Once seen by Jawaharlal Nehru as a microcosm of Indian culture - and in the 2000s by both US President Bill Clinton and Bill Gates of Microsoft as a focal point of India's booming IT industry - the southern city of Hyderabad is now a symbol of India's worst crony capitalism. This is the capital of Andhra Pradesh that will elect a new state assembly at the same time as the general election. John Elliott tells a story of dynastic political ambitions, personal greed, and the lauding of companies that grew fat on fraudulent land and other deals with a new form of corruption, especially during the past ten years of Congress rule. He traces the history from the time of the British and uncovers the origins of a new entrepreneurial community as significant as old business clans such as the Marwaris.