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Saturday,
June 21, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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BJP’s Mission-2004 Green Oscars What others say |
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Vajpayee’s visit to China
Parent hisses
Soaps in lukewarm water
Why kar sevaks blamed Advani
White House men, matters and memories
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BJP’s Mission-2004 THE BJP’s brainstorming session near Mumbai called chintan baithak was clearly designed to discuss what the party should do in the run-up to the next year’s parliamentary elections. In about 16 months the party is supposed to eliminate all the warts and present a pristine face for winning the elections. That may be a daunting task. Given the vagaries of Indian elections, no party can afford to take chances. The BJP thus focussed on setting its house in order first before coming up with any innovative idea. The top leadership was apparently alive to the fact that the biggest challenge it faced came from internal dissension and so it did everything possible to make light of the recent reports about who is to lead the election campaign. Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Mr L.K.Advani went out of the way to shower praise on one another. In the process, Mr Venkaiah Naidu was also made to feel comfortable despite his recent statements. But the party is yet to devise a strategy to tackle its mercurial state-level partners like Ms Mayawati, Ms Mamata Banerjee and Ms Jayalalitha. If it wants to realise its dream of getting a clear majority in the 2004 polls on its own and an absolute majority for the NDA, it has to ensure that these three ladies and some of its other partners continue to sup with it without harming the BJP’s interests. The Lok Sabha elections are scheduled to be held in October next year. A large section of the BJP has been advocating that these should be advanced to February-March to coincide with Assembly elections. The idea seems to have been rejected by the top leadership, perhaps rightly so. It pre-supposes that there is a wave in favour of the BJP which may stand it in good stead if the elections are held early next year but may dissipate if these are held on the scheduled dates. That is rather presumptuous. The party will take a final decision only after knowing the outcome of the elections in Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Delhi and Rajasthan in November this year. The situation may not be as favourable for the party as the supporters of advancing the elections may want the leaders to believe. The temple card may no longer be a paying proposition and the peace talks with Pakistan, even if they take place, are not exciting enough to move a lay voter. That is why the chintan baithak laid so much stress on announcing development packages for targeted sections like the poor, farmers, unemployed youth and backward regions. The party may have to work hard between now and the parliamentary elections - and with greater clarity of purpose and approach than evident in the Mumbai session. |
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Green Oscars THE selection of two Indians by an international agency for what have come to be called the Green Oscars would have pleased the late Anil Aggarwal. His single-handed contribution in making the average educated Indian environment conscious is behind most initiatives for halting the march of the desert. Bunker Roy, founder of the Barefoot College, Tilonia in Rajasthan, and S. P. Gon Chaudhuri, a leading specialist in renewable energy systems from West Bengal, have been chosen for the Ashden Awards for their contribution to popularising eco-friendly energy options. In the popular mind the thinning of the green cover across vast tracts in India is associated with the over-exploitation of the forests for fuel and commercial purposes. It is not so much the over-exploitation as the plundering of forest wealth by well-connected mafia groups that has turned lush green forests into wastelands. Blaming the tribal communities for the receding "green line" will not do. The Bishnoi community of Haryana and Rajasthan as also the tribes of Kinnaur and Lahaul Spiti have green in their blood. That explains why they have accorded plants and trees something akin to a divine status. The other major source of damage to the green cover around major urban centres is the increased use of fossil fuels. The trees in the national capital have begun to look healthier. But unless the owners of private vehicles too are made to switch over to CNG or other green alternatives, health-related problems may erupt again. There is much that can be learned from the example of the two award winners. As part of Bunker Roy's project, involving poor communities in utilising the bounty of nature for the uplift of the community, 90 men and 19 women, mostly illiterate, were trained as barefoot engineers for maintaining the solar lighting points. He proposes to put back the prize money in a similar project in Ladakh. Gon Chaudhuri involved the local communities into turning Sagar Island in West Bengal into a "solar island". Nature has been extremely kind to the people of this country. But ignorant and indifferent bureaucrats and political leadership forced reckless development plans. The blind adoption of the pollutant-generating western model made a substantial contribution in making India fall below the internationally prescribed parameters for environment safety. Without a serious effort by groups of concerned individuals the odd Green Oscar may only serve the purpose of reminding future generations about the untapped potential India had for leading the global march towards a greener and brighter tomorrow. An ecological disaster is staring the globe, but India can make a difference by following a more aggressive pro-environment policy. |
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What others say WHEN it comes to global warming, the Bush administration seems determined to bury its head in the sand and hope the problem will go away. Worse yet, it wants to bury any research findings that global warming may be a threat to human health or the environment. The latest example of this ostrich-like behaviour involves some heavy-handed censorship of a draft report that is due out next week from the Environmental Protection Agency. The report was intended to provide the first comprehensive review of what is known about environmental problems and what gaps in understanding remain to be filled. But by the time the White House Council on Environmental Quality and the Office of Management and Budget finished with it and hammered the E.P.A into submission, a long section on the risks posed by rising global temperatures was reduced to a noncommittal paragraph.
