Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

PolyTicks, DeMocKrazy & MumboJumbo: Babus, Mantris and Netas (Un)Making Our Nation

Rate this book
An uproariously funny, no-holds-barred tussle with India’s entire political culture and current affairs, the environment and conservation, the bureaucracy and governance, legal matters, social issues, societal peccadilloes, and anything else that can be lampooned. The foibles are treated with indulgent banter, the failures with wit and raillery of the highest order. Avay Shukla is an original voice. A major discovery.


258 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 29, 2020

9 people are currently reading
26 people want to read

About the author

Avay Shukla

8 books4 followers

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
20 (54%)
4 stars
12 (32%)
3 stars
5 (13%)
2 stars
0 (0%)
1 star
0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
Profile Image for Avani ✨.
1,892 reviews446 followers
February 22, 2021
PolyTicks, DeMoKrazy & MumboJumbo: Babus, Mantris & Netas (un)making our nation by Avay Shukla is a satire on Indian Politics & Social Culture. This is the third book by the author and he is has written it in a quite humorous manner.

The book talks about the events from 2014 to 2020 i.e. when the new Government came into power till the Lockdown. I usually am not a person who reads books on Politics because I feel they are always biased and show only one side story. But this one being a satire, I wanted to try it.

The title as well as the well designed cover is very eye catching. But I definitely agree with few things he has written in this book, one being the unfair and biased treatment to the so called "Neta's" of our country. The harsh tone, the satire, the humor everything was really on point in this book.

But at the same time, I also felt few things written in this book are purely biased and show unadulterated hate towards few people. I always believe in only one thing when it comes to Politics - Even the beautiful Lotus grows in the same old Dirt.
194 reviews1 follower
September 8, 2020
Ok so I just don't know from where to begin, not because I didn't like this book but because I LOVED THIS BOOK. I am not a fan of non fiction books and have read few but this is the best amongst all the non fiction books I have read.
The title itself is so humourous, you can very well imagine how funny the book would be.
It is not a normal non fictional book dealing with the political issues of our country, it's beyond that. Here Mr Avay Shukla sir has addressed other major issues like environment and conservation, legal matters, social issues, etc.
At first I was really reluctant to pick this book up as I hated political science in school, but I can't thank my stars enough for having read this book. I thought it would be boring as I am not at all interested in politics or news but the introduction itself got me hooked to this masterpiece.
Even if I wanted to point out few dialogues or his point of view which made me laugh, I will not be able to do so as the entire book is filled with the author's sarcasm.
This book purely, brutally, sarcastically and honestly brings about the scenario of our country starting from the year 2014 till the present date. It is so honest that some people might actually get offended by reading this so please keep your minds open.
If I had to choose my favourite chapters from this book, it would be TIHAR REGENCY (where he talks about the VIP treatment given to the ministers and other so-called important people of our country and how these people make thousands of excuses just to get a bail on their term) and the other being A SHORT GUIDE TO SOUTH DELHI DINNER.
For me it's a total 10/10 as I not only had a good laugh but also learnt quite a many facts about our country. It is a must read for all the fiction and non fiction book lover out there. You just have to keep your mind open while reading this otherwise your blood will start to boil starting from the first few pages 🤣
P.S. I also loved the fact that how the author pointed out the similarities between our society and ANIMAL FARM at few places which was so accurate.

Few lines which I loved (although there are a lot many, but I have got word limit hence can't jot down more)
🌸Goethe who said: “By nothing do men show their character more than by the things they laugh at.” How will our character be judged when there’s nothing left to laugh at?

🌸🤣Breaking news is invariably depressing, and it will reach me inevitably, smart phone or dumb phone – what’s the hurry?

🌸🤣South Delhi is where most of Delhi’s multi-millionaires live and where the least amount of Income Tax is collected. Its residents, therefore, are naturally in a mood to celebrate all the time by throwing dinner parties with all these tax savings.

