By: Syed Zia ur Rahman | YaHind.Com | June 20, 2026
Hyderabad: More than a year after its vibrant book discussion event, Prof. B.P. Acharya’s Obtuse Angle: A Bureaucrat’s Journey Through Cartoons remains a much-talked-about work that offers a rare, witty, and honest peek into the world of Indian bureaucracy.
The book discussion organised by the Council for Social Development, Hyderabad, on March 11, 2025, at the C.D. Deshmukh Auditorium drew significant attention from academics, civil servants, and art enthusiasts. The event featured insightful deliberations on the power of satire in public administration.
About the Author and the Book Prof. B.P. Acharya, a retired senior IAS officer who served as Special Chief Secretary in Telangana, played a key role in developing several iconic industrial and knowledge hubs including Genome Valley, Financial District, Mindspace, Knowledge City, IT Parks, Pharma City, and Brandix Apparel Park. A passionate cartoonist since childhood, Acharya draws inspiration from legends like R.K. Laxman and Mario Miranda. His works have been published in The Hindu and Indian Express.
Obtuse Angle is a compelling collection of black-and-white cartoons that reflect the author’s experiences as a probationer at the LBS National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie, and his long journey as a civil servant. Through wit, irony, and humour, the book captures the complexities, challenges, and occasional amusements of bureaucratic life.
Review by Allani Sreedhar – Filmmaker, Writer, and Director:
“Obtuse Angle by B.P. Acharya is not just a book — it is a window into the soul of Indian bureaucracy, sketched with wit, wisdom, and rare honesty.
B.P. Acharya, with his pen and perceptive eye, transcends the routine and reveals the absurdities, challenges, and ironies of government life. Each cartoon carries the depth of lived experience and the sharpness of a storyteller.
The brilliance of Obtuse Angle lies in its ability to entertain while enlightening. It reminds us that humor, especially self-reflective humor, is the highest form of courage. Acharya follows in the footsteps of masters like R.K. Laxman and Mario Miranda but brings his own bureaucratic flair, making the cartoons deeply personal yet universally relatable.
This is a book that every citizen, student of public administration, and lover of political satire must read. It’s a testament to how creativity thrives even within the structured confines of governance, and how art can bridge the gap between the state and the people — with laughter.”
The 2025 event was chaired by Prof. D. Narasimha Reddy, Former Professor of Economics and former Dean, School of Social Sciences, University of Hyderabad. The panelists included Shri S.A. Huda, IPS (Retd.), Former Director General of Police, Government of Andhra Pradesh, and Shri Subhani Shaik, Senior Cartoon Editor, Deccan Chronicle, Telangana & Hyderabad.
The programme was supported by ICSSR-SRC, Government of Telangana, and Indian Council of Social Science Research.
YaHind.Com strongly recommends Obtuse Angle to civil service aspirants, serving officers, researchers, and all those interested in understanding the human side of governance. The book is available at major bookstores and online platforms.
Source: K. N. Wasif
About The Author
