Our Books
Books and other Publications
The Mustard Flower (2003)
by Dr CK Mathew
The Mustard Flower is a story of a young woman’s growth to independence and fulfilment. After the tragic death of her parents, child bride Sarasu is plucked out from her native soil in Rajasthan and transported to the seaside town of Brighton in the UK where she finds some measure of happiness with her foster parents. Fate intervenes again and she has to flee to an idyllic village in South India with her adoptive mother and brother. From there she pursues a college education in the nearby capital city and finds Jaggu and a band of friends with whom she becomes very close. But since she is who she is, she cannot deny the call of her native village in Rajasthan where she must finally come face to face with the now adult Giridhar and the destiny imposed on her life by her childhood marriage to him.
Bijoli’s Patchwork Quilt (2004)
by Dr Geeta Mathew
Bijoli’s Patchwork Quilt was in the making for a couple of decades before it was published. It is a collage of word pictures put together by the author, recounting memories of simple events, ordinary people and wonderful places. The incidents narrated here mainly occur in three locales signifying three moods: the dream like beauty of sylvan Kerala, the hustle and bustle of teeming Calcutta and the sombre starkness of the desert state of Rajasthan. While the book tells stories of the characters who peopled Bijoli’s life, of events that occurred and the places she went to, really these are tales of events that strike a chord in the lives of each one of us.
The Best is Yet to Be (2006)
by Dr CK Mathew
Manjooran is devasted when his wife of forty years suddenly dies, leaving him alone for the first time in his life. His three children, two daughters and a son, offer condolences, but they have their own singular lives to lead. All of them contribute their own separate threads to the unfolding story. As loneliness eats into Manjooran’s soul, he meets Rekha, the other main protagonist, a doctor with an unhappy marriage behind her, who prefers to drown herself in her work. The two are drawn to each other through the circumstances they are forced to live. This is the story of their lives and the indomitable spirit that they demonstrate as they reach out to grasp happiness. Because seeking happiness is the one undeniable right of every one of us.
Reading Kit: Sounds of the Alphabets (2018)
by Dr Geeta Mathew
This is an attempt by the author to make children and new learners understand the sound of alphabets by giving simple phonic examples used in everyday conversation. Each alphabet is expressed in five brief stories, containing examples of the letter used in word and sentence contexts. Attractive images taken from the public domain have been included on each of the pages.
Phonic Stories (2019)
by Dr Geeta Mathew
This volume is the second in the series started in Reading Kit. It continues the effort to explain the sound of alphabets in spoken and written contexts for the easier understanding of pre-school children. Simple lines in English are used to convey the way in which the alphabets are depicted in sentences used in conversational English.
Emily Dickinson and the Search for Meaning (2019)
by Dr CK Mathew
This is the published version of the doctoral thesis of Dr CK Mathew entitled Circumference and Beyond: Symbolism in Selected Poems of Emily Dickinson. The thesis attempts to examine a certain mystical underlying philosophy of the 19th century poet in her voluminous poetic works. The concept of ‘circumference’, unique to the poet’s works, was developed over her life span after she had experienced the many joys and despairs of her singularly piquant life. It demonstrates an esoteric and unorthodox explanation of the basis of her poetics that led her to create poems of intense condensation and dense meaning, presenting a unique perspective of her vision of the rich life she lived despite heartaches and sorrow. It also examine the nature of her fearful apprehension and awe of what awaited her in the afterlife. The thesis also looks at the influence of her works on modern literature that followed her.
The Historical Evolution of the District Officer (2020)
by Dr CK Mathew This book has been published by the Azim Premji University.
The traces the history of that crucial element of government, now present in every district. Though created in the 18th century for the collection of revenues for the British East India Company, with time the District Officer is now the representative of the government, the vehicle to administer its programmes, to ensure the delivery of public services and to enforce good governance. Created in 1772, and continuing in one single unbroken line of administration over these 250 years, the District Officer continues to be the the key administrator at the district level. Though he is often posted at an age younger than thirty, he is still revered as the mai-baap, the single reference point for virtually all problems and issues that may arise across all departments in his jurisdiction. The book traces the evolution of the job over the annals of history in India
Reviewing the Republic: Reflections on the Constitution of India (2023)
by Dr CK Mathew This book has been published by the Azim Premji University.
Written for students of our Constitution as well as for the general reader, the book introduces basic concepts such as the Preamble, the Fundamental Rights and Duties, the Directive Principles of State Policy and the three elements of the Judiciary, the Legislature and the Executive. It takes a closer look at some of the special provisions such as reservations in public employment for the disadvantaged sections of society on the principle of social justice and affirmative action. Special attention has been given to certain amendments, such as the 42nd amendment introduced at the height of the Emergency, and the 73rd and 74th which devolved powers to grass level institutions. The book also examines the arduous task involved in the writing of the draft of the Constitution and highlights the many legal antecedents that influenced the philosophy of then Constitution that came in the century before it was adopted by the Parliament.
