The Beggars in Suits: Anatomy of a broken democracy

Aakash Sandhanshiv is an engineer by training and a systems-level thinker by instinct—someone who prefers to look beneath events, beyond individuals, and into the deeper architecture of how societies truly function. His academic background in engineering sharpened his analytical approach, while his personal curiosity led him toward the intersecting worlds of political behavior, economic incentives, and collective psychology

For Aakash, the real workings of power do not lie in speeches or slogans, but in the hidden mechanisms that shape choices, distribute resources, and subtly influence public belief. He deliberately distances himself from partisan loyalties, choosing instead to study structures rather than sides and failures of design rather than failures of character. His writing reflects a commitment to intellectual honesty, systemic critique, and an unwavering interest in how institutions evolve —and how they sometimes erode. Driven by a desire to decode the invisible machinery that governs modern life, Aakash’s work explores the patterns behind policies, the incentives behind authority, and the psychological levers that shape public consent. He believes that democratic resilience depends not merely on good leaders, but on well-designed systems that can resist exploitation, manipulation, and concentrated power.

This book marks his debut in political non-fiction—a culmination of years spent observing how political narratives are constructed, how public perception can be engineered, and how seemingly harmless decisions scale into powerful societal forces. Through this work, he invites readers to question inherited assumptions, scrutinize the frameworks shaping their daily lives, and look at power not as a personality contest, but as a design challenge.