—The New York Times
Iran, next US target? The deteriorating ties between the US and Iran have again provoked concerns over the possibility that Teheran may become Washington’s next prey in West Asia.Accusing Iran of developing nuclear weapons, Washington has demanded that Teheran accept stricter weapons inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency. The White House has been so annoyed by Teheran’s “uncompromising” stance that it is talking about regime change in Iran. —People’s Daily, Beijing  |
Vajpayee’s visit to China AN appropriate and conducive stage has been set for Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s visit to China from June 22 to 26. Defence Minister George Fernandes visited China recently, after which he appears to have been “de-fanged” and converted into a Chinese fan. The Prime Minister himself has had a brief meeting with the Chinese President Hu Jintao at St Petersburg on May 31. What are the new strategic challenges and opportunities available to the Indian Prime Minister during this visit? Let us first be clear about Chinese strategic perceptions and outlook. The Chinese respect “comprehensive national strength” — justifiably. They make no secret of the fact that economic development is their strategic goal as well as means for achieving other national objectives. Their strategic goals are (a) Economic development (b) State security, and (c) International engagement as a potential, responsible world power. In the last decade, regional and global strategic environment has undergone a sea change, mostly in favour of India. This should give Mr Vajpayee and his team greater confidence and room for manoeuvre during their discussions with Chinese leaders. Most important of these is India becoming a nuclear power; whether the world gives it a formal approval or not. In fact, one of the reasons for India giving up “nuclear ambiguity” in May 1998 was the Chinese nuclear challenge; its insistence that the CTBT would not come into force without India’s signature and incorporation of this provision into the treaty. Since the May 1998 nuclear and subsequent missiles tests, India has been able to address the Sino-Indian strategic asymmetry. It has successively overcome the tests-related criticism. There has been a qualitative transformation in its international diplomacy and image. Since 9/11, counter terrorism at the regional and global level has become an important platform for Sino-Indian strategic convergence. China considers itself as one of the victims of jehadi terrorism. This articulation was preceded by a noticeable concern and distancing from Pakistan over J & K, when the latter initiated Kargil war in jehadi garb in May1999. India, despite all the efforts by the West and China, can no longer be boxed with Pakistan, or perceived only through the Indo-Pak prism. It already has the most “comprehensive national strength” in Southern Asia, and it is likely to continue the pursuit of becoming an autonomous, non-hegemonic power. Many Chinese strategic thinkers view the growing relationship between the US and India as part of American policy to contain China. The quick Indian endorsement of the NMD and increasing Indo-US military interaction in the recent years has reinforced China’s concerns on this score. Both India and China have been advocates of a multi-polar world order. During his visit to India in January 2001, Chairman Li Peng of the Standing Committee of the People’s Congress had made this an important issue for “deepening understanding, fostering friendship and strengthening cooperation”. India is considered an important player for countering US unilateralism, which after the Iraq war has become a source of concern as well as resentment. There is greater recognition of India’s economic and technological potential. China appreciates that Indian economy is growing at a reasonable rate and its techno-economic performance, particularly in IT sector, has been impressive. In the next two decades, demographically, China will age rapidly while India will remain young. The conventional wisdom is that young people usually spearhead high-tech advances that make rapid technological breakthroughs. India with its positive age structure has the potential to grow rich and powerful. In this positive atmosphere, what are the do-ables on the Sino-Indian strategic front? The Vajpayee visit will give another opportunity to review important strategic changes, particularly those related to the new world order, counter-terrorism, situation in Central Asia, Iraq (including possibility of sending an Indian stabilisation force) and the North Korean nuclear standoff. China and India have already issued statements indicating resolve to further strengthen leadership and institutional level interaction. India and China have “reaffirmed that neither side shall use or threaten to use force against the other by any means or seek unilateral military superiority” and committed to work on Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) contained in the ‘Agreement on CBMs in the Military Field Along the Line of Actual Control (LAC)’ of 1996. Unfortunately, till now there is no accepted delineation or even an agreed perception of each other’s LAC on the maps. Consequently, there is often local tension in some areas when troops from either side carry out road building, bunker construction/ repairs, or even patrolling. Most other CBMs, including future deployment of troops and heavy weapons as given in Article 3 of the Agreement, are related to distances from the LAC. These are not actionable till there is an agreed delineation of the LAC without prejudice to a subsequent boundary