"If there was one individual, amongst the many persons who worked with my mother-in-law, of whom I could say, “How I wish he’d written his autobiography,” it was H. Y. Sharada Prasad, her information advisor and, later, Rajiv’s as well. He was a trusted colleague and a brilliant speechwriter who became in time so well attuned to her ideas and personality that she had very few changes to make in any of the drafts he presented,"
excerpts from the book 'Belonging - A Journey of Love'.
"A number of writings by him exist, amongst them a diary he wrote in jail during the independence movement, and a collection of essays entitled The Book I Won’t Be Writing, but he could have filled volumes with his wit and erudition. His deep knowledge of literature, his love for Indian classical music and for the arts, and his sense of humour made conversation with him always stimulating. Unlike Mr. Haksar, he’d enter my mother-in-law’s study unobtrusively and in his soft voice he’d brief her, work patiently with her on a speech ...." -- writes Sonia Gandhi.
The former Congress president also writes: "I can’t say that my mother-in-law had an intimate confidante, in the true sense of the word—a close personal friend with whom she could completely open up and share her innermost feelings. I’d say that the only person with whom she had an unreserved closeness was her husband, Feroze; even when their marital relationship foundered, she wrote loving letters to him.
When I told her that my younger sister was contemplating parting from her husband, she replied, “Tell her she mustn’t take a decision while she is angry or hurt. I’ve always regretted my break with Feroze.” She would often mention his name: “Feroze used to like heavy food,” or “Feroze taught me to love classical music,” or “Feroze had green fingers — he kept a beautiful garden.”
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| Feroze Gandhi and Indira Gandhi |
Sonia further writes:
"Through all her struggles, Mrs. Gandhi had been fortunate in her choice of her principal secretary, P. N. Haksar. She and Feroze had developed a personal rapport with Haksar long ago in the 1930s in London. Amongst the many qualities he possessed—a towering intellect, fostered by his wide reading in social and natural sciences, in philosophy and art, in law and religion—was an acute and refined political acumen. He was a self-proclaimed socialist and had by 1973 worked as Mrs. Gandhi’s principal secretary for two years.
I used to see him at times in Amie Aunty’s office, waiting to meet Mrs. Gandhi. Having been asked by my mother-in-law back in 1965 to “have a nazar,” or a view of the Italian girl with whom her son had fallen in love, he always greeted me affectionately. ......
In those days there were many fine individuals in the civil services, but Haksar’s brilliance set him apart. Besides, his ideological moorings were very close to those of Mrs. Gandhi, whom he would guide in important actions and decisions.
I believe no other Indian prime minister was blessed with such an able, committed, and loyal counsellor. Rajiv and I were fond of him and would visit him, especially at times when we felt the need for wise counsel."
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| Haksar |
Among others, Sonia Gandhi writes about Padmaja Naidu - whom she says: "... had been an intimate of the Nehrus from the old days in Allahabad, when she was often a guest at Anand Bhawan."
".... worked for the Nehru Fund. She remained all her life devoted to Jawaharlal, close to his sister Vijaya Lakshmi, “Nan,” and a loyal friend to Indira, rather like an older sister who was consulted on matters domestic, personal, and social, even political.
“I have found both mother and father in you,” my mother-in-law wrote to her after my wedding, “and that which one seeks in all beings, including relations, a sincere friend.” She was the only friend who could drop in whenever she felt like it without any prior appointment, at mealtimes or whenever my mother-in-law or we were at home."
"Love of nature, of trees and flowers, was something my mother-in-law had learnt from her father and shared with her husband. The tree closest to her heart was the chinar, the Kashmiri frequently happened on her tours, she would do some research and find out all she could about it."
Neelam Sanjiva Reddy and RSS :
"The Syndicate hit back (at Indira) by nominating as their candidate Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, one of their own members and a bitter opponent of Indira. In advancing him they even solicited the support of opponents: the Swatantra Party, which had been founded in 1959 by leaders opposed to the socialist politics of the Congress, and the Jan Sangh, which had been established in 1951 as the political arm of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
The RSS was the ideological nerve centre of several Hindu nationalist formations; prominent amongst them was the communal party that came to be known initially as the Jan Sangh and later, in 1980, as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In Mrs Gandhi’s view, seeking the support of such parties was a betrayal of the Congress’s stand against right-wing and communal forces."
"She fought back, sure that many in the party supported her socialist measures. She dropped Desai from the Finance Ministry, and her government nationalised fourteen of the largest private banks, on the grounds that the system was serving the interests of the wealthy rather than the diverse needs of the economy or expanding their network into India’s vast rural hinterland."
(extracts from the book)
ends
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