Pranab, My Father: A Daughter Remembers
<b>No evocative of contemporary Indian politics can match that found in the pages of Pranab Mukherjee�s diary, a place where his mind found its most memorable outlet.</b><br><br> The 13th President of India, who served as India�s External Affairs, Defence, Finance and Commerce Minister at different times; a Parliamentarian with the unique distinction of being the leader of both Houses; and a member of the Congress Working Committee for 23 years, Pranab Mukherjee was a scholar par excellence, powerful orator and one of India�s most towering statesmen. <br><br> But to his daughter, Sharmistha Mukherjee, he was Baba, the workaholic; the history teacher who narrated events in the spirit of adda at dinner time; and the devoutly religious man who never imposed his faith on his daughter. In public and private, Pranab was always larger than life. <br><br> In <i>Pranab, My Father: A Daughter Remembers</i>, Sharmistha offers a fascinating glimpse into the illustrious life of Pranab Mukherjee. She invites us into her family�s private world that was peopled by the Gandhis�Indira, Rajiv, Sonia and Rahul; Prime Ministers P.V. Narasimha Rao, Atal Behari Vajpayee, Dr Manmohan Singh and, more recently, Narendra Modi. She uncovers new, hitherto unknown facets of Pranab�s political life�his unfulfilled ambition of becoming India�s prime minister arising out of his inability to emerge as the �number one person� to earn Sonia�s trust, the personality cult around the Nehru�Gandhi family, Rahul Gandhi�s lack of charisma and political understanding, Mamata Banerjee�s opposition to Pranab�s nomination as the presidential candidate (which sealed the deal in his favour) and his advice to PM Modi to acknowledge the contributions of Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi. <br><br> Through Pranab�s diary entries, personal stories narrated to Sharmistha and her own research�enhanced by her collection of never-before-seen photographs�this is a sweeping, multigenerational narrative from a flickering lamp in West Bengal�s remote village to the glittering chandeliers of India�s capital. <br><br> Refreshingly original as it is exquisitely rendered, <i>Pranab, My Father: A Daughter Remembers</i> is a remarkable debut book that celebrates a special father�daughter relationship.
Categories: Fiction
