The year was 2011. It was the final match of the Cricket World Cup. India were in trouble, chasing a steep target. The Indian captain, first bailed the team out with a calm, calculated performance and then sent the ball sailing across the ropes, sealing a victory that gladdened the hearts of a billion Indians.
Now, imagine one of the support staff from the team deciding to write a book about that emphatic win. Also imagine the 'support staff' claiming that the captain was unsure about what he was doing and just happened to be in the middle at that moment to simply partake in the glory which was already in India's grasp. AND, imagine this too - the 'support staff' claiming that it was only because he, the 'support staff', went to the middle often and supplied the players with drinks, gloves and suggestions, that the team won the cup. Whatever your reaction is, please ensure to make Mr. Jairam Ramesh the subject of your reaction, because that is exactly what he has tried to do in this book.
The year wasn't 2011 but 1991. It wasn't the high-glam arena of Cricket but the volatile world of politics. The captain was none other than Shri P.V. Narasimha Rao. India were facing much worse, real troubles, two decades before that high-voltage evening. Indian economy was in shambles. There was no political stability. Her creditworthiness was at an all-time low. Her credibility was to be lost forever. It was in such a critical juncture that 'captain' Narasimha Rao stepped in and changed the pace of the game and face of Indian economy.
Jairam Ramesh, who went on to occupy some senior ministerial positions himself later on, was one of the members in Mr.PV's team at that time. I hoped that that alone was reason enough to buy this book, since Mr.Jairam Ramesh promised a 'ringside' view, having had access to private conversations, notes and documents pertaining to the 1991 liberalisation of Indian economy. Being a politician, Jairam just promises a lot only to deceive.
To begin with, the author does not think of PV as someone who made decisions that mattered. According to him, PV was indecisive and uncertain. All the good work was done by Dr.Manmohan Singh and PV just happened to be the PM that shared the credit. That's all. You might wonder whether Jairam had any grudges against PV to write such things. Seems he really did have. Getting almost all his drafts ignored by PV and finally having been 'ignominiously' transferred out of the team, both seem to be grouses that Jairam carries against PV to write in such a manner.
His loyalty to Rajiv and Indira is clearly reflecting in his biased writing. He credits Rajiv Gandhi with many of the measures implemented by PV and Dr.Manmohan Singh. According to him Rajiv himself would have undertaken all those measures were he alive in 1991. Honest historians and economists have different takes though. Also, he squarely blames the previous two PMs - VP Singh and Chandrashekar - for the disastrous state of economy. Somebody should remind Mr. Jairam that the 'license-permit-raj' was protected, and even nurtured, to a large extent by Mrs. Indira Gandhi and her coterie, leading to large scale corruption and red-tape that had choked Indian industry for a long time.
Another annoying, and even immature, aspect is how Jairam projects himself as the mastermind to whom the bigwigs often turned for suggestions and ideas. 'He asked my guidance for this', 'I suggested him this', 'he took my advice', 'I made this joke' - these are all things you expect some self-centred imbecile to write. Not someone who occupied some top positions in the country!
Just by having put together superfluous footnotes, flurry of 'official documents', interviews and quotes - that only hamper the flow - Mr. Jairam may think that he has produced a masterpiece. But this work is simply incoherent and immature, faring no better than a dull-witted political student's patchy project report.
Now, imagine one of the support staff from the team deciding to write a book about that emphatic win. Also imagine the 'support staff' claiming that the captain was unsure about what he was doing and just happened to be in the middle at that moment to simply partake in the glory which was already in India's grasp. AND, imagine this too - the 'support staff' claiming that it was only because he, the 'support staff', went to the middle often and supplied the players with drinks, gloves and suggestions, that the team won the cup. Whatever your reaction is, please ensure to make Mr. Jairam Ramesh the subject of your reaction, because that is exactly what he has tried to do in this book.
The year wasn't 2011 but 1991. It wasn't the high-glam arena of Cricket but the volatile world of politics. The captain was none other than Shri P.V. Narasimha Rao. India were facing much worse, real troubles, two decades before that high-voltage evening. Indian economy was in shambles. There was no political stability. Her creditworthiness was at an all-time low. Her credibility was to be lost forever. It was in such a critical juncture that 'captain' Narasimha Rao stepped in and changed the pace of the game and face of Indian economy.
Jairam Ramesh, who went on to occupy some senior ministerial positions himself later on, was one of the members in Mr.PV's team at that time. I hoped that that alone was reason enough to buy this book, since Mr.Jairam Ramesh promised a 'ringside' view, having had access to private conversations, notes and documents pertaining to the 1991 liberalisation of Indian economy. Being a politician, Jairam just promises a lot only to deceive.
To begin with, the author does not think of PV as someone who made decisions that mattered. According to him, PV was indecisive and uncertain. All the good work was done by Dr.Manmohan Singh and PV just happened to be the PM that shared the credit. That's all. You might wonder whether Jairam had any grudges against PV to write such things. Seems he really did have. Getting almost all his drafts ignored by PV and finally having been 'ignominiously' transferred out of the team, both seem to be grouses that Jairam carries against PV to write in such a manner.
His loyalty to Rajiv and Indira is clearly reflecting in his biased writing. He credits Rajiv Gandhi with many of the measures implemented by PV and Dr.Manmohan Singh. According to him Rajiv himself would have undertaken all those measures were he alive in 1991. Honest historians and economists have different takes though. Also, he squarely blames the previous two PMs - VP Singh and Chandrashekar - for the disastrous state of economy. Somebody should remind Mr. Jairam that the 'license-permit-raj' was protected, and even nurtured, to a large extent by Mrs. Indira Gandhi and her coterie, leading to large scale corruption and red-tape that had choked Indian industry for a long time.
Another annoying, and even immature, aspect is how Jairam projects himself as the mastermind to whom the bigwigs often turned for suggestions and ideas. 'He asked my guidance for this', 'I suggested him this', 'he took my advice', 'I made this joke' - these are all things you expect some self-centred imbecile to write. Not someone who occupied some top positions in the country!
Just by having put together superfluous footnotes, flurry of 'official documents', interviews and quotes - that only hamper the flow - Mr. Jairam may think that he has produced a masterpiece. But this work is simply incoherent and immature, faring no better than a dull-witted political student's patchy project report.
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