BOOK REVIEW 75 undue stress is laid on procedure. Even a serious mistake will be condoned as an error of judgment, if the rules are followed meticulously. On the other hand, a good performance will be viewed with suspicion, if rules are violated. From Gurzon to Indira Gandhi, all heads of government have complained about the inordinate procedural delays. Really, in a parliamentary type of democracy, procedures are the protective armour of the bureaucrat. It may be irritating and confusing and also the main source of political and administrative corruption. It is ingrained in the system. Basically, the structure and style of functioning of the Indian bureaucracy continue to be those in the colonial days, just as the economic base and the production relations. The vital relationship between the economic base and the superstructure is missing in Maheshwari's survey. That would have given a new perspective to the conflicts afflicting the country, The real issue, now, is which path the ruling party will follow to keep it&elf in power, after its repeated failures to cut off completely from the colonial past and to make "radical economic and social changes on socialist lines". RAMA VARMA