Book Review #76: Durbar By Tavleen Singh

Title: Durbar

Author: Tavleen Singh

Publishing Year: 2012

Publishers: Hachette India

Genre: Non-Fiction

Pages: 260+ (Digital eBook edition)

Source: Personal Copy

The political journalist turned writer Tavleen Singh has written an excellent book, which is a firsthand information that she has witnessed in her career as a political journalist. This book, as it goes with the name "Durbar" contains the account of the Prime Ministers that ruled India since the 70's. Yes, we are talking about Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi with a brief and startling account of Sanjay Gandhi, and the Italian Wife of Rajiv Gandhi the Antonio Maino a.k.a Sonia Gandhi.

The book is gripping in every aspect pertaining to the insider information of Indira Gandhi’s government. Tavleen writes about the days when Indira Gandhi became the Prime Minister of the Democratic India and events followed thereafter. Sanjay Gandhi who appeared to be apolitical, turned out to be someone who ran the government on behalf of Indira Gandhi. The Author has written exceptionally covering every possible details of this crooked Sanjay Gandhi. Sanjay Gandhi In fact had a say in everything in the Indira Gandhi government or she had granted that special permission to his dictator son to meddle with the functioning of the government.

Author goes on to expose some of the murky details of the emergency that Indira Gandhi declared in 1975 after Allahabad court issues a judgment that disqualified her as an MP. The events that followed in the name of Press Censorship during emergency that almost resented by everyone. According to the author, the emergency days were the dreadful days which became the sole reason for the rise of some of the prominent leaders like Jayaprakash Narayan, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and LK Advani etc...

After the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her personal guards and the ascension of Rajiv Gandhi as the youngest Prime Minister of India was one of the notable events in India. But the expectations were soon faded out after Rajiv Gandhi failed to stop the brainless attack on the Sikh people. Author had opinionated that, Rajiv could've done well to stop this. Who will forget that nonsense statement by Rajiv Gandhi when he was asked to comment on the massacre of Sikh community "When a big tree falls, the earth shakes".

The important takeaway from the book is the author's observation of Sonia Gandhi and her political growth. Sonia had relatively fewer friends in India in the beginning when she came from Italy. She was very close to the Quottorchi family. As per the author, these Quottorchi duo were more than mere friends of Sonia Gandhi. They had some unusual influence over the government to get the huge contracts. Sonia on the other hand, was apolitical and kept herself away from all these business. But, she wasn't that regular kind, she was keenly observing every move of her Mother-in-law Indira and her husband Rajiv. In fact she would be there in every interview that Rajiv gives to the media.

The book is clearly an eye opener for anyone who believed Rajiv or Indira has done some good job during their governance. For sure, they would have a second opinion on these Prime Minister duo. Sonia on the other hand was very reserved and careful until her husband's assassination in Tamil Nadu.

The book ends at the stage when Rajiv's assassination took place. The Durbar is truly an account of the blind Durbar (Private Ruling) of these duo who took the country to the dogs. I recommend this book to everyone. A must read.

My Rating:

5/5

Book Review #25: Tantu By Dr. S.L. Bhyrappa

Yet again, I am here to give you all a review of Dr. S. L. Bhyrappa Sir's another magnificent novel Tantu. Tantu can be meant as "Links" or a much sophisticated close meaning as "Relations". This book reveals the various facets of a life and how the bad decisions can affect one's own life and their surroundings. I can say, this book is more or less similar to Anchu in terms of the characters, feelings and relationships are concerned. But still, it makes altogether a different impact on its readers. Much have been talked about the capabilities of Dr. SLB sir and his magic while creating a psychological view of every character.

Tantu is a journey of individual souls that judge things from their own perspective. The protagonists are mere mirror image of a modern society. The reality is, Tantu captures the minute details of a person that you and me see in everyday of our life. This book is a fight between, honesty, bravery, cunningness, illicit relations, upbringing kids in the right way, money, meditation, music, school, government, politics, politicians, journalism, etc, etc..

Spread across 900 pages. This book captures many stories that are interlinked with each other. Author had brilliantly connected each story to the next and previous one in order to achieve the full effect. A complete package of a typical Indian life in a typical India during the time of Indira (the then prime minister of India)!!!.

