These are the memoirs of a bureaucrat who served at several levels in government – most notably twice as Lt Governor of Delhi, as Chief Secretary of Punjab, and as Secretary of the Ministries of Food and Commerce. Along with the highs and lows of prominent postings, the book provides an insider’s look into the workings of Indian bureaucracy. There are fascinating details about the way government business is transacted, on the ground – the politics, the pressures, the lack of resources – and the constant balance a civil servant must maintain while simultaneously trying to somehow get things done. During his tenure as L-G in Delhi for more than seven years, Tejendra Khanna worked with two chief ministers – Sahib Singh Verma and Sheila Dikshit – and the book delves into the at-times fraught relationship between the LG’s office and that of the CM in Delhi.