"Imagining and Encountering the Indian State" is an academic book that explores the perceptions and experiences of the Indian state in the daily lives of a group of middle-class urban youth in Kolkata. Through a detailed ethnographic study of the everyday actions and beliefs of people regarding the Indian state, the book illustrates how trust in the institutions that govern citizens' lives is often eroded. Kenneth Bo Nielsen provides vivid accounts of how people experience the state as an institution that is frequently perceived as oppressive. This crisis of trust not only affects the quality of Indian democracy but also impacts social relationships in daily life. The book is aimed at anthropologists, South Asianists, and anyone interested in the formation and destruction of social trust.