What is the BJP’s definition of nationalism? Why did the UPA government follow a policy of ‘strategic restraint’? Why is Mgnrega an important instrument in the larger context of India’s transformation? How has the ‘surgical strike’ on currency resulted in difficulties for millions of people? These contentious questions are just a few of the myriad political, strategic and economic issues that former Union Minister P. Chidambaram analyses in his latest book. Written in inimitable style and characteristic wit by one of India’s most influential political commentators, this book brings together a selection of the finest and most incisive essays published as a weekly column in the Indian EXPRESS in 2016. This is as much a showcase of P. Chidambaram’s impeccable writing as it is a thought-provoking commentary on the state of the nation.