A Feast of Vultures

A Feast of Vultures: The Hidden Business of Democracy in India is an 2016 non-fiction book by the Indian investigative journalist, Josy Joseph.^[1] The book examines and documents modern India's democracy, drawing attention to corruption in business and government.

Summary

A Feast of Vultures is a multi-level inquiry into Indian government, which highlights evidence against some of the country's largest businesses and political figures. The book reopens major political scandals that have shaped its political narratives.

Joseph gathers and examines documentary evidence of corruption at every level of Indian government. In particular, Joseph focuses on government-affiliated individuals who facilitate business through their affiliation, which has resulted, he argues, some of the major business monopolies in the country. This corruption is illustrated through examples of needs: a village needs a road and a hospital, a graveyard needs a wall, people need toilets - and the ways individuals navigated their business and government to meet those needs.

Structure

The book opens in an ordinary village and winds up outside the palatial residence of one of the richest Indians. In between, Joseph draws upon the stories of anonymous poor and famous Indians to illustrate the challenges facing the world’s largest democracy.

A Feast of Vultures reports on the flourishing phenomenon of middlemen in modern India throughout the country. Joseph focuses on the individual men and women who facilitate access to decision makers and manipulate government decisions, suggesting that 'a whole caste of middlemen' sustains the level of corruption in India. Joseph argues that middlemen are ubiquitous throughout India, and can be found from the lowest police post to the offices of the Prime Minister and President.

The book zooms in on a particular segment of the Indian economy to show how pliable the institutions of Indian democracy are at the hands of ambitious and well-funded business leaders seeking preferential treatment directly from government officials or through intermediaries, including those from the criminal underworld. Through a detailed investigation, the author provides his own evidence, arguing that some of the most successful of modern India’s entrepreneurs have thrived through bribes, manipulation, and possibly even murder.

In the final segment of the book, Joseph argues that India's elite are the beneficiaries of corruption, using their financial and political clout to steer policymaking and legislation. . The elite are described as 'puppet masters' who straddle political and economic power and are therefore unencumbered by either democratic accountability or regulatory oversight.

Book cover

The cover of A Feast of Vultures combines two images: a Corbis/Getty Images photograph of the bed of a farmer who committed suicide, his photograph propped up against a pillow, and skyscrapers in the background.

Awards

In January 2018, A Feast of Vultures was named the best book for 2017 by the jury in the non-fiction category of the Crossword Book Award.^[2] The competing entries included books by Amitav Ghosh, Pradeep Damodaran, Pankaj Mishra, and Shashi Tharoor.

Interviews

In an interview with Rohan Venkataramakrishnan for Scroll.in, Joseph said: “I'm the father of a 13-year-old girl. I would rather set an example for her than let my friends in the industry be happy or be scared of someone. I'm ready for it, if there is any litigation, I think it would be a great fight to have.” "Very honestly, I’ve been in Delhi for 25 years, and I’ve never seen this level of self-censorship in public discourse. Ever. The worst is the self-censorship that reporters are subjecting themselves to, and the distortion of facts. I hope it’s a short-lived phenomenon. In a young country like ours, you cannot suppress dissent. At least not forever." "It's an embarrassing thing for journalists, though. We've forgotten our duty and become lapdogs of the establishment. Some of us will have to stand up and fight, and be firm about values. It is when we stand up, then things will change."^[3]

In an interview with Preetha Nair for TheNewsMinute.com, Joseph said: ”It is a coincidence that my book comes at a time when we are celebrating 25 years of liberalisation and 70 years of independence. A lot of us born in the socialist era have come to believe that middlemen are part of our system. Liberalisation has given a fillip to middlemen and they've grown a hundred times. If you get the right middleman, you can even buy a government. My book is an angst-ridden narrative on the distortion of our democracy.” "One of the fundamental flaws in our system is that Indian politics sucks in a lot of black money and our corporates are forced to feed the political class. If we can bring transparency in political funding, that itself will diminish corruption."^[4]

In an interview with Syed Firdaus Ashraf for Rediff.com, Joseph said:“As reporters, we are always dealing with a tiny bit of a large puzzle. We are also hamstrung by space limitations, various kinds of censorships imposed by corporate, political and such interests as well as other restrictions. I wanted to report and interpret modern India without any self-censorship, varnishing or any other considerations. A Feast Of Vultures is my first step in this direction.”^[5]

