India and I: A chronicle of Quraishi’s memories

Public lives are usually captured in heavy, chronological autobiographies. Dr SY Quraishi shatters that predictable format in India and I: A Hundred Memories, Not a Memoir. Instead of sweeping histories, the former Chief Election Commissioner delivers a deeply personal mosaic of one hundred self-contained moments. Each memory is crafted in exactly two pages.

Javed Akhtar describes these vignettes as “short films,” noting they form a portrait of India no single narrative could capture. Meanwhile, Shashi Tharoor calls the collection an “urgent, vital book” that pushes readers to build upon the dreams of the nation’s founders. Quraishi proves the real story of a country hides in small, overlooked interactions like a split-second decision, a career-altering meeting, or a quiet chat revealing the true nature of power. He takes readers far beyond sterile bureaucratic corridors. The episodes seamlessly transition from his nostalgic childhood in Old Delhi and a distinguished Indian Administrative Service career to global observer missions in war-torn Sri Lanka and Myanmar. Through candid, insightful prose, Quraishi maps encounters with Nobel laureates alongside conversations with a humble gardener. He balances political intrigue within Delhi’s highest power circles with insider accounts of landmark electoral reforms.