P.P.S. I so want to meet Mr Avay Shukla Sir 😭🌸
7 reviews
September 16, 2020
Mumbojumbo: Babus, mantris and netas (un) making our nation.
Author: Avay Shukla (former IAS)
Genre : Non-fiction

Mr. Avay Shukla is a retired IAS officer who served in Himachal Pradesh. This book is a collection of his blogs which had been written in the time span of 4 years ( 2016-2020). He is not only a successful bureaucrat but also has a way with the pen and paper. He has this God gifted eminent way of using words which is indeed highly appreciable. This book mainly concentrates on the current portrait of our nation India and it's present affairs. He depicts varying views on the nation's political issues, bureaucracy, economical malfunction, social issues and stigmas and the lack of governance. The whole plot may be sardonic and satirical but the critiques made are much innovative because the use of his humour. His writing is uncensored and he has mentioned that the best medium of criticism is humour, irony and satire as it disarms us of our prejudices and preconceived notions. He refers that there is a life beyond the headlines and the breaking news and it can be funny. It contains numerous blogs related to the faults and follies of our governance and system and has trolled them with harsh tone of melancholy.

I had never laughed a great deal before reading this book. Initially I thought a book on these serious topics regarding our nation wouldn't entertain or influence me much but I was totally wrong. Avay Shukla sir has critiqued each and every problem be it poltics, economy and social issues in such a sarcastic way, it blew me away. I really enjoyed how he refers the Delhi superior people to be Honey badgers who don't at all give a shit about other lower class people even if they die out of hunger or lack of treatment. I liked the way he writes the idea about the construction of a 5 star hotel at Tihar jail for the VIP hospitality for the politicians so they dont experience and kind of problems there despite of their misdeeds. The guide to South Delhi dinner party was hilarious and will surely make you laugh till your tummy hurts. People roam around in their Roles Royce and mercedes but still hesitate to pay their income tax. He has portrayed the grave and distressful situation our nation is facing during the pandemic. The economic fall has really affected each and every class. We shouldbbe ashamed for shunning the people who are deprived of work and have to leave helplessly just to ensure our safety. I had a great time reading this one. Initially I thought that It wouldnt entertain me much but i was proved wrong as I read it. Even if you are not into this kind of books you can surely give it a try and will surely laugh and experience the current mumbo jumbo of the current state of the nation.
Rating : 5/5
Profile Image for Trinanjana.
238 reviews10 followers
April 19, 2021
Political satire is a genre that is as old as politics. The people on the top build a facade of themselves and satire works to break that facade. The hypocrisy of the leaders, their supporters and the reaction of the general public, the author notes it all down. You’d expect a book based on Politics to be all serious but this breaks the image. It’s filled with witty takes on the current political scenario.

Avay Shukla talks about how South Delhi has lavish parties organized but avoids paying taxes. After that they have the audacity to complain about governance. He draws two parallels between the education system in Kanpur and Delhi, the difference in quality and the future of children coming from both these systems. The difference in the quality of teaching in government schools in urban and rural regions can be so different that a student from one school will potentially enter Ivy League and the student of the other will barely make it through clerical exams. Every child has huge potential but it’s the inequality that makes or breaks it and who is to blame for this.

He talks not just about education but rather the presence of contrasts all across the board, be it economic, social, political and how common middle-class families are just like the seeds in the oil pressing mills. The benefits of policies don’t get distributed but rather it is determined on the basis of one’s political and social status. He gives analogies to explain the human tendency to bribe and then complain about the same thing. In a very prude manner, he explains our bribing habits to gods in return for good results, winning cases, and so on, and then that same “we need to give, to get something in return” mentality lands us up in bribing the babus and netas to get our work done. It may seem like criticizing but what is criticism if not the subtle truth.