There is no single protagnonist in this novel. Each character has the same depth of a protagonist range. A Resident Editor of a popular english daily Mr. Ravindra, who sticks to his principles and known for his honesty and integrity. A shrewed woman, wife of the resident editor, Mrs. Kanti, who is least cared about living the life in a right way, she rather believed in living life in all possible way. And, a teenage son of this couple Anoop, who falls in the wrong companionship of wealthy kids, and starts to steal things from his school, steals money from his dad's pocket. Later stage of the novel witnesses Anoop being convicted by police, when raiding a brothel cum nude dance bar.

The story revolves around these main characters. But, the other events and stages of the novel feels as important as these 3 peoples. As the novel further goes, Mr. Ravindra came to know that, his son is going in a wrong direction. He decides to get him admitted to a different school, that runs on the principles laid down by Mahatma Gandhi. The speciality of this school is, it doesn't take any support from the governmental agencies, even, the teachers are mostly celibate and they stays in school forever. The vivid description of this school must be read from the novel itself. Here author introduces us to the scene, where Mrs. Kanti was not at all happy about getting her son admitted to a school in a faraway village. This event had led her to have a spat with Ravindra.

As the novel further goes, Mrs. Kanti decides to go to her hometown for her father's birthday. But, she decides to stay there forever. Reason being, she meets one of her childhood friend, Mrs. Sheetal, who works in external ministry department. She gives Kanti an idea of starting her own cloth export business, for which, Kanti agreed instantaneously. Later events, proved that Kanti grown as one of the successfull business tycoon.

The real twist in the novel appears now. In Anoop's school there is a music teacher by the name of Mr. Hemanth Honnatti, that left his high paying job and decides to pursue his career in sitar music and runs away from his house and was practising in Anoop's school. Fortunately, Kanti knew the parents of Hemanth, she decides to meet him and persuade him to go and meet his parents. As the events unfolds, Kanti realizes that, she is attracted to Hemanth, she slowly shows her intersts in him, for which, Hemanth reciprocates equally. Within no time, their relationship had grown beyond imagine and they started seeing each other almost daily.

As the novel approaches towards the end. Anoop had joined an engineering college to pursue his engineering. Here author tries to explain the grave realities of the problems of a young adult, who is curious enough to try his hands at relationships, but not adult enough to sustain those realtions. Anoop tries his luck with many female students from his college. He also visits brothels, that leads to him in a bigger mess in the later stage of the novel. Finally, he decides to pursue his career in USA for an administration degree in Business. Here, due to Indira Gandhi's emergency declarations in the country, Ravindra decides to quit his resident editor job as he feels that there is not enough room left for fair, honest practice for journalism. His newspaper investors asked him to not to cover any governmental decisions and to stay out of reporting those things. This was the phase, that whole of India was in ultimate shock by witnessing the dictator style of governance from Indira Gandhi.

In climax, Ravindra will come to know about the illicit relationship that his wife Kanti had with Hemanth. He tries to question her, but he gets admonished from Kanti. Even Anoop knows about her mother's illicit relatioship, for which, his mother tactful response makes him silent. Here Kanti had grown out to be a good successfull business icon, but, failed as a wife and a mother. She had suffered a massive heart attack and passes away in isolation. Ravindra was put behind the bar for writing against the Indira Gandhi's government, Anoop marries his girlfriend and decides to stay in USA. The final scene marks, where Ravindra and few other were shouting slogans against the government for its decision to arrest common people. This marks the end of the book.

As though my review seems to be long and very simple. It's not the case, I didn't even revealed 20% of the novel in my review. It is such a huge novel, and it is difficult to write a conclusive review after all. It exposes those persons that lives in each one of us who are after material desires than relations and responsibilities. As we witness in this novel, Kanti failed as an honest wife and a loving mother. Anoop failed as an honest son, Hmeanth failed as a trusted friend, Ravindra failed for being an honest man!!. Their relationships or TANTU with each other seems to be just on the papers, and it has broken long ago.

We all must appreciate the hidden meaning in this novel. Don't just think it is a work of fiction, it gives all of us some lessons on how to maintain our relationships. If we go behind just material desires, our relationships, for sure, goes in a different direction. We wouldn't even realize it. By the time we realize, this TANTU or RELATIONSHIP will be beyond the stage of repair. A must read for everyone.

My Rating: 
5/5