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