Book Review: Flying Lies?

Given our robust eco-system of corruption and the still lingering memories of Bofors, it is inevitable that our increasing purchase of defence equipment/ arms would attract public scrutiny. India is the third largest spender on the military (2021) and the world's third largest importer of arms; I might also add for context that we are ranked 85th out of 180 countries in Transparency International's corruption perception index. This is the background against which we must assess this monumental book by Parnajoy Guha Thakurta and Ravi Nair, two of our finest investigative journalists at a time when most of their colleagues ( and posturing TV anchors) have either crawled into the widening cracks of the "fourth pillar of democracy" or have donned the attire of cheer-leaders of the present dispensation. The writing of this book required not only meticulous research, dogged persistence, careful analysis but also plenty of courage.