The Unknown Indira

Doctor Raj Kumar is a person who evokes curiosity about the depth of human emotions. Emerson once said, "Man is a piece of the Universe made alive."

Persons like Dr. Raj Kumar undoubtedly make the Universe more lively than others. One rarely comes across a person who has such an encompassing personality. Though a Psychiatrist by profession, Dr. Raj Kumar’s own psychiatric spectrum has amazing dimensions and shades. A passionate writer, a keen observer and a vibrant thinker, Dr. Raj Kumar is endowed with tremendous power of expressing human emotions and in and intricate nuances of life. He exudes the flavour of versatility and sparks of a sensitive visionary.

In this book, "The Unknown Indira", Dr. Raj Kumar has depicted a hitherto undiscovered facet of the life and personality of Mrs. Indira Gandhi. To delve into as enigmatic character as that of Indira Gandhi is an arduous task, but Dr. Raj Kumar has surely presented a new insight in the being of Mrs Indira Gandhi who has not only shaped the destiny of this country but has also greatly influenced the international events of her times. The palpable mind of Dr. Raj Kumar has gone far beyond the normal vision in dismantling the shell of this colossal character. Dr. Raj Kumar has emphasized that it is not a work of history but historiography does not only include chronology, it also deals with the study of characters that have influenced the course of history. Leaders like Mrs. Indira Gandhi have shaped the images of history of their times. A study of the mind and character of such leaders I surely a peep into the core of history.

The Preface and the five chapters on Indira Gandhi by Dr. Rajkumar are out standing in their insights, historical reliability, and reasonable judgements. I am sure that every future essay on her life, work and politics, every full-scale study or even a passing reference, will have to deal with its basic viewpoint.

I consider this an extraordinary book, and hope it will be widely read in India and in most other countries. I now believe that even negative responses to Indira’s personality and her contribution to Indian politics will not deny that she belongs among "the patriotic martyrs" of our motherland, and was "a brave daughter of India".

That Indira was an extraordinary character is the essential conviction of the author. When he reminds us that she "chose to live alone, to fight her battles alone, to savour her triumphs alone", we will never be able to criticize her without allowing for it, and a host of her highly individualistic qualities. That she "insisted on doing things her way—in toto," the author rightly points out that it "sometimes resulted in wrong decisions, which she was very reluctant to rescind, even after she had realised her mistake".

Throughout this book, the author never avoids facing Indira’s negative qualities. In the second chapter, on "Indira, the leader," the author reminds himself and his readers, that "she had the benefit of total master of all her strategies, plans and schemes". He also adds: "her kind of politics consisted of sudden developments and snap decisions," which one can admire only in business, not in politics.

Before the end of the second chapter, we are also reminded that in March’77 she "cancelled the Emergency as abruptly as she had imposed it." The author ends the second chapter on a delightfully enigmatic note: "If ever the need arose for a single ruler or statesman for the entire world, Indira would undoubtedly have filled it, master leader that she was."

The fifth and last chapter of this book ends with the author’s persistent belief in Indira’s positive qualities. "Our pain can not be washed away. Her loss is an undeniable tragedy."

My admiration for this book is based on the conviction that every one interested in Indira’s personal and public life is likely to be influenced by its research and arguments.

**Contents and Sample Pages**