Bhaskar Parichha
Father and son. Single political lineage. Two books in quick succession. Need not be a big deal. But, books were certainly not coming forth – neither on Biju nor Naveen Patnaik. Given that this is a family of writers and publishers (Biju Patnaik’s daughter Gita Mehta having written quite a number of books and even Naveen himself), one would have expected biographies on both the Patnaiks early on.
By the way, the first ever book on the legendary Biju Patnaik was by this author (Biju Patnaik: A Political Biography, Har-Anand Publications, New Delhi, 1994).Just as Biju Patnaik had to hang around for three decades to become Chief Minister of Odisha once again, the second book on him was released only this January. Publisher of the book- Biju Patnaik Birth Centenary Committee – organized a big event where former President of India Pranab Mukherjee, former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, former deputy prime minister and BJP veteran LK Advani and CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury assembled to launch the bio.
Writing a book on Biju Patnaik- the flamboyant politician as he has been and one who never thought he should ever be written about – has certainly been an arduous job all along. Perhaps for this disinclination and perhaps for the fact that his exemplary deeds – spanning several decades before and after independence – only remained in hearsay, biographers haven’t particularly been passionate of writing books on him.
‘The Tall Man Biju Patnaik’ captures all the facets of his life – Biju was a freedom fighter, a pilot, a politician and much more. The book has brought to the public domain very many details of this enormous personality which were either unknown or remained as tittle-tattle. As Sunder Ganesan, author of the book says in his introduction, ‘the first object was to present the information in a simple and visually appealing format ant secondly it aims to bring to light some of the lesser –known aspects of his life’. And, so it goes.
‘The Tall Man’ is essentially a pictorial biography of Biju Patnaik and, therefore, stays within the limits of a coffee table book. Called “accumulative” biography, authors of such works avoid all forms of interpretation except selection and seek to unfold a life by presenting, usually in chronological order, the evidences, relating to that life. Also, they take no risk and seldom win much critical acclaim. These kinds of works only become prime source for biographers who follow him. Ganesan himself says that ‘all chapters of the book can be elaborated into a full-fledged research book.’
When Biju Patnaik was born in 1916, no one could have predicted the path that lay ahead. But, as it turned out, from an undistinguished academic career to his front-line experiences as a pilot whether in India, at the Chinese border, Indonesia or the Burmese campaign during World War II and his unparalleled political career with all its ups and downs, Biju was never to be far from the world’s attention. Now the youthful man, now the ace pilot, the politician, the industrialist the visionary, the statesman is all brought to life in this absorbingly illustrated book.
Featuring letters from various individuals and institutions, it highlights some of the most gripping communications from the Archives in USA, UK, Singapore and Indonesia. Facsimiles from diverse events and notes on letterheads are paired with fascinating memorabilia, such as his pilot license, First Class Star Medal awarded by the Republic of Indonesia, his meeting with Sir John Huxley, and the UNESCO-Kalinga Science prize, news clips of his accomplishments, his days during emergency and the camaraderie with the opposition leaders and so on.
The book also showcases pictures from his family photograph collection, providing a more intimate portrait of Biju the husband, the family man and Biju the ever popular chief minister of Odisha. It includes previously unpublished as well as rare images of him as a grown-up member of the big Patnaik family. This unique selection of images provides a comprehensive study of the man and his life. Devoid of evocative and insightful narrative text – which in any case wasn’t the agenda – ‘The Tall Man’ is a stunning tribute to a remarkable leader – ‘the man who knew no fear.’
The other book on Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik – the sole inheritor of Biju Patnaik’s political legacy – is by Ruben Banerjee, senior journalist and presently Editor of ‘Outlook.’ ‘Naveen Patnaik’ (Juggernaut,New Delhi,2018) is a personal account of the Chief Minister and Biju Janta Dal supremo.Being the most powerful politician Odisha ever had , and who, despite being in command for eighteen long years, has been leading a relatively quiet life and out of the glare of publicity. Ruben has tried to delve into this air of secrecy surrounding Naveen.
As the blurb says, this is the ‘thrilling story of an unlikely and seemingly unbeatable politician who may well hold the keys to power in the 2019 general elections.’ Being an observant journalist, Ruben has tried to capture the life of Naveen with all intricate details. As they say, the devil is in the details and if told by a shrewd writer a book can be fascinating.
Ruben who claims to have followed the subject for twenty long years has put in huge information about Naveen- the recluse.Naveen Patnaik’s childhood, family and friends, his socialite background, his trials and tribulations of being a Chief Minister of a problematic state, his failings and his passions, his political USP – all come out with some greater detail. Taste this: ‘Whenever someone gets drawn into a scandal, Patnaik’s reflex action is to show him the door, irrespective of which caste or region he belongs to.’
As for Naveen’s image-consciouness, Ruben writes, ‘Ever since he first campaigned to be elected as the MP from Aska, hiding his lit cigarette from the people, Naveen has been mindful of his image. Unlike the other average politicians of Odisha, synonymous with pompousness and hubris, Naveen is low-key and shy. He came without any baggage and has till now not collected any.”
The book is entirely a journalist’s standpoint of an archetypal politician told with panache. Not a very compelling biography, it suffers from lack of insight and mostly reportage of events, places and incidents since 1987 when the author came to Bhubaneswar as the state correspondent of Indian Express.
The book is both informative and entertaining, yet the reader can’t hit upon a unique point of view. It’s a razzmatazz of news reports and political shenanigans. If you are on the lookout for a definite perspective and not mere facts, you will be in for disappointment. Nevertheless, the book is a good read for all who want to know the ‘real’ Naveen.
(The writer is a senior journalist and currently associated with OdishaLIVE as Consulting Editor. You can share your comment with him at content(@)odisha(dot)live)
