Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Every serious IAS aspirant must know beforehand what awaits him once he enters the
�system�. Almost ever year, a retired bureaucrat or a diplomat pens an
autobiography recollecting all the bad old memories and present them to the reader
in the hope that his experiences might shed some light on the working of the
�system� he was part of.

I found following books worth reading for their honest reflection about the working
of the �system�. Hope you will enjoy reading them.

1) Bureaucrazy Gets Crazier: IAS Unmasked � M.K.Kaw

bureaucrazy

This is an intimate, inside look at the state of the Indian Administrative Service,
with nothing held back. It lays bare the activities of the modern mandarins behind
bolted portals, describing how they crawl up the greasepole of success,
manipulating in-laws and outlaws with equal felicity.

Bureaucrazy was first published in 1993. Its first edition was sold out in 30 days.
It was translated into Hindi and Punjabi under the title Afsarshahi Benaqab. Over
the years there has been a clamour for Bureaucrazy 2. This is a revised and updated
edition of the original with 15 new chapters in addition to the 31 of the first
edition.

About the Author

Maharaj Krishen Kaw was born on 10 November 1941 in Srinagar, Kashmir. He joined
the IAS in 1964 and was allotted to the Himachal Pradesh cadre. He held important
posts in the state, including Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Finance
Secretary, Education Secretary and Personnel Secretary. He also spent fifteen years
at the centre and held the posts of Member Secretary, Fifth Central Pay Commission,
Secretary Civil Aviation and Secretary Human Resource Development.

2) The Honest Always Stand Alone � C.G.Somiah

the-honest-always-stand-alone-

Candid and outspoken, CG Somiah shares his experiences as an Indian Administrative

Officer, from his first posting to Orissa as Assistant Collector to the more heady
days of fighting terrorism in Punjab, keeping an eye on the country as Home
Secretary and Central Vigilance Commissioner and, finally, a six-year tenure as
Comptroller and Auditor General of India.

His efforts to stem corruption resulted in a loss of promotion for two years. His
colleagues were upset about his plight and some of them were of the view that it
was not prudent to defy corrupt politicians who can harm one�s career.

Somiah, however, heartily disagreed with them. Speaking straight from the heart,
Somiah�s narrative is well-knit and crisply put together. It takes us back to the
exciting days of Rajiv Gandhi�s prime ministership and gives us a glimpse into the
discussions that took place at the highest political level. As its title suggests,
The Honest Always Stand Alone marks the journey of a man who always upheld the
truth.
3) The Service Of The State: The IAS Reconsidered

the service of the state

Is the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) still the most appropriate institution
to govern twenty-first-century India Should a cadre of generalists head
organizations as complex and diverse as industrial units, museums and rural
development boards? If it had to be replaced, what is the best alternative? Drawing
on his experience of thirty-six years in the IAS, Bhaskar Ghose addresses these and
other major questions regarding the role, relevance and effectiveness of India�s
long-established but often controversial system of state administration in The
Service of the State.

This reflective and luminous memoir is not only a portrait of a lifetime�s service
to the state; it is also a timely and persuasive argument for a system of
governance that has had a critical impact on India since Independence.

About the Author

Bhaskar Ghose was educated in Mumbai and Delhi and joined the Indian Administrative
Service in 1960, retiring from it after thirty-six years. He served in various
capacities both in the government of West Bengal, the state to which he was
assigned, and in the Government of India.

He has held the posts of Director General, Doordarshan, Secretary, Department of

Culture in the Ministry of Human Resource Development, and Secretary, Ministry of
Information and Broadcasting. He has been a visiting fellow of Queen Elizabeth
House, University of Oxford.

4) Untouchables: My Family�s Triumphant Escape from India�s Caste System � Narendra

Jadhav

untouchables

Every sixth human being in the world today is an Indian, and every sixth Indian is
an untouchable. For thousands of years the untouchables, or Dalits, the people at
the bottom of the Hindu caste system, have been treated as subhuman.

In this remarkable book, at last giving voice to India�s voiceless, Narendra Jadhav
tells the awe-inspiring story of his family�s struggle for equality and justice in
India. Based on his father�s diaries and family stories, Jadhav has written the
triumphant story of his parents� their great love, unwavering courage, and eventual
victory in the struggle to free themselves and their children from the caste
system.

He vividly brings his parents� world to light and unflinchingly documents the
lives of untouchables � the hunger, the cruel humiliations, the perpetual fear, and
the brutal abuse. Untouchables is an eye-opening work that gives readers insight
into the lives of India�s 165 million Dalits, whose struggle for equality continues
even today.

