“Being a patriot" is what kept journalist Chitra Subramaniam going – from breaking the Bofors scandal to chasing the corruption trail for over a decade. Exposing one of India's biggest political scams was, of course, no cakewalk.

In her new book, Bofors Gate: A Journalist’s Pursuit of Truth, Chitra recounts the risks she faced – threats to her life, constant surveillance, and even being branded an "enemy of the state" by national leaders. But to her, questioning power is the journalist’s job. “Why is it not yours and my right, in our own way, to defend our country?” she asks.

In conversation with Manisha Pande, Chitra opens up about navigating defense jargon, battling sexism in the newsroom, and dealing with “unsupportive editors" as she pursued the Bofors story – her first major investigative assignment.

On her fallout with former editor N. Ram, she accuses The Hindu’s managing-director of “betraying the principles of journalism.” “There was a coterie of editors around a coterie of powerful ministers,” she says, reflecting on her early years in the profession.