A treatise, nicely written, interesting
“Atal was a man who linked the now-past Nehruvian era to the now-upon-us Modi era,” writes Kingshuk Nag towards the end of his book Atal Bihari Vajpayee: A Man for All Seasons. Nag’s book is a treatise on Indian political history with Atal as the lead character.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee is definitely one of India’s most popular Prime Minister. His access across the political spectrum is well-known. His popularity and stature remains unmatched despite some very unpopular decisions (release of terrorists during the Kandahar IC episode) and shifting (perceived) positions. Atal’s life has been a subject of public discussion for many decades now and one might be skeptical on any new discovery. However, Nag has managed to make his nicely written book an interesting read and almost chronologically depicts events of Indian politics.
Nag’s book provides insights into Atal as a person, the influences of his life & his value-system; Atal as a politician; Atal as a political leader and Atal as a statesman-politician. Nag does not shy away from discussing controversial aspects of both Atal’s personal life and his politics. Critics could find some topics discussed at a slightly macro-level and repetitive-ness across chapters. This book is about Atal and some prejudices are permitted. However, Nag has carefully avoided to drift away from the main story and done enough justice to all topics.
It was Atal’s desire to be remembered as a man who wanted to do good for his country and the world. Nag’s book great justice to this desire of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and essays how Atal strived to make politics more value-oriented.
Kingshuk Nag’ book is a good read for students of Indian politics, politicians, history writers, and anyone who wants to navigate his/her life on a prudent value-system with a strong belief in consensus.