Author Profile:
M.J. Akbar, an Indian Muslim, was born in Jan. 1951. His maternal grandfather, Mir Habibullah, was a Kashmiri
who took his shawl business to Amritsar. In the chaos of 1947, Amritsar was emptied of Muslims and the family went as penniless
refugees to Pakistan. His paternal grandfather was orphaned early in life and ran away from the poverty of his village in
Bihar to the industrial outskirts of Calcutta. A Hindu called Prayag, he later converted to Islam and took the name Sheikh
Rahamatullah. He remained in India because of his commitment to Congress Party. MJ Akbar was educated at the Calcutta boys'
high school and graduated with honors in English from Presidency College, Calcutta in 1970. He took to journalism and had
careers with Times of India, Illustrated Weekly of India, Onlooker and Sunday. In 1982, he conceived, designed and edited
the new daily English newspaper, the Telegraph. MJ. Akbar has authored acclaimed books including India: The Siege
Within, Riot After Riot, Kashmir: Behind the Vale, Shade of Swords: Jihad and the Conflict Between Islam and Christianity.
He is married to Mallika and has a daughter, Mukulika and son, Prayag.
Here are a few chapters from the book - India: The Siege Within
The Birth of Pakistan and The Survival of India
The Great River
PUNJAB - The State of a Problem
KASHMIR
Guilty Till Proved Innocent?
Glory to Mother Bharat
A Phenomenon of Democracy