IF I HAD TO CHOOSE BETWEEN LETTING DOWN A FRIEND OR MY COUNTRY, GOD, GIVE ME THE STRENGTH TO BETRAY MY NATION. ‘I was born in a mentally retarded country.’ Thus begins this provocative, stylish, and racy literary rant against India by a twenty-four-year-old awaiting capital punishment; hoisting so huge a historic and political canvas to paint upon—opening at the Emergency that almost murdered Democracy and culminating in the Godhra riots, which almost destroyed secularism—a canvas so grand, it will leave you staggered . . . . . . and set the tone for a modern story of an ancient Mad Nation! Longlisted for the MAN Asian Literary Prize, Autobiography of a Mad Nation is written on an epic scale—where history, personal friendships, love for a nation and belief in its values, sense of great literature, fight against censorship, passion for ideas, and a zeal for unforgettable characters and dialogue fuse—to leave a mesmerizing impact on the minds of readers who discerningly distinguish between great, and all else.
About the Author
When asked, Sriram Karri is never quite sure if the nation he was born in, and loves so much, was and is really mad, or if merely he is. Either way, he has witnessed his country grow fondly, sadly, joyfully, regretfully, and above all, hopefully. He began his career as a journalist and worked in Deccan Chronicle and Indian Express, and has worked as a corporate brander with TCS, Infosys, Satyam, the Indian School of Business, and also co-founded a tech start-up. He writes for The New York Times, and has contributed to The Guardian, The Hindu, and The New Indian Express. His first published work, The Spiritual Supermarket, was longlisted for the Vodafone Crossword Book Award in the non-fiction category in 2008. An accomplished orator, Sriram is an invited speaker and panellist at several fora and discussions. He lives in Hyderabad with his wife and son.
