Welcome to my Weltanschauung!

  (Fig - source ) November has transformed into a battleground for democracy in India with five states (MP, Rajasthan, Chattisgarh, Telangana & Mizoram) going to the polls. It is a matter of great debate among political pundits whether the outcomes of these state elections will serve as a prelude to the grand stage of 2024. While I'm no expert to comment on this debate, what drew my attention is how these elections are being fought, particularly in my home state, Telangana. As a political science student, I am aware of the important role identity factors like caste, religion, language, etc. play in Indian politics. Renowed political scientist Christophe Jaffrelot once famously said, "Indians do not cast their vote, rather vote their caste" . Which identity factors are important varies from region to region. In general, religion plays much less role in South Indian politics compared to North India even as issues like language and caste are highly prominent. This pre-em...

Before getting into the contents of the book, first, why did I pick this book?  I wanted to have a close understanding of the job nature of an IPS officer before joining the National Police Academy (NPA). Although I've closely interacted with quite a few officers and watched many 'Dabangg' style movies (:p) I didn't fully know what it meant to be an IPS officer. What do they do in their day-to-day lives, how do they solve crimes, handle law and order, and how exciting/unexciting is the job?  So, when I was searching for books on this subject I came across Khaki files, written by an officer who had a fulfilling career as an IPS. The author, Neeraj Kumar, is a retired IPS officer who served in many distinguished positions including in the CBI and as the Commissioner of Delhi Police. The book is divided into nine chapters, each of which is dedicated to a particular case the officer was directly/indirectly involved in handling. Coincidentally, almost all the cases mentioned...