INDIA'S    INDIRA

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" India’s   Indira “ ;   Edited by  Anand  Sharma ; Published by  Academic Foundation ; Pages 300

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 Price Rs.3500/-

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The book under review is a  Coffee Table book released on the occasion of the birth centenary of Indira Gandhi. It was released by the Vice-President Hamid Ansari and the first copy was handed over to  President Pranab Mukherjee .Both the President and the  Vice President contribute chapters to the book. The volume is edited by Anand Sharma who  is Deputy Leader of Congress Parliamentary Party in Rajya Sabha .

According to  Pranab Mukherjee  Indira Gandhi remains the “most acceptable Prime Minister to the people of India till today” and  he recalled her decisiveness in effectively reorganising the Congress party after the electoral debacle in 1977. Referring to ‘Operation Blue Star’, a military action to flush out militants hiding in the Golden Temple at Amritsar in 1984, Mukherjee recalled, “As a student of history, I was mortally afraid to do anything with Golden Temple. And as a member of the cabinet, I could not avoid my responsibility of co-sharing the decision. But in meeting itself I said we are perhaps taking the most dangerous decision.”

 Sonia Gandhi  in her “Foreword “ writes the “brand of patriotism  I saw in Indira Gandhi was a noble one that she imbibed from freedom struggle”.

 This publication, with a rich collection of articles, archival documents and photographs, attempts to encapsulate the inspirational journey of Indira Gandhi’s multifaceted persona, her life, her struggles, abiding commitment to the people of India, her world view and her legacy.

 Section One of the book “Indira-- An Endearing Legacy” by Anand Sharma is a graphic recapitulation of  the life and achievements of Indira .Indira was born on November 19, 1917 and was the only child of Jawaharlal Nehru. She married Feroze Gandhi, a lawyer who died in 1960.She became President of the Congress Party in 1959. After Nehru’s death she became Minister of Information and Broadcasting and succeeded Lal Bahadur Shastri as Prime Minister in 1966. After India’s decisive victory over Pakistan in 1971, she won  overwhelmingly in the elections. She was accused of violating election laws—a charge upheld by the Allahabad High Court. Her position being threatened plus growing domestic unrest led her to declare a state of Emergency in 1975. She postponed elections, suspended civil liberties and arrested thousands of political leaders. In the March 1977 election she suffered a massive defeat. She lost her own seat. In 1978 she returned to Parliament. She won a massive  victory in 1980. In her attempt to crush the secessionist movement of Sikh militants, led by  Bindranwale, she ordered an assault upon the holiest Sikh shrine in Amritsar,  the Golden Temple’  "Operation Bluestar"  in June 1984 earned for her the undying hatred of Sikhs who bitterly resented the desecration of their sacred temple. In November of the same year, Mrs. Gandhi was assassinated, at her residence, by two of her own Sikh bodyguards, who claimed to be avenging the insult heaped upon the Sikh nation.

Section Two contains twelve well-chosen speeches in several venues. It includes her swan-song in Bhubaneshwar on October 30, 1984 where she made a prophetic statement “ I do not care whether I live or die. I have lived a long life and I am proud that I spent the whole of my life in the service of my people. I am only proud of this and nothing else. I shall continue to serve until my last breath and when   I die, I can say that every drop of my blood will invigorate India and strengthen it”

Section Three contains “ A Homage to a Global Leader” and includes articles by distinguished persons. President Pranab Mukherjee wrote “ Indiraji's entire life was infused with a tremendous passion for India and its people, and a deep-rooted commitment to our core values. She was filled with an intense desire to see India rise above poverty and deprivation as well as occupy a rightful place on the high table of the international comity…. Fearlessness in action and boldness in decision making was the unique hallmark of her character, Indira waged throughout her life a relentless war against communal and sectarian violence. Her short period in political wilderness revealed her true strength. The President said Indiraji was India's second longest serving Prime Minister having served continuously for 11 years and two months from 1966 to 1977 and then again for four years and eight months from 1980 to 1984. ''It was in Indiraji's time that India became the third largest reservoir of skilled scientific and technical manpower, the fifth military power, the sixth member of the nuclear club, the seventh in the race for space and the tenth industrial power.''

Vice-President Hamid  Ansari praises Indira’s pragmatism and flexibility in the conduct of foreign policy. Most observers of the Indian scene consider her handling of the Bangladesh crisis masterly. He remembered Indira as someone who “succeeded in good measure, faltered in places and left her imprint in history...was loved, revered and even disliked.”

 There are four  tributes to Indira by  leaders of nations recalling her munificent support of their nations’ efforts to be recognised and survive. These are Sam Nujoma  , the first President of Namibia, Sheikh Hasina  Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Chandrika   Kumaratunga, fifth President of Sri Lanka and  Jigme  Wangchuck, King  of Bhutan.

 K. Shankar Bajpai, a veteran diplomat from the  Indian Foreign Service recalls Indira’s role in the accession of Sikkim to India. In a delightful nostalgic piece, Shyam Benegal,  writes of how the Censor Board did not clear his film “ NIshan” which  dealt with the uprising in Telengana. He arranged for a special screening of the film for the P.M  who saw it and declared, “Denying a Censor Certificate for the film would make the Government seem insensitive and petty.”. The film was cleared. 

 Aditya Mukherjee, Professor of  Indian History in Jawaharlal Nehru University writes of Indira’s role in shaping our economy. Wajahat Habibullah, an  administrator of the Indian Administrative Service writes passionately of the last day of Indira Gandhi and the events of the day she was assassinated..

 There are some rare photographs of India’s Iron Lady in the book . Sharma spent several  months scanning some 30,000 pictures to select the photos. The collection includes rare photographs of  "Indira Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore " and  of the two " Iron Ladies Indira Gandhi and Margaret Thatcher"

This is an outstanding Centennial tribute to Indira Gandhi  with excellent contributions  and with many   lavish photographs in black and white.  It is indeed a labour of love and regard for the departed great leader. It is magnificently produced and is a feather in the cap of Academic Foundation.

P.P.Ramachandran.

25 / 06 / 2017

Tit-bits.

Nehru was taken ill in Bhubaneshwar in May 1964.

​​He died on 27 May 1964.

Indira addressed a rally in Bhubaneshwar on October 30,1984.She was assassinated the next day.

Rajiv Gandhi campaigned in Orissa on  May 21, 1991. Eight hours later he was dead (P 247)

PPR