Avay Shukla, a “punny” man, discussed some of the serious issues prevailing in the country for several decades, in a humorous manner. Satire on the political state of India from an IAS officer gives a different edge in the scenarios where the officers are known mostly to write their memoirs/motivational/serious socio-political non-fiction books. The timeline of the book is from 2014 to the present, focusing on the current government and how it performed in the eyes of the author.

The book comprises the essays he wrote on his blog but it doesn’t stay limited to that particular timeline. Often he discussed how grave the condition has been for years and how there is a kind of absolute anarchy in the system itself. He might seem biased depending on the reader's ideology. Avay Shukla is very honest in showing his support towards a particular section and doesn’t sugarcoat or try to cover it in any way. Although the writing style is very enjoyable, the dark grim content isn’t.
Profile Image for Sreelakshmi.
31 reviews4 followers
September 12, 2020
This is a Non-fiction book written by retired IAS officer Avay Shukla which is foreword by Dr Shashi Tharoor, member of parliament.

The book is a satirical one born from author's burning passion for issues that matter in India. He satirically narrates some relevant issues of India. The title may makes you feel this book may completely based on political issues. Yes it holds some political matters as well, but there's no need for any hesitation to read this if you are a person with no political interest. The book equally gives importance to current affairs, environment and conservation, bureaucracy and governance, legal matters, social issues and societal peccadilloes etc. So this one will help you to get an awareness about socially relevant issues.

Humour is the best way for criticize in a non offensive way and that's the tool which author used here. As you can see, the title itself is plenished with humour. His passion and dedication for India as a citizen and as a retired IAS officer, and knowledge of what's going on in our society is very evident from this book. The language and way of writing is really alluring and sometimes I searched for dictionary. My most favourite chapters are "Smar Phones And Dumb Floks" and "A Short Guide To South Delhi Dinner". His sarcastic writing will make you laugh and think and gives food for thoughts, and that made this book a 5-star read.

It is inevitable for every citizens to be aware of our society from every sides. If you are a person with lack of knowledge about things happening in our country, this book may make you bored, but I will recommend everyone to read this because if you are a person who are constantly updated with social matters this will be a food for your thoughts, and if you are not such type of person, go through this book and you will get a knowledge of social matters happening. Even though I'm not a great fan of non-fiction books, I thoroughly enjoyed this one so I think it will also be a good read for all types of readers.
Profile Image for Salmaa Gafoor.
99 reviews1 follower
May 5, 2021
We have all been witnessing that politics these days have been more of an entertainment than real progress.Avay Shukla ,Retired IAS officer is here with this amazing book “PolyTicks, DeMocKrazy & MumboJumbo: Babus, Mantris and Netas (Un)Making Our Nation” to make us laugh our guts out and also think at the same time .

Through this political satire ,He brings out
all the flaws and faults of the government in India from 2014 to the age of Covid in a most unbiased way.He addresses topics such as politics, economy, current affairs, environmental conservation,
governance,social issues in the most funny way that it would not only make the readers laugh but also think about the real issues .

Political satire is one of my favourite genres and This book got me hooked to it instantly .

It is very evident that there was a lot of research put into the book to extract the facts .It really does take a lot of courage to write the truth as it as especially in a country where freedom of speech is at risk.The book is written so honestly keeping in mind to convey the real scenario of Politics in India.This book depicts the sheer brilliance and courage that this author contains.

If you are someone who is into politics or a person who cares to take notice about how politics and progress revolves ,this book will make you fall for it .
Profile Image for Amulya Kulkarni.
76 reviews18 followers
September 15, 2020
A political satire involves the use of humor to ridicule the people or institutions, while making everyone aware of the issues the society is facing. It’s a potent tool for exposing society’s ills, especially when it comes to politicians and other powerful people.

“PolyTicks, DeMocKrazy & MumboJumbo: Babus, Mantris and Netas (Un)Making Our Nation” by retired IAS Officer Ajay Shukla, is one such political satire which exposes all the wrongdoings which have been taken place in India since 2014.

