Rajiv Gandhi...and the 'law of sewerage'

Here is proof, if ever it were needed, that just because there's a journalist in the family, not everyone else can be one. Or, more pointedly, that just because a clan member was a crusader, others should find an equally credible cause of their own.

Shyam Goenka's grandfather Ram Nath Goenka, founder of Indian Express, is regarded widely as the fiery protagonist whose barrels were frequently pointed at the government in power.

His grandson, on the other hand, seems to have made hagiography a dominant characteristic. Having launched two newspapers in Nepal because, at stake "lied [sic] the well-being of the largest Indian diaspora in the world", he went on to author two books lavishing praise on King Birendra. And has since turned his affections to the Nehru-Gandhi clan with this book described as his "most cherished envision [sic]".

There is little doubt that Rajiv Gandhi's heart was in the right place, and that it was his politics and governance that were flawed. What's surprising is that within weeks of the Delhi High Court clearing Gandhi of corruption in the Bofors case, Goenka should rush to press with a 556-page, five-kilo heavy, coffee table glossy that he calls "absolutely non-political".

He also cautions against anything being read into the timing of the book, referring to the elections and Rahul's "plunge into the political arena" as "coincidence".

Difficult though it is to buy the argument, one must make allowance for what the author says, and concentrate, therefore, on the merits or otherwise of this tome.

While Goenka seeks "vindication" for Gandhi's exoneration from the Bofors scam, in his (and perpetratedly Gandhi's) vision document that he offers us, there is a clear political stamp: Is he making a case for Sonia and the khandaan who are now firmly in the saddle of politics, or for himself?

Clearly, time will tell. But there are enough pointers to the fact that the book is little more than a bibliography of the life and times of Gandhi, and of photographs "" most of them poorly reproduced despite the art paper "" that document life for Motilal, Jawaharlal, Indira, Rajiv, Sonia, Priyanka and Rahul.

Poor reproduction aside, it is amazing that Goenka could not command competent co-writers or editors to clean out the work before it was sent to press.

At most points, the language is incomprehensible. Take as examples: "A mother saw it and regaled then"; or "The jiffies [sic], however, were soon forgiven". Or aims to deify: "It was almost a celestial privilege that three potent streams of thought shaped his policy initiatives..."; or "Rajiv Gandhi's sense of humour was as refreshing as the morning dew drops on the Chinar trees he often looked up to in Kashmir..." Or ironical: "He completely believed in the spirit of tolerance and to achieve this, he would spare no end."

His aim at being dramatic ends up as a juvenile attempt to write: "When a German friend introduced Sonia and Rajiv, her (Sonia's) heart was thumping and Rajiv felt something similar. The two began to spend a lot of time together and now she missed home less, not surprisingly. Academically, the two did well. But something more important happened. They decided to get married."

Since Goenka can provide endless hours of entertainment through his torture of the English language, it is to the pictures one turns for relief.

There are enough pictures, and many of them rare, to make the book worthwhile for someone wanting a comprehensive photo album of the Nehru-Gandhi family, but here too Goenka fails us by fighting shy of providing photo captions.

Instead, he chooses such inanities as "Love begets love" and "Kindness begets kindness" by way of inclusive picture grouping. To follow his example then, do mistakes beget mistakes?

Large chunks of the book are composed of Gandhi's speeches (shorn off such gems as "hum jeetenge ya losenge", alas), the tributes paid to him by the world's and Indian leaders (excerpted entirely from a book edited by Natwar K Singh and Sharda Prasad), and later, of Sonia's speeches as well.

Rahul's entry into politics forms a chapter of the book (fast work...), there are pictures of Priyanka cheering the Indian team at the recent ODI in Karachi, and of Sonia speaking at the India Today Enclave and releasing the 2004 Congress election manifesto.

Ironically, the only pictures in the book that are painstakingly captioned are of Sonia Gandhi with different world leaders.

As such, it is difficult to agree that the heavyweight book is not a "political" attempt, and clearly those close to the Gandhis must have helped Goenka with access to pictures and other material.

Given this assistance, and the nature of the book, what the president of the Congress would make of the poem "Lake" reproduced under a picture of Rajiv Gandhi by a lakeside, remains to be seen?

"In every lake
In every age
True the law of sewerage

A natural process
None can stop
Lifts the scum
To the top

The best amongst us
Sink below
On their faces
Lichens grow

But if you drain
This putrid pond
Then you see
What lies beyond

That which you took
For a goodly crop
Was merely scum
At the top

By luck or chance
The good men grow
Fortune raises them
From the depths below

Such was the case of Rajiv
When thrust upon him
His nation's charge
Manfully his duty
He discharged

In the bargain
He lost his life
Lost Rahul, Lost Priyanka
Lost Sonia, his beloved wife."

Mr Goenka, we know that Rajiv means lotus, but allusions to scum rising to the top can hardly be flattering, even given that you've offered enough proof that the English language is not your forte.

Eternal Rajiv: Epitome of Humanity

Shyam Goenka
Resurgent India
Pages: 556,
Price: Not mentioned