A fresh offering on the lives of 20 great personalities titled “Of a Certain Age: Twenty Life Sketches” penned by Gopalkrishna Gandhi was released at a function organised by Penguin Books India at India International Centre here on Monday.
Social activist and National Advisory Council member Aruna Roy unveiled the first copy of the book and presented it to National Commission for Minorities chairperson Wajahat Habibullah. Interestingly, Mr. Gandhi, Ms. Roy, and Mr. Habibullah are batch mates of the 1968 Indian Administrative Service cadre.
The event kicked off with an introduction of Mr. Gandhi in his many avatars - as an IAS officer, polyglot, writer, translator, Secretary to two Indian Presidents, before serving out an eventful tenure as Governor of West Bengal.
Mr. Gandhi then read excerpts from the book which fleshes out the lives of prominent personalities ranging from Jayaprakash Narayan to Jyoti Basu, K. R. Narayanan to R. Venkataraman, M. S. Subbulakshmi to Pupul Jayakar, Mahatma Gandhi to the Dalai Lama.
Commencing with the profile on former President K. R. Narayanan, Mr. Gandhi remembered two questions Mr. Narayanan posed to Mahatma Gandhi before leaving the country to study in England: “You have simplified truth and untruth for us, but what does one do when faced with two truths? When in England, people ask me about untouchability, do I say the truth or should I defend India?” These two questions stand tall because they don't yield to answers easily, Mr. Gopal Gandhi remarked, adding, “Narayanan was a great President but a very difficult boss.”
On M. S. Subbulakshmi, Mr. Gandhi read out: “MS Amma, as I called her, always seemed to be a bit startled with herself, with the gift of her voice. Looking at herself in a mirror – she might have sung ‘ Yaaro ival Yaaro ' (Who is She?) instead of the lines of her timeless song ‘ Yaaro, ivar yaaro ' (Who is He?).”
Speaking about the book, Ms. Roy said: “These sketches are not just histories of people of our age but show us the ageless qualities of the persons who have significantly touched our lives.” Recollecting a rainy day in July 1968, when the three of them first met up, Ms. Roy said: “The three of us have travelled different and diverse paths, but have kept in touch. An Ambassador and Governor, Information Commissioner and Secretary, and an activist – what has brought us together is a shared belief in the democratic and secular spirit of India.”
At this point, Mr. Gandhi interjected: “IAS officers share a common description with medicines. They are known by their batches. But unlike medicines, we have no expiry date.”
Mr. Habibullah recollected his long association with Mr. Gandhi and Ms. Roy: “One thing I can be proud of is the ideals we dedicated ourselves to; we have not wavered on them. We have stayed true to them.”
“This book has been moving in many ways. Perhaps, because I have personally known many of the people who are written about here. Gopu's book is brief. Each of the stories is brief. I think you inherited the talent from your maternal grandfather – Rajaji (C. Rajagopalachari). Rajaji had a command over English that very few Indians had – he could convey in a single sentence, a great deal,” he added.