Critical reviews

"Investigative journalist Josy Joseph’s book A Feast of Vultures, which deals with corruption at all levels of Indian society, opens a Pandora’s box..The book highlights some forgotten corruption cases involving the rich and the powerful, which the CBI failed to unravel." — Coomi Kapoor, in The Indian Express^[6]

"A book that breaks new ground and speaks the truth at many levels, A Feast of Vultures turns an unflinching gaze on the way democracy actually functions in India."— Karthika V.K., Publisher and Chief Editor, HarperCollins Publishers, India

"This is an irritatingly brilliant book. Too sweeping, too condemnatory, and, perhaps, too true. None of the chapters in the book would have made a report for any newspaper — nor would have any news editor let them get into the newspaper. Yet, there is a story to be told, and Joseph does it with considerable competence and style. A deeply sober and sobering book." — Harish Khare, Editor, The Tribune^[7]

"Compassionate, observant, acute, with a strong sense of justice, all in fine, mellowed prose. I hope it is widely read." — Harsh Mander

"A brave and brilliant book; exemplifies the best of Indian investigative journalism." — Varun Gandhi on Twitter

"This is going to be the book of the year!" — Sagarika Ghose on Twitter

“Joseph, who belongs to a fast-vanishing tribe of investigative journalists in a media largely reduced to a tawdry spectacle, then embarks on an ambitious inquiry of what ails India…Part memoir, part reportage and part polemic, Joseph’s book is a cautionary tale of a nation losing its way…When Joseph shines a light on the dark corners and the frayed edges and the decaying heart of the world’s biggest democracy, it’s a good time to ask: when will Indians confront their realities head on?” — Soutik Biswas in OPEN Magazine^[8]

“The book paints a realistic picture of the country, which, sadly, never gets depicted in the works of our academicians or even journalists. This is also a book that should be read by analysts who see the world through the prism of the business-economy lens—of stock market, emerging market, rural market, India vs China growth story. This is a book for everyone who is interested in the story of post-independent India told in the most blunt manner.” — Rishi Raj in The Financial Express^[9]

“Josy Joseph’s A Feast Of Vultures is an important, if sobering read, meticulously researched and intelligently written… Joseph judiciously mixes field reporting and investigative research: No wonder he is an award-winning journalist… This narrative reads like a thriller and is alone worth the book’s price.” — Aditya Sinha in Mint^[10]

"A Feast of Vultures clinically examines and documents the crisis gripping the world's largest democracy." — Iftikhar Gilani in DNA^[11]

"A Feast of Vultures is a reporter’s inquiry into the state of the nation... It is an account of the reality of India as we know it." Rohit Srivastava in The Pioneer^[12]

"A Feast of Vultures is the fascinating tale of modern India and its journey as a liberal economy. The message is loud and clear: the loot should end, rhetoric should turn into action and we must change the "business as usual" approach which allows crony capitalism, scandals and scams." — Namrata Biji Ahuja in The Week^[13]

"Joseph's book lays bare the corruption across all levels, from village panchayats to the top echelons of government and private sector, which is corroding India's innards." — The Financial Express^[14]

"A hard-hitting examination of the state of the nation, this is a gripping book about oligarchy in contemporary India, about the grabbing of its resources, and the impoverishment of the nation." — Hindustan Times^[15]

"Joseph explicitly wrote A Feast of Vultures, to cover stories from modern India that "never see the light of day" – not least because of the fear of legal reprisal." — Rohan Venkataramakrishnan in Scroll.in^[16]

"From unearthing the unholy nexus between the underworld and politicians to the staggering might of middlemen, investigative journalist Josy Joseph reveals the dark side of Indian politics in his book." — TheNEWSMinute.com^[17]

"In journalist Josy Joseph's gripping book, A Feast Of Vultures - The Hidden Business Of Democracy In India, released this year, page after page lays out the dirty dealings and suspected graft that helped some of India's best known companies rise in fields such as defence and aviation." Ravi Velloor in The Straits Times^[18]

References