New Delhi, Feb. 9 -- Unlike the British, we do not write memoirs. Which is perhaps why Montek Ahluwalia begins his book Backstage: The Story Behind India's High Growth Years with the insistent disclaimer: "This book is not a memoir." He wants to convince the reader it's "a travelogue of India's journey of economic reforms." But, sophistry apart, this is definitely a memoir, and that's the principal reason why you would want to read it. More important, it is the first insider account of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA)'s decade in power, written by someone who served at the very heart of that government....