The novel consists of individual chapters on political culture, current affairs, environmental conservation, bureaucracy, governance, legal matters, social issues, societal peccadilloes in India. The author brings out all these issues in a humorous way which might actually offend a few people.

I don’t really like to read books on politics, but the humorous title of this book made me to pick it up. It’s not the typical political satire which is biased towards a particular sect of the society. This exposes the political scenario in the country in a very subtle way.

The book has a forward by Dr Shashi Tharoor, member of parliament. The language is simple yet sophisticated.
It is one of the funniest books I have read in the recent times.
Profile Image for Prabhu Guptara.
Author 3 books13 followers
September 16, 2020
I found the book very wittily written and stomachingly-funny.

Which is why I published it.

But I find myself curling over even on re-reading it for the Nth time.

Sorry - I am biased!
49 reviews1 follower
September 16, 2020
📚Book Name: PolyTicks, DeMokrazy & MumboJumbo : Babus, Mantris and Netas (Un) Making Our Nation

📚Author- Avay Shukla (Retd. IAS)

📚pgs- 263

📚Language- English , moderate to difficult

📚Avay Shukla is a retired IAS officer who has turned into a satirical writer.

📚He has also been the Additional Chief Secretary of Himachal Pradesh.

📚'Satire, ridicule, irony etc used to expose folly'
- The little Oxford Dictionary

📚The foreword to this book is given by the Indian politician, writer and formal international diplomat - Shashi Tharoor.

📚As the title suggests, 'PolyTicks' & 'Demokrazy' : this non fictional book by Avay Shukla satirizes the Indian Politicians/ institutions in such a way that it spreads awareness amongst the readers.

📚One who doesn't finds reading about the politics interesting or captivating must also give it a try as it explains the deeper aspect of the Indian Political System in a fascinating way.

📚Being a part of the political arena, the author holds profound knowledge as well as experience in the particular field.

📚Satire and humour is the best way to root concern in an inoffensive way.

📚The best part of the book according to me is that the author has covered each and every field of bureaucracy sarcastically beautifully.

📚I would recommend this book to everyone who's a citizen of India.

📚You can buy this book on amazon Kindle for INR 150
Profile Image for Shally.
255 reviews4 followers
February 22, 2021
Avay Shukla, an avid blogger, has really made me awestruck by the amount of wit he holds. I just loved his writing, full of wit, humor, irony, he has the guts to speak aloud on the top of his voice about the political scenarios in the country. With the foreward by Shashi Tharoor, which adds wings to the book, the author has narrated the events from the year 2014, moving on till the COVID year 2020. The political meetings, agendas, speeches, etc, a lot has been discussed here in the book by him in the most unexpected and witty manner, which took me three days to finish the book. I was not able to get it all in the single read, but yes it is worth read if you find your interests in politics. I am the most apolitical human ever, but still, I loved the book, the way it is written is just beyond my words.
It reminded me about The Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, which seems to be a very basic book for children's read, but no, it was far deeper than that. The cover of the book, DeMocKrazy is in itself a masterpiece. My favorite chapters happen to be Fifty Shades of 'No' and Watering Holes and Morgue Masalas.
I would love to suggest this book to all the political minds out there.
Profile Image for Kuntal Sensarma.
67 reviews2 followers
December 13, 2020
A collection of blogs on Indian politics, bureaucracy and evolving social & economic developments in the country. The author, a retired officer of Indian Administrative Service, gives an insider's views as well as his personal opinion on the socio-economic situations in India since 2014 till about June 2020.

It is a satirical and acerbic take on whats ails the Indian governance system and impact on ordinary citizens.

Gives a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience particularly for readers who know the working of the governments in the Centre and States in India.

A discerning dispassionate reader will be able to relate to many of the incidents cited and will empathize with the same.
Profile Image for Shebin.
52 reviews2 followers
April 13, 2023
Current affairs approached with pun
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.