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The Sanjay Story : From Anand Bhavan To Amethi
By Vinod Mehta
₹ 699.00 inclusive of all taxes
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About the book
How did a nation of over 600 million people bow down to the whims and fancies of a Prime Minister’s pampered son? In this carefully researched book, Vinod Mehta makes the first complete appraisal of the Sanjay Gandhi phenomenon and its impact on the national scene. It begins at Anand Bhavan, the Nehru mansion in Allahabad, and Feroze Gandhi’s relationship with the Nehrus – particularly Kamala and Indira. This gives the background to an understanding of Sanjay’s volatile personality as it developed through his early years and his obsession with cars that led to the establishment of the Maruti factory. Writing in a style that is both compelling and honest, Vinod Mehta sifts the facts from the rumours and gets to the core of Sanjay’s dramatic emergence after the declaration of the Emergency. His capturing of the Youth Congress and the excesses of the sterilization campaign (which he thought would ensure his place in history) are brought out in telling detail, as is the use of the media to build the cult of Sanjay. With a new introduction, The Sanjay Story allows readers to look with the benefit of hindsight on the rise and fall of one of independent India’s most controversial figures. What emerges from the text is not only an understanding of Sanjay and his times, but an understanding of India’s current political scenario. Vinod Mehta confirms the truth of history writing – that to engage intelligently with the present, you must come to terms with the past, even a past as inglorious and bewildering as the Emergency.
Pages: 272
Available in: Hardback
Language: English
Vinod Mehta
Vinod Mehta (1942-2015) left home with a BA third classdegree, experimented with a string of jobs, including that of a factory hand in suburban Britain, before accepting an offer to edit Debonair. He went on to become one of India’s most influential editors, launching a number of successful publications from the Sunday Observer to Pioneer to Outlook. Vinod Mehta has authored a biography of Meena Kumari (2013) and published (in 2001) a collection of his articles under the title Mr Editor, How Close Are You to the PM? His much-acclaimed memoir, Lucknow Boy, was published in 2011.