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I WAS NEHRU'S SHADOW
K.F. Rustamji, who was chief of the Madhya Pradesh police and later founder Director General of the Border Security Force (BSF), worked as the chief security officer of Prime Minister Nehru from 1952 to 1958. Rustamji maintained a diary right from the time he joined the service in 1938 and continued in it for more than three decades. He felt he was living in stirring times and the maintenance of a diary, wherein he recorded the news and his views in great detail, would help him to be more observant. P.V. Rajgopal has edited the material collected from 1,600 pages of Rustamji’s diaries pertaining to the period he was with Pandit Nehru and brought out a first-person narrative about one of India’s greatest sons of the last century. The day-to-day record, maintained by a man whose duty demanded he be close to Nehru, depicts the portrait of the subject captured though a close-up lens, as it were. Nehru himself said, in 1960, "I know Rustamji very well." And after a pause and an enigmatic smile added, "Rustamji also knows me very well." The book depicts, in a way, why Nehru paused and then smiled.
100 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 15, 2023
Sheds light on Nehru more as a person than a statesman. Especially the unique struggle of a person who was a revolutionary, fighter and dreamer in freedom struggle and then suddenly was at the helm of the affairs when everybody was watching his every move whether he would be able to deliver the great promises made to the masses during freedom struggle. The heartbreak, the weaknesses and the helplessness of the mighty figure when people especially his own party and cabinet didn't respond with the fervour and enthusiasm he wanted for the nation building. Interesting read.
January 1, 2015
This book involves three individuals - Pt Jawaharlal Nehru whose personality and day to day life during 1950s is the main subject of the book, KF Rustamji whose diaries have been used as a base to compile this book and the author PV Rajagopal who has done a painstaking job of going through reams of handwritten diary pages and notes to bring this book to shape.
This is a unique structure, where the author is trying to piece together several diary entries and creating a cohesive narrative, talking about one of the greatest figures in Indian history. The main differentiation for this book is the first hand experience and view that Rustamji had in working as Pt Nehru's security in charge. His diary is not a historical account - rather just a description of various events and 'touchy feely account' of his impressions of India's first PM. Most books on Pt Nehru are eulogistic hagiographies - this one comes across as down to earth and humane.
The following key points emerge from this book in relation to Pt Nehru:
(1) Pt Nehru was a demigod, a larger than life figure, well respected for his intellect, his worldview and the sheer force of his personality. Indians, especially after independence, accepted him as the sole executioner of the country's destiny and vested in him carte blanche to get there. This was in a good way, out of highest regard and respect for the individual.
(2) Pt Nehru had two very different phases as the Prime Minister. In the first 7 years or so, he was fully in control, working on a grand vision of creating institutions, empowering every Indian in the best way possible and creating the right infrastructure to realize his dreams for the country.
(3) In the period after 1954 (a good tipping point was his interview with Profession JD Bernal that year where he expressed the desire to relinquish the post of PM or the Presidency of Congress party or both but didn't achieve either), Pt Nehru seemed to have been overtaken by his own command and authority. This was also the period where there was no opposition to him within the party or within Indian politics. HIs opponents were dead or elevated to ceremonial posts or had not yet matured as individuals.
(4) Pt Nehru started losing grip on his party and the government in this second phase, which potentially impacted our foreign policy and the working of the government in general. This also perhaps weakened the Congress party at the time it was looking for rejuvenation.
(5) Several people close to Pt Nehru were able to have their way - despite not being the best administrators or most able individuals - simply because of their loyalty. The author has named tall Congress stalwarts in this category, whose incompetence was ignored by Pt Nehru only because they were loyal.
Overall, Rustamji retains a very positive and inspirational view of his association with Pt Nehru. The book brings out several anecdotes and insights which are not very commonly known. For the unique nature of the way the book is compiled, it is a good read on contemporary Indian history.
This is a unique structure, where the author is trying to piece together several diary entries and creating a cohesive narrative, talking about one of the greatest figures in Indian history. The main differentiation for this book is the first hand experience and view that Rustamji had in working as Pt Nehru's security in charge. His diary is not a historical account - rather just a description of various events and 'touchy feely account' of his impressions of India's first PM. Most books on Pt Nehru are eulogistic hagiographies - this one comes across as down to earth and humane.
The following key points emerge from this book in relation to Pt Nehru:
(1) Pt Nehru was a demigod, a larger than life figure, well respected for his intellect, his worldview and the sheer force of his personality. Indians, especially after independence, accepted him as the sole executioner of the country's destiny and vested in him carte blanche to get there. This was in a good way, out of highest regard and respect for the individual.
(2) Pt Nehru had two very different phases as the Prime Minister. In the first 7 years or so, he was fully in control, working on a grand vision of creating institutions, empowering every Indian in the best way possible and creating the right infrastructure to realize his dreams for the country.