solution. This process is moving very slowly. It needs to be expedited with a view to avoiding local tensions and also implementing the remaining articles of the Agreement. It is high time that like rest of the world, China recognised Sikkim and (the Indian part of) J & K as part of India. Since it recognises Pak Occupied Kashmir, and Chinese officers are known to visit that area frequently. Then why not the Indian part of J & K? India and China have been in touch with each other over the Indian request for a less hazardous and easier route for the Indian pilgrims to visit Kailash-Mansarovar. This will further reduce tension in the area and would be economically beneficial to locals on both sides. These are some antiquated sensitivities and aberrations in the Sino-Indian relations, which create uncertainties in India about China and need to be quickly resolved for a durable cooperative and progressive relationship. There is also the question of India’s candidature for permanent membership of the UN Security Council. China, forgetting that India had spearheaded its entry into the United Nations, has yet to declare its support to India. Although the Sino Indian dialogue is expected to cover a wider canvas, India need not feel shy to point out the regional impact of Talibanisation taking roots in Pakistan through the guided democracy of its military rulers and its militarist attitude towards the regional developmental agenda. The Chinese armament support to Pakistan that encourages it to compete with India has already run its full course. In future, it can only expedite Pakistan’s economic bankruptcy. India and China have registered a 10- fold increase in the two- way trade volume in the past decade. Bilateral trade grew by 33 per cent in 2002 and for the first time, India has a trade surplus of $ 350 million. There is a huge potential yet to be exploited bilaterally and through multilateral cooperation like the Kunming Initiative that envisages a China-Myanmar-Bangladesh-India grid for the economic and trade benefits for all the countries. Further economic cooperation needs to be
institutionalised. The writer, a former Chief of the Army Staff, is currently President, ORF Institute of Security Studies in New Delhi |
Parent hisses LITTLE children little problems, big children big problems!” said Anna Kroll in response to my worrying about the little children I had left behind in India to pursue my academics in the US. I stared at her unbelievingly. But she smiled and repeated those precious words to me, which I do not fail to repeat nowadays in front of every worrying parent. Parenting is not a child’s play. It is a full time job. It is easy to go bananas while parenting a difficult child. It has been said that the child is father of the man. It just means that the character and nature of an adult is conditioned by influences experienced in childhood. It is really strange as to why children’s psychology is so difficult to understand when we all have passed through the same phase. This is what we believe is the generation gap. Most parents try to bring up their children to be polite and to become good human beings. But children believe that parents are their worst enemies. It is a universal truth that we cannot change our parents, but we can always change our friends. The company a child keeps makes a great difference to his being conditioned. Even if a child comes from a so-called “good family” he ends up imbibing many of the characters of his associates. Like it has been said that when a dove begins to associate with a crow, its feathers remain white, but heart grows black. Parenthood in itself is second childhood. Every parent returns to childhood habits to teach his/her child. A parent’s teaching can, however, change the life of a child. Jim Fox says that his father told him to “find a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.” However, children nowadays are a confused lot. To get succour they end up with drug abuse or drowning themselves in alcohol or other sadistic pursuits. The joys of parenthood are unlimited. The patter of tiny feet rings jingle bells in the hearts of parents. Children are carbon copies of their parents —the only difference is they are smudged copies of two parents. Strangely enough children even develop habits of their parents even when they have not got to live with them. The sorrows of parents are equally much. One really must have the patience of Job while doing a parent’s job. When one is a single parent or a step-parent the job is doubled. The television can be largely blamed for increasing a parent’s woes. At times harrowing incidents can occur due to siblings’ jealousy. Usually the elder child detests the arrival of a new infant in the house as it takes away all the attention due to him. At such a time to spare the rod is the only way of winning the child. Parents try to pave the way for a comfortable life for their children. But it is a Herculean task for modern parents as children are just not satisfied with anything you do for them. They feel “bored” even when there are a lot of things they can do both at work and at play. Thus they feel low and easily defeated. During such a crisis a parent has to take a child under his/her wings and repeat Marilyn Vos Savant’s words, “Being defeated is only a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.” A child will sooner or later bounce back. However, knowledge is pretty thin stuff unless mixed with experience. So next time you grumble about your children being too small to handle, take it easy and please do not fly off your handle. Remember you have a precipitous path ahead. Till then, happy parenting!
