3 Review(s)

The definitive biography of a woman whose mere name sent tremors down the spine of other politicians, Indira Gandhi: A Personal and Political Biography tells the story of the former Prime Minister of India. Summary of the Book Indira Priyadarshani Gandhi. What is it about her that makes blood boil and souls cheer in equal frenzy to this day, two decades and more after her assassination? Born to Jawaharlal Nehru and given a tutelage by him in the movement of politics from a very young age, Indira Gandhi was primed to be a powerful being. For her entire rule over India she was the most powerful woman in the world. She led the country in its darkest time, a time some attribute to her rule controversially. Indira Gandhi's skill with politics is one unsurpassed by most politicians. Machiavellian though some of her machinations may seem, they were all purposed with an innate desire to drive the country forward into the next century. In this book, Inder Malhotra accounts the former Prime Minister's childhood, constantly on the move and apart from her parents for long stretches of time, with only a string of letters to tie her to her powerful father who was constantly in and out of several jails for sedition and rebellion against the British Crown. Perceived as a dumb doll when appointed the head of the Congress Party, Indira Gandhi rose up to match the role snatched the torch of power from the men. Readers discover how she chose to seemingly play with the lives of her sons who went on in their own right to become politicians in their own right. It reveals the women with more spine than most men, who alone could dare send her army into Amritsar and drive out the militants. A move that would eventually see two Sikhs assassinate her, and etch her name in eternity. About Inder Malhotra Inder Malhotra is an Indian Journalist and writer. He has worked for the Statesman, serving as its chief political correspondent and for the Times of India, as the editor of its Delhi office. He has also written: India: Trapped in Uncertainty and Dynasties of India and Beyond: Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh.