The Centre Did Not Hold


The Centre Did Not Hold Raj Chandavarkar Inside India Today by Dilip Hiro; Routledge, Kegan and Paul,
AS an encyclopaedia of Indian politics, Dilip Hiro's book, "Inside India Today", could scarcely be bettered. For the Indian, actively or reflectively concerned with politics, as much as for the western reader whose interest has been aroused by the Emergency, Hiro has fulfilled an important need. Having sought to provide us with a profile of Indian politics today, Hiro has put together a compelling and suggestive story. This suggestive quality, however, invites further criticism and draws attention to the flaws of a book that many would like to have written.