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Soaps in lukewarm water THE papers and screens are
full of favish mostly publicity-inspired praise of the innumerable new soaps that are infesting the fast-multiplying channels as well, with everyone, including Saira Bano getting into the act looking rather heavily matronly but armed with the advance support of husband Dilip Kumar. So I urged myself to see some soap-surfing last week. I must confess I was sorely disappointed for one thing, there are not enough trained actors and actresses to go around. So the good ones are repeated endlessly, such as Alok Nath appearing before and after ‘Astitva’ in an ad for another soap on the same channel, leaving confused as to whether he is appearing in ‘Astitva’ or another soap. Ditto his wife in ‘Astitva’. The alternative is new faces, with no conception of TV drama. So they act mechanically or like stage actors and actresses. Or they are incapable of acting at all and the women depend on a beauty parlour look and expensive saris, while the men look totally wooden. In one serial, all that the men do is glare sternly at the women or meekly submit to bullying by the women. I would take as a prime example the oddly named serial ‘Full Farm’. Here an added adjunct and now a cliche in most soaps, is loud largely pointless, sinister sound effects accompanied by over-loud music, neither Indian nor Western which drowns the already badly spoken dialogue. Part of the fault lies in poor production, where the producer and director both seem to be ignorant of the requirements of television drama, which has its own distinctive quality, vastly different from both stage theatre and cinema. It begins with intelligent camerawork, which has to make very clever use of close-ups (which it does in ‘Astitva’) or good group shots (which it does in ‘Saans’), and good characteristation, (which it does in every episode of ‘Public Hai Sab Janti Hai’), which is why I have enjoyed watching these three programmes for their own appeal. Perhaps, it needs, a Neena Gupta, who is an actress, script and story writer and director in her own right to grasp the subtleties of TV drama. Another woman writer-director, Kavita Choudhury, has also made a success of her few TV serials because she has a firm grasp of the distinctive requirements of TV drama, which were also evident in Doordarshan’s classic early serials, which had the added strong appeal dealing with the after-effects of Partition or the TV version of Nihalani’s ‘Tamas’, which was a class by itself. The success or at least initial success, of the ‘saas-bahu’ soaps has still not been able to write off the basic requirements of TV drama, which go beyond perfect make-up, expensive saris and the male members of the family mostly weaker characters than the women. So those channels which are rushing at a supersonic speed into new soaps and yet more soaps should realise that quantity is no substitute for quality and even ordinary viewers wake up sooner or later to the fact that they have been taken for a ride. If there has been a proliferation of news channels, there has also been a proliferation of new newscasters and anchors to go with them. Gone are the days of photogenic, professionally trained anchors and newscasters in both Hindi and English, with whom Star News, including its NDTV phase, acted as a role model. One channel is cultivating the model-cum-film starlet look with ridiculous questions being asked of reporters from the studio end, such as, has the police found the murderers when the police has hardly arrived at the place of murder. Other eager-beaver channels wanting to be first,
exclusive, breaking news every few seconds, also indulge in such silly questioning by inexperienced anchors. The newly promoted anchors also put on a forbidding look with heavy glasses adding to their school teacher-look rather than to their authority. They think that stressing every second word adds to their authority. They act more like judges than commentators. Also gone is the well-groomed look which went with pleasant faces which might not have won beauty contests or ‘male model of the year’ contests, but which did not distract one with their awful tousled hair, loud crumpled bush-shirts and
harassed look. TV does make basic visual demands and a style of speech which is coherent, audible and intelligently aware of the difference between different news items. In the hunt for a promising new newscaster, I found only one newscaster with screen presence with an understanding the requirements of the medium, and cool assurance punctuated with an occasional spontaneous and not contrived smile. Her style of dressing is neat, attractive and not distracting. I shall look forward with interest to the future career of Charul Malik of Sahara News. Well done,
Charul! |