About the Author

Narendra Jadhav was born in Mumbai, India. He is currently the principal adviser
and chief economist for the Reserve Bank of India and is the author of seven books
and more than seventy research papers.

5) An Outsider Everywhere: Revelations By An Insider

an-outsider-everywhere-revelations-by-an-insider-

Autobiographies of civil servants generally make for banal reading. These are
either exercises in self-glorification or attempts at pontification.

This is an autobiography with a difference. M.K. Kaw, the author of Bureaucrazy

fame is known for his style imbued with humour and pen dipped in satire. Here he
takes a look at his own life, starting with a zany essay on why he is called Kaw,
which means crow in Kashmiri. In one of the chapters, he refers to the phenomenon
which led some of his younger colleagues to revel in the appellation Kawboy.

The text is peppered with half-remembered lines of a childhood poem celebrating the
exploits of Natha Singh, a truck driver of Delhi. He has not omitted to reproduce
in its unexpurgated virility a naughty limerick he composed at a party about his
chief secretarys non-performing member.

There are revelations about the exploits of politicians and bureaucrats, as seen
from the perspective of a poet who got trapped in the topsy-turvy world of
bumbledom.

Kaw has manfully resisted the temptation to deliver high-sounding sermons at

hapless juniors in the service. He has instead concluded with tongue-in-cheek
aphorisms camouflaged as pearls of wisdom.

Latest Additions
6) The Insiders View: Memoirs of a Public Servant

must read books for IAS aspirants

In this illuminating memoir Javid Chowdhury shares his varied experiences over four
decades in the IAS: the years in training, when he imbibed the services ethos and
values; his initiation into the rural universe as the District Development Officer
and the District Magistrate; and further on, to his handling of the infamous Bank
Securities and Jain Hawala scams as Director of Enforcement and Union Revenue
Secretary.

With a light pen, Chowdhury describes the changing social profile and attitudes of
entrants to the higher civil services; the nepotism, in many garbs, that he
encountered as Establishment Officer; and the stranger than fiction tortuous
investigations of crimes. He also offers his nuanced reflections on the dubious
legacy Gujarat acquired as a result of the communal carnage in 2002.

About the Author

Javid Chowdhury has been a career civil servant in the Gujarat cadre of the Indian
Administrative Service and has experience in several key sectors of public
administration. He has served as the Union Secretary in the Ministry of Food,
Department of Revenue and the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. He lives in
retirement with his son and daughter in Delhi. Presently, he is active with NGOs
working in the domain of Public Health.

7) Pyramid of Virgin Dreams

Pyramid Of virgin dreams, must read books for upsc interview

Eight-year-old Kartikeya Kukreja solemnly swears to become an IAS officer after

accompanying an illegal poaching expedition to obtain a partridge and blackbuck for
his father�s boss�s supper.

Kartikeya eventually discovers the secret of his father�s fawning subordinates as

they attempt to scramble their way up the civil service pyramid, and himself
experiences a similar hilarious predicament.

A refreshingly original rendition of the slippery life in the Indian bureaucracy,

Pyramid of Virgin Dreams, replete with comic imagery, portrays, with humour and
intelligence, an India that is both farcical and full of hope.

About the Author

Vipul Mittra is an officer of the Indian Administrative Service, currently serving
in Gujarat. He lives with his family in Ahmedabad. Pyramid of Virgin Dreams, his
first novel, was ten years in the making.

8) No Minister: Memoirs of a Civil Servant

booklist for IAS mains, upsc interview books to read

The bard wrote: �The course of true love never ran smooth�. The same is true of
this book. It is the memoirs of a civil servant who followed the path of rectitude.
This is an interesting autobiographical account full of anecdotes and the author�s
personal observations on the bureaucracy, politics and life. It covers a
fascinating period in India�s political and administrative fabric and gives us
insights into the working of the civil services. As Mahesh Prasad observes, �The
career of a civil servant which may appear to be glittering to outsiders is an
eternal struggle�. As he says, there are those who are happy saying �Yes,
Minister�, and so reap the benefits that come their way. Those who dare to oppose
the Minister have to face the consequences. Dealing with the steel frame, it
unveils the seeping in of corruption and inequity in the bureaucracy. The book is
replete with self- deprecating humour and bon mots and is well worth a read.