Books Edited and Compiled by Dr CK Mathew
In the Rearview Mirror, published by the Public Affairs Centre (2017)
by Dr CK Mathew
The book is a compilation of essays penned by 17 former Chief Secretaries of various states of the country. In their narration we see a fascinating variety of experiences, good and bad, which have all helped to shape not only their individual personalities but also the destinies of the states they have administered. The volume represents the distillation of their practical experiences and reflective wisdom and should be of immense interest to then informed citizen, academician and practitioner of administration.
The District Good Governance Index of Himachal Pradesh (2018)
by Dr CK Mathew
The book is a compilation of essays penned by 17 former Chief Secretaries of various states of the country. In their narration we see a fascinating variety of experiences, good and bad, which have all helped to shape not only their individual personalities but also the destinies of the states they have administered. The volume represents the distillation of their practical experiences and reflective wisdom and should be of immense interest to then informed citizen, academician and practitioner of administration.
Public Affairs Index 2016, 2017 and 2018.
The Public Affairs Index, published by the Public Affairs Centre, Bangalore, is a scientifically rigorous, data-based framework that measures the quality of governance at the sub-national level and ranks the states of India on a composite index.
The data referred to in each of these comparative studies is from government data bases and examines broad themes of governance. The 2017 report has a special section on the subject of inequality while the 2018 report focuses on the children of India.
The Index was initially devised by Dr Mathew when he worked at the Public Affairs Centre, Bangalore as Senior Fellow. 3 reports were prepared under his stewardship during his tenure at the Centre. The Centre is continuing to produce annual reports on the Public Affairs Index thereafter too
Understanding Post Covid 19 Governance Challenges in India (2024)
Published by the Indian Institute of Public Administration, the volume is a collection of essays edited and compiled by Dr CK Mathew, along with his colleague Mr Narayana, Associate Professor at the University from the school of Public Policy and Governance, while working as Visiting Professor of the Azim Premji University.
The eight essays included in the compilation cover sectors such as health, education, environment, urban matters as well as technology issues. They have been largely contributed by former civil servants and academicians. They deal with the manner in which the worldwide impact of the virus adversely affected the sectors examined in our country and the manner in which these challenges were attempted to be overcome or at least ameliorated by the political and administrative leadership in the various Ministries and Departments concerned as well as by civil society and non-government organisations.
India Since Independence: Essays on Transformation and Permanence (2024).
The twelves essays complied within the covers cover the story of the transformation of our country in key areas of governance as we enter the 75th year of our Republic. Published by the Azim Premji University, under the stewardship of Dr. Mathew and Shri Narayana, the book takes a dispassionate look at key domains such as nationalism, civil and police administration, rural and urban development, education, women’s empowerment, water and sanitation, energy, etc. The essays have been contributed by practitioners in their respective domain, mostly retired civil servants and academicians engaged in professional practice in their respective areas. That tell a story of continuity and change that India has witnessed since Independence, while also reminding us permanence of the founding ideals of the Republic.
Viksit Bharat @ 2047: Governance Transformed
This compendium of 20 essays, entitled ‘Viksit Bharat @ 2047: Governance Transformed’ has been jointly published by the Department of Administrative Reforms, Government of India and the International Institute of Administrative Sciences, Brussels, as part of the IIAS Public Governance Series. The book was formally launched on the 11th of February 2025, by the Hon. Minister DARPG Dr Jitender Singh at a function in New Delhi. Dr CK Mathew was the head of the Editorial Group which collated and edited the essays compiled in this book. The link to the book is
There are two more shorter fiction works written by Dr CK Mathew, tentatively published online at Wattpad.
The Pious Parables of Parashar: Nine stories based on the nine avatars of Durga Mata, but presented in a modern context. We all celebrate Navratri, dedicated to the nine avatars of Durga Mata. In this novella, the words to the stories come from Shri Durgaprasad Parashar. The collection of short stories relate, in a modern context, the various avatars that Durga adopts to tell and retell her undying tales of life and valour and indomitable courage.
The following are articles written by Dr CK Mathew from time to time.
- Mathew, C.K. (2016). First Amendment to Constitution of India. Economic and Political Weekly, 51(19), 20 – 23.
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Mathew, C.K. (2015). Food Security Act in sleep mode. Economic and Political Weekly, 50(43), 20 – 22.
- Mathew, C.K. (2019, October 25). Uniform Civil Code: The importance of an inclusive and voluntary approach. The Hindu Centre for Politics And Public Policy:
- Mathew, C.K. (2018, November 21). Wait and watch. Governance Now.
- Mathew, C.K. (2018, June 14). The steel frame in peril. Governance Now