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Why kar sevaks blamed Advani POLITICAL controversies usually have unusual behind-the-scenes tales. One such controversy is the recent outburst of Ram Mandir Kar sevaks in Lucknow. On June 7 one of the accused of the Babri Masjid demolition case, priest Ram Narayan Das, dropped a political bombshell outside the CBI court trying the Babri Masjid demolition case. He said that he was instigated by BJP bigwigs, including Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, Human Resources Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi and former Union Minister Uma Bharti to undertake the demolition of the disputed structure at Ayodhya on December 6, 1992. His statement before the media was supported by four other accused in the case. But while the media got a story, a question doing the rounds in political circles is how ardent loyalists of the Ramjanma Bhoomi temple have suddenly turned hostile. A little bird tells us that former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh was behind the master move with the “able” support from former Faizabad police chief D.B. Rai. The five Kar sevaks had been brainwashed for as long as two months. The plot came to light only after the BJP had shut doors on Mr Kalyan Singh whose re-entry into the BJP was a hotly discussed and reported issue. Weather and Congress Weather is one factor that seems to weigh heavily in the Congress planning. Major Congress meetings are being held at hill stations apparently to keep the leaders in comforts of cool climes. It was the Congress Chief Ministers’ conference at Srinagar in May last and now the party’s brainstorming session is being held at Shimla. All major meetings are being held in states where the Congress is ruling. One would have expected that the party would hold its major political conclaves in different regions of the country and in big states which are to go to the polls in the next few months. But such logic does not find favour with the party. The party has taken more steps for the comfort of the party’s top office-bearers. The AICC recently acquired a fleet of 10 new cars, all white Ambassadors. A top party functionary explained: any other model or colour would make the leaders appear “less serious”.
A cautious
Brahmin A few days before the much-hyped “Chintan Baithak” of the BJP began in the Mumbai suburbs, the party had organised a three-day media workshop for its members working in the publicity wing across the country. During the three-day meet an interesting thing happened. As the participants gathered at the dining hall named “Shabri” for lunch, one of them insisted that before having food he would like to inspect the kitchen. When his colleagues asked why, he said “Hum yahan Shabri hall mein hain... mein ek Brahmin hun aur kya pata jaise Shabri ne Ram ko joothe ber khilaye they, aise hi yahan par bhi hamein jootha bhojan mile. Hamara to dharam bhrasht ho jayega.”
Venkaiah’s birthday Who says M. Venkaiah Naidu has burnt his bridges with Atal Bihari Vajpayee or any one else in the government for that matter? The Vajpayee government had announced on May 26 its decision to resume the Delhi-Lahore bus service from July 1. You may ask what is so special about July 1. Ask a Venkaiah supporter and pat would come the reply: because July 1 happens to be Venkaiah’s birthday. On July 1, Venkaiah will be completing one year as BJP President. (Contributed by Satish Misra, S Satyanarayanan, S S Negi and Rajeev Sharma) |
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White House men, matters and memories I
will be reading Hillary Clinton’s memoirs later this week and therefore cannot comment on the book. But I bet, it would be an interesting experience. Unusually, the political memoirs of an American leader (besides being a former First Lady, Ms Clinton is also the respected Senator from New York) is finding ready buyers in India. But sex sells, squalid sex sells all the more. What happened in the White House between the President and one of his junior assistants should never have taken place. Presidents, despite public adulation, are normal men, and some of them weak men. There are now plenty of books in the market giving shocking details about the goings on in the Kennedy White House where the youthful President demanded and got a fresh young woman almost every day. The Secret Service watched in shock and disbelief as Kennedy aides brought him common whores wherever he camped. The Hillary Clinton memoirs are no doubt different. The book promises to provide glimpses of a glacial woman who was torn apart by her husband’s infidelity and the sickening publicity all over the world. The secret had been well and truly out, Ms Clinton could not hide any of the facts. Perhaps, the memoirs was her way of letting off steam. No doubt, the former First Lady had forgiven him. For whatever it is worth, such memoirs have become part of the American and even Western history. This country can learn a lot from such publications. The American President after four or eight years in office, collects all his official and personal papers which are stored carefully. Every American President positively or negatively, had contributed something to the world and American history and shared his experiences with the world. If by some chance, a President failed to produce his memoirs (as in the case of John Kennedy), there were enough historians, friends and White House aides to produce readable or frivolous biographies. Despite