(3) In the period after 1954 (a good tipping point was his interview with Profession JD Bernal that year where he expressed the desire to relinquish the post of PM or the Presidency of Congress party or both but didn't achieve either), Pt Nehru seemed to have been overtaken by his own command and authority. This was also the period where there was no opposition to him within the party or within Indian politics. HIs opponents were dead or elevated to ceremonial posts or had not yet matured as individuals.
(4) Pt Nehru started losing grip on his party and the government in this second phase, which potentially impacted our foreign policy and the working of the government in general. This also perhaps weakened the Congress party at the time it was looking for rejuvenation.
(5) Several people close to Pt Nehru were able to have their way - despite not being the best administrators or most able individuals - simply because of their loyalty. The author has named tall Congress stalwarts in this category, whose incompetence was ignored by Pt Nehru only because they were loyal.
Overall, Rustamji retains a very positive and inspirational view of his association with Pt Nehru. The book brings out several anecdotes and insights which are not very commonly known. For the unique nature of the way the book is compiled, it is a good read on contemporary Indian history.
January 15, 2012
It took me some time to figure out if i should rate it 3.5 or 4. But 4 it is. The reason may be that I am a negligent spoiled kid who never knew and never tried to learn about the great Indian history and her leaders. But honestly I have tried to compensate by reading people like Nehru,Gandhi,Lappier,Guha.
What I have learned till now related to Nehru was either a historians(Guha) point of view or an attempt to show history in it's own way(lappier). This book that I am talking about is written from the diaries of Nehru's Chief Security Officer from 1952 and 1958. The duration covered in the text was the primary reason that i picked this book. Some people laud Nehru for his vision and some criticize him for him Communist leanings. But one thing everyone agrees on is the hard work and commitment he put in his job. So I read this book to learn more about Nehru as a human and how it was to work close to such a great personality(and No, I was not interested in the Lady Mountbatten case).
The book is divided in various small sections dealing with the various aspects of his personality. Some are like Nehru's musings, Nehru and Congress, Nehru's International policy, Nehru's courage etc. I liked the section on Nehru's Temper. It was very interesting to know that our PM was short tempered and was enfant terrible when irate.
I found the candid language of the book as the most comforting part. Rustomji has flagrantly praised and chastised Nehru at many places and Rajgopalji has kept these sections untouched. This book will help you to understand Nehru as a man, with all his idiosyncrasies and peculiarities.
Recommended for all !!
P.S.- There are some photos of original notes written by Nehru and Rustomji. My gosh! not just Gandhi, everyone in those days had terrible handwriting.
What I have learned till now related to Nehru was either a historians(Guha) point of view or an attempt to show history in it's own way(lappier). This book that I am talking about is written from the diaries of Nehru's Chief Security Officer from 1952 and 1958. The duration covered in the text was the primary reason that i picked this book. Some people laud Nehru for his vision and some criticize him for him Communist leanings. But one thing everyone agrees on is the hard work and commitment he put in his job. So I read this book to learn more about Nehru as a human and how it was to work close to such a great personality(and No, I was not interested in the Lady Mountbatten case).
The book is divided in various small sections dealing with the various aspects of his personality. Some are like Nehru's musings, Nehru and Congress, Nehru's International policy, Nehru's courage etc. I liked the section on Nehru's Temper. It was very interesting to know that our PM was short tempered and was enfant terrible when irate.
I found the candid language of the book as the most comforting part. Rustomji has flagrantly praised and chastised Nehru at many places and Rajgopalji has kept these sections untouched. This book will help you to understand Nehru as a man, with all his idiosyncrasies and peculiarities.
Recommended for all !!
P.S.- There are some photos of original notes written by Nehru and Rustomji. My gosh! not just Gandhi, everyone in those days had terrible handwriting.
February 24, 2012
Rustamji takes us through the journey of Nehru as our Prime Minister. This is my first historical account reading, picked out of the desire to read it rather than the self imposed compulsion of reading it. What it says about Nehru is illustruous but what it says about Rustamji is what makes it interesting! This man, in his dairy, devotes special emphasis on his elaborate take on the reactions and relations he observes and his lens is something I found easy to relate to. There is a definitive belief in his perception which he refines to suit his "instinct" of Nehru's greatness. Every instance where he finds Nehru just as human as any of us(which are too many considering he was his shadow for 6 years), he tries to find an explaination for the same. This romance with the PM makes this book an absolute pleasure to read.
The chapters are named to emphasis on a particular aspect of Nehru's character. There is repetition of a few entries under different chapters, but it strengthens the basic idea of the chapter. It has taken extreme thoughtfulness(and more!) of PV Rajgopal to bring together these diaries to the public of India. The book is worth its salt!
