Vice President Hamid Ansari today released a book written by former External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh which is full of anecdotes about Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Lord Mountbatten, Morarji Desai and many other personalities.
"Walking with Lions: Tales from a Diplomatic Past", published by HarperCollins India, is a compilation of 50 tales that have appeared in Singh's columns in newspapers and present a fascinating insight into historical personalities and events.
Releasing the book, Ansari said, "Many tales in the book would be fit for an episode of 'Dastangoi' (an old literary tradition storytelling in Urdu).
"I have read the book. There are some delightful episodes, many of which shed so much of light in one liners on some important personalities and governments," he said.
The book also has a story about Singh's interaction with former Prime Minister Morarji Desai that includes a glimpse of an official note on his dietary preferences.
"His favourite drink was not mentioned. Everyone knew what it was," Singh wrote about Desai who is remembered for urine therapy.
Speaking about the book, Singh recalled and narrated an incident of Desai's anger and background of partition.
The book has humorous snippets about the last Ethopian emperor Haile Selassie and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