the absence of Kennedy’s personal memoirs, more books had come out about the late president and his days in the White House. That was because of his youth and personal charisma. From my personal knowledge, memoirs or hordes of biographies had been published about every since post-war President, beginning with General Dwight Eisenhower. Even undistinguished Presidents like Gerald Ford with a limited IQ (commentators joked it was a great achievement if Ford thought and spoke at the same time!) donated his private and public papers to the Gerald Ford public library in his home state. If more books were published about Kennedy because of his youth and charisma, Richard Nixon was considered good ‘book material’ because he was unpleasant and regarded as a crook. Yet he produced his own memoirs in two volumes and was the subject of extensive biographies by eminent historians. The memoirs bug has bitten leaders across the Atlantic. The more famous, long-lasting a leader, the more books on him. Naturally, leaders like Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle led the list. Churchill’s massive accounts of the Second World War were literary masterpieces which deservedly brought him the Nobel Prize for Literature. Churchill is still good biography material. ‘Iron Lady’ Margaret Thatcher who ruled Britain longer than any other Prime Minister wrote her memoirs which fetched her pots of money, but will surely be beaten by Tony Blair who must be licking his chops at the prospects of making millions from his accounts of the special relationship with George Bush and the ‘glorious’ victory over former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Unlike Hillary Clinton, not all First Ladies ventured out to memoirs writing. Jackie Kennedy did not need the money, she had enough by her second marriage to billionaire Aristotle Onassis. She also knew that any account of life with John Kennedy would be incomplete without mention of his womanising. The wife, always knew though much later than others! Another first lady who missed out a fortune was Patricia Nixon. A devoted wife and mother, she just could not bring herself to write about the evil streak in her husband which made him break the country’s law and almost get impeached. How can a wife write about such travails and personal agony at the White House? Betty Ford wrote more on her breast cancer, a topic which won her instant sympathy from fellow Americans. Barbara Bush was the lovable grandmother. She took the White House years in her stride and did not feel the need to bring out any personal memoirs. Nancy Reagan was different. Like Hilary Clinton, she managed to a certain extent her husband’s politics. Clinton knew a lot about politics and international affairs, Reagan did not. He snoozed at important meetings at the State Department, found running the government a bore and believed in the theory of Minimum Government. Nancy was accused of interference by Reagan aides like Donald Reagan. In his book on the White House years , be blasted Nancy. But the shrewish First Lady hit back and her memoirs contained several juicy details about all her husband’s aides and Cabinet officers. Very few came out with a clean slate. Left to herself, Nancy would have loved to function as the President! This ambition was clearly evident in her memoirs. This was a common factor which binds Nancy Reagan and Hillary Clinton. While Reagan was a faithful husband, Nancy, according to reliable sources, was more than friendly to her old Hollywood chums like actor-crooner Frank Sinatra. She had to defend herself against these charges and accuse the accusers, which she did with a lot of malice in her memoirs. Is it a blessing or curse that our leaders avoid such memoirs fever? I’ for one would have loved to read a frank, unbiased biography of Indira Gandhi. Former Prime Minister, P.V.Narasimha Rao chose to write an autobiographical novel than a nitty-gritty account of his days as Prime Minister. The men and women who ruled India did not want to tell the truth about many events, and many of their contemporaries. That would not be cricket, according to them! They would rather fudge history than come out with sensational truths. By and large the country had been the loser on this account. Lacking resources for extensive research, our biographers had produced shoddy volumes which seldom did justice to their subjects. Worse, the ‘commissioned’ biographies painted rosy pictures of their heroes, when people in the know of things, knew that the truth was something different. We copied many things from the West, what we need is the art of genuine memoirs and biography writing.
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The major reason for the worldwide interest in the memoirs of the former First Lady are the chapters about her husband’s dalliance with Monica Lewinsky. There will be thousands of readers who would be concentrating only on these and neglecting the rest of the book. This is a forgivable lapse because how many Indians would be interested in the Arkansas or Rhode Island primaries, the WhiteWater scandal or Ms Clinton’s electoral battle to the US Senate from New York.