The chapters are named to emphasis on a particular aspect of Nehru's character. There is repetition of a few entries under different chapters, but it strengthens the basic idea of the chapter. It has taken extreme thoughtfulness(and more!) of PV Rajgopal to bring together these diaries to the public of India. The book is worth its salt!
January 31, 2014
It is quite easy to heap garbage on people. That too, if the people happen to be past leaders, it I becomes all the more lucrative. And if the person happens to be Jawaharlal Nehru, then he can be vilified no matter what. That is the norm these days.
But this book is not about vilifying Panditji ( Nehru is called Panditji in India). This, for a change, shows in detail about Panditji, the person.
Rustomji was the personal security officer appointed by the government to guard JN ( Nehru is called as JN in this book). And he writes about Panditji from what he saw about him and his interactions with him for no man on earth would have had so close an access to Panditji as Rustomji had. He was the PSO for JN between 1952 and 1958 – those tumultous early days of independence.
Rustomji writes in detail about his daily interactions with JN – what his daily routine used to be, what he would have for breakfast and how his days would be. We get to know of the different speeches that JN made at different points in time in different countries, JNs’ interactions with other world leaders Eisenhower, Chou-En-Lai, U-Nu of Burma, Pakistani leaders, the Saudi royalty, Khrushev and Bulganin of the USSR and the different Indian leaders.
Apart from the routine stuff, what we get to know about JN are his un-ending love for the country, his stubborn resistance to communalism often bordering on utopian-secularism, his strong adherence to ‘socialism’ – the concept failed though in later years, his extra-ordinary efforts to forge friendship between India and China that ultimately led to complacence which resulted in the India-China war in 1962.
JN stands out as a extra-ordinary patriot, a no-nonsense person who fumed at inefficiency, despotism and lethargy, one who stood out as a towering leader during the volatile and unstable time just after independence.
We also come across the human attributes of JN. One such is his ability to get angry and express his emotions in public and soon after try to patch up with the admonished almost immediately.
JN comes out as a person who worked for more than 16 hours per day even if he had had to travel from one part of the country to the other for 15 days in a month. JN apparently had made his routine to conduct his party conferences in far off places from Delhi like Madras ( now Chennai ), Kerala, Assam and the like just to ensure that the people of those regions don’t feel alienated.
We also get to know of Indira Gandhi ( JN’s daughter ) who, unknown to herself, was getting educated in the rough and tumble of Indian politics.
A great read for Indians of the new era who apparently don’t have an insight into the lives of the leaders of yore.
But this book is not about vilifying Panditji ( Nehru is called Panditji in India). This, for a change, shows in detail about Panditji, the person.
Rustomji was the personal security officer appointed by the government to guard JN ( Nehru is called as JN in this book). And he writes about Panditji from what he saw about him and his interactions with him for no man on earth would have had so close an access to Panditji as Rustomji had. He was the PSO for JN between 1952 and 1958 – those tumultous early days of independence.
Rustomji writes in detail about his daily interactions with JN – what his daily routine used to be, what he would have for breakfast and how his days would be. We get to know of the different speeches that JN made at different points in time in different countries, JNs’ interactions with other world leaders Eisenhower, Chou-En-Lai, U-Nu of Burma, Pakistani leaders, the Saudi royalty, Khrushev and Bulganin of the USSR and the different Indian leaders.
Apart from the routine stuff, what we get to know about JN are his un-ending love for the country, his stubborn resistance to communalism often bordering on utopian-secularism, his strong adherence to ‘socialism’ – the concept failed though in later years, his extra-ordinary efforts to forge friendship between India and China that ultimately led to complacence which resulted in the India-China war in 1962.
JN stands out as a extra-ordinary patriot, a no-nonsense person who fumed at inefficiency, despotism and lethargy, one who stood out as a towering leader during the volatile and unstable time just after independence.
We also come across the human attributes of JN. One such is his ability to get angry and express his emotions in public and soon after try to patch up with the admonished almost immediately.
JN comes out as a person who worked for more than 16 hours per day even if he had had to travel from one part of the country to the other for 15 days in a month. JN apparently had made his routine to conduct his party conferences in far off places from Delhi like Madras ( now Chennai ), Kerala, Assam and the like just to ensure that the people of those regions don’t feel alienated.
We also get to know of Indira Gandhi ( JN’s daughter ) who, unknown to herself, was getting educated in the rough and tumble of Indian politics.
A great read for Indians of the new era who apparently don’t have an insight into the lives of the leaders of yore.
August 30, 2015
A very nuanced and illuminating portrait of India's first leader, and of the country in the first decade of independence... And Mr Rustamji needs only a couple of pages to summarise some of India's tallest statesman of the era - Pandit Pant, Shastri, Dr B.C.Roy and others... Marvellous account...
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews