L.K. Advani’s transformation from the foremost symbol of political untouchability to the kindly elder unafraid of defying party orthodoxy appears complete, writes Swapan Dasgupta in Tehelka
It is rare for a public figure to embark on a fresh and daunting journey of conquest at the age of 80. No less audacious is his ability to invoke a personal statement of a fulfilling life spanning the history of India since World War II to lay claim on the national ethos - what might be loosely described as the Indian Creed. But then, LK Advani is not your run-of-the-mill politician. An intrepid traveller, the tireless charioteer who revels in innovative political explorations, he was once described by someone as the “best prime minister India never had”, if not India’s most misunderstood man. Last month, amid a media blitz that left the world of politics and letters gawking with envy, he began the quest to make himself better understood and claim the prize that has eluded him for long - the post of Prime Minister of India.
There are two ways in which LK Advani’s autobiography My Country, My Life can be read. The first is to approach it as a primary source of contemporary history by a person who was either an important decision- maker or had a ringside view of political developments from the early-1970s. The second is to read the 942-page tome as a road map to the mind of a man who has played a seminal role in reshaping the political contours of India. Those who approached the autobiography as a titillating tell-all account of Indian politics have understandably been disappointed.
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> Those who approached the autobiography as a
> titillating tell-all account of Indian politics have
> understandably been disappointed.
so do you have some list of books about Indian political and social structures (of course, entirely based on truth, facts and quality) ?