broke away, Sheikh kept saying he believes in 'secularism' but still distrusted Hindus. This author says because of Hindu fanaticism, Kashmir asking special treatment is right.

Bottom line, this book is an exercise in mental gymnastics, not worth the time.

PS all through the book he criticises Hindus and viciously attacks RSS, Jana Sangh and BJP. Irony is he is now a member of BJP. Says a lot about the conviction of his ideals.

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is divided in three parts. The first handles the origin of Pakistan and its dismemberment; the second with Akali politics, the Anandpur Resolution, Bhindranwale, 'Operation Blue Star', the assassination of Mrs Gandhi and the anti-Sikh riots that followed; the third with Kashmir, its emergence as a semi-autonomous Indian state under the leadership of Sheikh Abdullah, the Sheikh's disputes with the Central Government, the succession of Dr Farooq Abdullah and his downfall. In a country where one crisis follows another and whose yesterdays pass into the halfway house of history of former times, it is hard to write anything which does not get obsolete in a very short time. Akbar has brought his narrative right down to the events of November 1984. Most keen followers of Indian affairs will be at home with much that Akbar has to say about the backdrop and political advances in the subcontinent. For them his narration will provide a refresher course in the history enlivened by terse yarns, suitable quotations and recollections of people he met.

Grab a copy if you choose.

[Anil Swarup · Rating 4 out of 5]

The brilliance of Akbar is once again to the fore. He manages to convince the reader that the threat to this country lies "within" and not "without". A must read for those that are concerned about the future of the country. Even those that are not may find it fascinating.

[Aditi · Rating 5 out of 5]

If India learnt more of the truth of its own past, it would perhaps have fewer problems today.

This is a phrase from the book which justifies why is essential to read this book. India is a great nation build by hard work of some really great men and ruined by vested interest of some. Since the time of invasions thousand years ago till the 80s the issues dealt by the country have been essayed. The book gives a logical and detailed view on how the history was played with and modified for the interest of those who seek power. What build Pakistan and what broke it? Why Pakistan failed, as a country and why the ideology failed. How India fought the linguistic division. The Khalistan Problem, created within by power seeking politicians. The Kashmir issue, which could have been resolved in 1953, was played with by communist and later screwed up by Congress(after Nehru) without any regard to people or their needs. How extremists groups and parties continues to play with history dividing people on religious basis, the wars that were fought for dynasties became war of religion. How fear of language/caste/religious bias was seeded in the minds of people and how it worked for few who gained power.

This book is a must read for those who are trying to figure out the root causes of problems in this country. Its gives a insight to What India is, why it continues to be what it is, the philosophy that created India and survived despite the challenges and why its always the fight within that is toughest to be fought and ultimately shows our Character.

[Neville Krishnaswamy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely informative and will make one question the popular belief that has been prevalent in this country. I would urge each one to experience this book for themselves. The first book i have ever read in this genre and I already seem to be searching for similar books. There are some valuable insights here that will stay with the reader for a while. For the writing style and keeping me thoroughly engrossed, I give it 5 stars.

[Khalil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple and clear as MJ-Akbar always is, here he describes in detail three of the most important problem to bother India after independence, Pakistan, Khalistan, and Kashmir

[Ethan Fortes · Rating 5 out of 5]

India: The Seige Within is a detailed historical description of the conflicts that arose in India after the Independence. M.J. Akbar writes about how the conflicts within India have slowed down the progress of India. The book focuses on how from the South to the North, India has been riddled with conflicts ranging from language to religion, and also how the Government at that time worked towards maintaing the peace within the warting parties. This is a book worth reading for a better understanding the history of India.

[Nivedita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Covers the turbulent history of India particularly from 1930s to 1960s outlining the initial threats to Indian national unity in the precarious post-independence times. The three major threats that Akbar makes the force of the book are The Indian Partition and the Kashmir "question" as it's aftermath, tue khalistan Movement and Tamil Nationalism. Divided in three parts, the book is insightful, persuasive and a fine work of assiduous journalism.

[Anshuman Swain · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 rounded to 4

The book, although written in 1985, echoes the problems that India still faces from communal elements. The winds have changed but the question is still the same. The author does a great job in narrating various pieces in the larger context of independence Indian history, to make the readers aware of the complex interplay of events and ideas that led to seccesion within India (although still maybe a tenny bit biased, I felt).

[Munish Handa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took me some to finish the book … because I re-read several passages … why? Because I enjoyed reading them so
Classic MJA style and absolutely engrossing content that covered the issues of the south and north
What I feel is that the issues of the East that affect Indian unity was not so well covered
A must read though

[Agyani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Godzilla

[Aman]

Ok

[Pallav Mukherjee · Rating 1 out of 5]

A MUST READ - for those who want to understand
India - a very comprehensive book. 5 star rating.

[Karn Kher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A historical India-biased perspective of the recent 50 tumultuous years of India's creation.