A Life Plucked Out of the Archives

Volume:43
Issue:2
Review Essay

It is not easy to turn somebody’s personal archive, even if it is well kept, into a book ? that too a biography ? without falling in love with the person, his times, the ideological cross-currents he swam with or against, and the historical significance of the character. Such efforts are really commendable when the person of the archives leaves an indelible mark as an ‘ideological beacon and moral compass’ to a leader of consequence, who steered a nation through one of the most tumultuous periods of its history.