A LUCIFICENT, NECESSARY ACCOUNT OF HOW MAJORLY THE INDIAN STATE FAILS ITS CITIZENS. The major pillars of democratic functioning?the states?are frequently ignored as the story of democratic failure is typically interpreted at the level of the nation. This is the story of India's states, and it explains why some of them construct schools without hiring any teachers, give special treatment to a small number of businesses at the expense of others, engage in water wars with their neighbours while tolerating widespread sand mining and groundwater extraction, and encourage citizens to vote while ruthlessly suppressing their right to dissent. Award-winning investigative journalist M. Rajshekhar provides a crucial account of a serious problem that has largely gone unreported while reporting over thirty-three months from six states.