Offering a thought-provoking, incisive analysis of Bengal and India, these memoirs, translated for the first time into English, spanning the 1930s to today, bring contemporary India alive. Mitra mercilessly dissects the middle class, the 'bhadralok', of which he is a member. He analyses the fledgling democracy of India, taking us through the heady days of state planning on the Soviet model, criticising the worldwide mantra of globalisation and liberalisation which he believes aggravates poverty. He held considerable positions of power within the establishment, including the office of economic adviser to prime minister Indira Gandhi. He provides much insider information on the emergence of Bangladesh in 1971. Most intriguing are his thoughts of being a Marxist in a poor country and his discussion of his stint as minister for nine years.