Books and biographies on people who are in power are quite common. Many of the books and biographies lack objectivity and praise the persons about whom book is written. This phenomenon is quite understandable and again it is not new. It has been happening for hundreds of years. It is not confined to India or South Asia; it is visible across the globe. The difference is only of percentage.
In a mature democracy, one finds more books are written keeping in mind objectivity. This objectivity is not visible in a dictatorial regime. In such countries the author cannot write anything except praising rulers. This difference is mainly because of the system they follow. In the US, UK and many developed countries, one find more books critical of their rulers.
Pictorial biographies, to some extent, are different. Mainly it tries to narrate the phenomenal rise of the individual about whom it is written. It uses more pictures to describe the events and how he or she tackled the particular situation at that particular time bravely. The format is much easier for reader to understand.
Turbulence & Triumph: The Modi Years is a pictorial biography of PM Narendra Modi jointly authored by Rahul Agarwal and Bharathi S Pradhan. The book depicts amazing pictures of PM and I am sure that would be photographers and journalists dream. It narrates the journey of young Narendra from his days in Vadnagar, Gujarat to the 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, Delhi as 14th PM of India.
The authors did an extensive research on PM by meeting his family members, friends, colleagues and many others. The book, obviously, touches politics also and does criticise opposition parties. The book on Modi even though it is a pictorial biography cannot be without politics. In the last chapter Modi 2.0 authors say, “With India looking almost Congress-mukt, free of the Congress, for the first time since Independence, there was desperation to hold hands and build a strong wall of unity to block the BJP strongman. Foes who’d fought for decades and had only a ‘common enemy in Modi’ binding them, came together to form the most unlikely of alliances.” The book also targets senior journalists for criticising Modi.
People, in general, are not aware that at the age of six Narendra came into the contact with politics. First he came in touch with the Congress through Rasikbhai Dave, a Congress leader. Dave was a strong supporter of separate Gujarat state. Then Narendra used to distribute ‘Support Gujarat’ badges and shouting the slogans coined by Dave. Two years later, schoolboy Narendra was attracted to RSS shakha, established in Vadnagar in 1944 by Babubhai Nayek. Babubhai facilitated visit of RSS leader Laxmanrao Inamdar, a lawyer turned RSS leader, to Vadnagar. Inamdar played a significant role in shaping Narendra Modi’s life. This also indicates role of Maharashtrian RSS leaders in spreading Sangh thinking in the state of Gujarat.
The authors write, “He left home at 17, determined to be peripatetic, not bound by ties of any kind.” This is one more addition on the books on Modi. It’s written in a lucid style.