About the Author

Mahesh Prasad has had a long and distinguished career as a Civil Servant in the
Indian Administrative Service. He retired from the rank of Cabinet Secretary, as
Chairman India Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO). During his career spanning 40
years he has held several posts in the Civil Services, including the post of Joint
Secretary in the Ministries of Home and Commerce, and Advisor, Planning Commission.
He has also held Secretary level positions at the Centre in the Ministries of
Finance, Industry, Environment, and Information & Broadcasting. Mr Prasad has also
been Chairman of a number of UN and intergovernmental bodies. Born in Lucknow,
India, into an upper middle class family, the author was educated at Lucknow
University and at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. He has been conferred several
awards for distinguished public service such as Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Award
(1998), Bharat Gaurav Award (1999), Pride of India Award (2000), International
Millennium Goldstar Award (2001), Rashtriya Ratna Award (2001) and U.P. Ratan Award
(2003). Mr. Prasad now serves on the Board of various commercial and charitable
organizations.

9) And What Remains in the End : The Memoirs of an Unrepentant Civil Servant
IAS books, upsc mains books, robin gupta book IAS

In And What Remains In The End: The Memoirs Of An Unrepentant Civil Servant, author
Robin Gupta provides readers with the socio-historical and economic developments
that have occurred in India over the last four decades. Gupta�s memoir provides a
rich account about a country that is progressive and the people who have dedicated
themselves to serving India. It is a sensitive, historical, and philosophical
account, of India�s growth as a nation, and the major role played by Indian civil
servants in advancing it.

About Robin Gupta

Robin Gupta is an author and retired civil servant. He was born in 1948 in Delhi.
Gupta briefly served with the Indian Police Service before becoming an Indian
Administrative Service officer in 1974. As an IAS officer, he received challenging
assignments which required him to travel across the country. Gupta was also posted
as a commissioner on seven different occasions, which is a record in Indian civil
service history. Gupta�s final posting was in the Government of Punjab, where he
was a financial commissioner.

books books by bureaucrats india books for IAS aspirants bureaucracy IAS books life
Share:
NEXT STORY
Detailed Syllabus Of UPSC Civil Services Mains Exam (New Pattern)
PREVIOUS STORY
Prelims Dilemma: What To Do After UPSC Prelims?

SUBSCRIBE VIA EMAIL

Please Enter Your Email ID and Hit the Subscribe Button to Receive Current Events
Updates for Free

