The book is divided into five sections. Section I explores the geography of the region, which stretches from Rajasthan in the west to Jharkhand in the east with Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh in between. The author then looks at caste, religion, the rural?urban divide, and the tribes who belong to the region. In the chapter on the economy, she attempts to show how the economic backwardness of the Hindi belt has come about through faulty and myopic post- Independence policies conceived by various governments?these have come in the way of sustained and inclusive development. Section II looks at the medieval and modern history of the region and covers the emergence of the Delhi Sultanate, the Mughals, the Marathas, and the East India Company. Section III examines British colonialism through the lens of empire building, and shows how the imperialists distorted history to facilitate their divide and rule policy. It also dwells on the deliberate economic impoverishment of the Hindi belt and how this continues to impact the region even after Independence. Section IV analyses the freedom struggle?and covers among other things the emergence of the idea of India and the increasing Hinduization of that idea. It establishes the Hindi belt?s criticality to Gandhi?s satyagraha, and the success of the British Indian government?s experiments with strategies that divided communities, which eventually led to the partition of the country. Section V appraises developments in the region after Independence. It outlines the government?s struggle to rehabilitate refugees coming in from the west and the adoption of a liberal Constitution for the citizens of the newly independent nation.