Email Address
Email Address
SUBSCRIBE

Subject-wise based approach Prelims Test Series 2020

Textbook based approach Prelims Test Series 2020

SEARCH
Search for:
Search �

CATEGORIES
Categories
FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK

RECENT POSTS
TEST-48- INSIGHTS IAS REVISION PLAN FOR PRELIMS 2019 � DAILY REVISION TESTS: 01 May
2019 May 1, 2019
Early Bird offer: InsightsIAS Prelims Test Series � 2020 (15 Percent discount till
5th of June 2019) May 1, 2019
ADMIT CARD: Download Your Admit Card for UPSC Civil Services Preliminary
Examination � 2019 May 1, 2019
QUIZ � 2017: Insights Current Affairs Quiz, 01 May 2019 May 1, 2019
Insights Static Quiz -299, 2019�Economy May 1, 2019
MUST BUY BOOK FOR PRELIMS � 2019
June 2013
M T W T F S S
� May Jul �
1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
IMPORTANT LINKS
Current Affairs
Current Affairs Quiz
Secure Questions
Toppers Articles
Updates
UPDATES
Early Bird offer: InsightsIAS Prelims Test Series � 2020 (15 Percent discount till
5th of June 2019) May 1, 2019
ADMIT CARD: Download Your Admit Card for UPSC Civil Services Preliminary
Examination � 2019 May 1, 2019
Insights into UPSC Prelims: A Statistical Justification � Why you should attempt
more Qs in UPSC Prelims April 29, 2019
InsightsIAS Offline Guidance Program (OGP)-2020: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
April 27, 2019
Topper�s Strategy: Rahul Sankanur, Rank 17 � Insights Core Batch and Mains Test
Series Student � Highest Score in Ethics paper (119) April 26, 2019
OFFLINE PRELIMS TEST SERIES � 2020: Admissions Open + Offline Test Series Students
can Write Entrance Test for Core Batch � 2020 April 25, 2019
ADMISSIONS: InsightsIAS OGP � 2020 Classroom Program � Admission Form, Payment Link
and Faculty Details April 24, 2019
Topper�s Strategy: Joydeep Moitra, Rank 295, Insights Student � THE JOURNEY OF A
LIFETIME April 24, 2019
InsightsIAS Offline Guidance Program (OGP) � 2020 Classroom Program: Admissions
Open (Details and Timetable) April 23, 2019
CORE BATCH � 2020: Admissions Open (Details + Timetable) April 23, 2019
MOTIVATIONAL POSTS
MOTIVATION: Handling the (UPSC Civil Services) Final Result April 3, 2019
Big MOTIVATIONAL Story: JAMIR SHAIKH, RANK 18 � IFOS 2018, Interview � 180 Marks,
InsightsIAS OFFLINE Student March 7, 2019
MOTIVATION: Civil Services Mains Exam � 2018 September 27, 2018
10 Days to Mains: Don�t Be Intimidated. Be Inspired. � by Anudeep Durishetty, Rank
� 1 CSE-2017 September 17, 2018
TOPPER�S STRATEGY: Jayantika Singh, AIR 286, Law Optional, Self Study and 5 years
work experience, First Mains September 8, 2018
MOTIVATION: Control your Day, Every Day August 26, 2018
MOTIVATION: Rising like a Phoenix?�?�Failure� and CSE � Megha Arora, Rank 108, CSE
2017 July 28, 2018
MOTIVATION & STRATEGY: Gopal Krishna B � An Inspirational Story of Patience and
Perseverance, Rank 265 CSE-2017, Optional � Medical Science July 16, 2018
MOTIVATION: My UPSC Journey- From Despair to Destiny, Anudeep Durishetty, Rank � 1
UPSC CSE-2017 June 24, 2018
MOTIVATION (For CS Prelims � 2018): Fear is Just a Figment of Your Imagination June
2, 2018
RECENT CURRENT EVENTS POSTS
Insights Daily Current Affairs + PIB: 30 April 2019 April 30, 2019
Insights Daily Current Affairs + PIB: 29 April 2019 April 29, 2019
Insights Daily Current Affairs + PIB: 27 April 2019 April 27, 2019
Insights Daily Current Affairs + PIB: 26 April 2019 April 26, 2019
Insights Daily Current Affairs + PIB: 25 April 2019 April 25, 2019
Insights Daily Current Affairs + PIB: 24 April 2019 April 24, 2019
Insights Daily Current Affairs + PIB: 23 April 2019 April 23, 2019
Insights Daily Current Affairs + PIB: 22 April 2019 April 22, 2019
Insights Daily Current Affairs + PIB: 20 April 2019 April 20, 2019
Insights Daily Current Affairs + PIB: 19 April 2019 April 19, 2019
TOPPER�S STRATEGIES
TOPPER�S STRATEGY: How to conquer GS in UPSC Mains, Explained � Anudeep Durishetty
Rank � 1 UPSC CSE-2017 July 14, 2018
TOPPER�S STRATEGY: Manish Kumar, Rank � 61, CSE-2017 � Post Prelims � The Road is
not easy but did you expect it June 12, 2018
SOLUTIONS � INSIGHTS REVISION TEST for Preliminary Exam 2018: Test � 66(Geography)
May 27, 2018
INSIGHTS REVISION TEST for Preliminary Exam 2018: Test � 66 (Geography) May 26,
2018
IMPORTANT: 100 MCQs on INDIA YEAR BOOK-2018 for UPSC Civil Services Preliminary
Exam � 2018 by Insights Team May 26, 2018
SOLUTIONS � INSIGHTS REVISION TEST for Preliminary Exam 2018: Test � 65(History)
May 26, 2018
INSIGHTS REVISION TEST for Preliminary Exam 2018: Test � 65 (History) May 25, 2018
IMPORTANT: 100 MCQs on Economic Survey 2018 for UPSC Civil Services Preliminary
Exam � 2018 by Insights Team May 25, 2018
SOLUTIONS � INSIGHTS REVISION TEST for Preliminary Exam 2018: Test � 64(History)
May 25, 2018
INSIGHTS REVISION TEST for Preliminary Exam 2018: Test � 64 (History) May 24, 2018
CURRENT AFFAIRS QUIZ
Insights Daily Current Affairs + PIB: 30 April 2019 April 30, 2019
Insights Daily Current Affairs + PIB: 29 April 2019 April 29, 2019
Insights Daily Current Affairs + PIB: 27 April 2019 April 27, 2019
Insights Daily Current Affairs + PIB: 26 April 2019 April 26, 2019
Insights Daily Current Affairs + PIB: 25 April 2019 April 25, 2019
Insights Daily Current Affairs + PIB: 24 April 2019 April 24, 2019
Insights Daily Current Affairs + PIB: 23 April 2019 April 23, 2019
Insights Daily Current Affairs + PIB: 22 April 2019 April 22, 2019
Insights Daily Current Affairs + PIB: 20 April 2019 April 20, 2019
Insights Daily Current Affairs + PIB: 19 April 2019 April 19, 2019
ABOUT
Today, Insights is synonymous with UPSC civil services exam preperation. Insights
has redefined the way preparation is done in UPSC civil service exam