The insider

by P.V. Narasimha Rao

Novel set against the contemporary political situation in India.

Genres: Politics, India, Biography, History, Nonfiction, Indian Literature, Autobiography

776 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Pamulaparti Venkata Narasimha Rao (28 June 1921 – 23 December 2004) was an Indian lawyer and politician who served as the tenth Prime Minister of India (1991–1996). His ascendancy to the prime ministership was politically significant in that he was the first holder of this office from non-Hindi-speaking south India. He led an important administration, overseeing a major economic transformation and several home incidents affecting national security of India. Rao who held the Industries portfolio was personally responsible for the dismantling of the Licence Raj as this came under the purview of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. He is often referred to as the "Father of Indian Economic Reforms". Future prime ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh continued the economic reform policies pioneered by Rao's government. Rao accelerated the dismantling of the License Raj, reversing the socialist policies of Rajiv Gandhi's government. He employed Dr. Manmohan Singh as his Finance Minister to embark on historic economic transition. With Rao's mandate, Dr. Manmohan Singh launched India's globalisation angle of the reforms that implemented the International Monetary Fund (IMF) policies to rescue the almost bankrupt nation from economic collapse. Rao was also referred to as Chanakya for his ability to steer tough economic and political legislation through the parliament at a time when he headed a minority government.

Reviews

[Sarath Krishnan]

"power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely ".the insider is a story of corrupted political system. but it is not pessimistic ,instead gives us a hope; hope for a better world.

[Shree Kant · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first political autobiography for me. We remember him mostly for the prime minister tenure and reforms he initiated as part of economics liberalisation. This autobiography is not even go into a broad coverage of the most crucial part of his political life. It doesn't justify and complete the political journey of such a towering politician. This autobiography is disappointing on this front.

The best part is that it covers most of his journey as politician in undivided Andhra Pradesh. It sometimes become difficult for reader as it is very difficult to correlate with the character mentioned here and from the real world.

Still this book gives ver detailed insight about the internal politics of Congress party. The way in which petty power politics started during Jawaharlal Nehru and it was further detetoriated under Indira Gandhi.

This may be a good read for understanding the power politics of India from 1950 till 1975. How hopelessly country was governed. It would have completed if P V Narshimha Rao ji would have talked about his prime minister days also.

[Arihant Sinha · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterpiece by the master politician.
The books covers the politician landscape of Indian Central Government and Andhra Pradesh from before Independence to 1980. Te book will tell you about what everyone thought but no the leader who made the decision thought. So crafty is Rao that he book will tell you all happenings around Indira Gandhi, without telling us about why she took the decision she took. The book exposes to some extent the depth of hypocrisies in Indian Politics. Some suggest the depth of malaise is slightly exaggerated, which might be true.But in the end, it changes your perspective about politics.

[Naresh Goty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very inspiring story of one of the historical leaders of india. Anand gave a nice narrative of ground realities of Indian politics, and how some people can go any length for power and dirty games they play for their benefits. At the same time, honest people like Anand have to fight so hard to overcome the challenges put forth by his enemies in political field. He also talks about transformation of india post independence and the challenges the country faced.

[Prashanth Bhat · Rating 4 out of 5]

ಅಂತರ್ದೃಷ್ಟಿ - ದಿ ಪಿ.ವಿ.ನರಸಿಂಹರಾವ್

ಇದು ಮಾಜಿ ಪ್ರಧಾನಿ ನರಸಿಂಹರಾಯರ ಕಾದಂಬರಿ. ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಮಟ್ಟಿಗೆ ಆತ್ಮಕಥಾನಾತ್ಮಕ ಅಂತ ಕುತೂಹಲವಿತ್ತು. ಅಷ್ಟಲ್ಲದೆ ಪ್ರಧಾನಿ ಆಗಿದ್ದವರು, ಹಾಗಾಗಿ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಒಳಗಿನ ರಹಸ್ಯ ಮಾಹಿತಿ ಏನಾದರೂ ಅರಿಯಬಹುದೆಂದು.

ಆದರೆ, ಒಳ್ಳೆಯ ಅಡಿಗೆ ಮಾಡಿ ತಿನ್ನೋಣ ಅಂತ ಕೂತರೆ ಉಪ್ಪೇ ಇಲ್ಲದಿದ್ದರೆ ಹೇಗಾಗಬಹುದು ಹಾಗೆ! ಇಡೀ ಪುಸ್ತಕದಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ವಾತಂತ್ರ್ಯಾ ನಂತರ ಭಾರತದ ರಾಜಕೀಯ ಘಟನೆಗಳ ಚಿತ್ರಣವಿದೆ. ಆದರೆ ಅದು ಬರಡು ಬರಡು.‌ಇತಿಹಾಸದ ಪಠ್ಯಪುಸ್ತಕ ಓದಿದಂತೆ! ಅದಲ್ಲದೆ ಆನಂದ ಎನ್ನುವ ನರಸಿಂಹರಾಯರ ಹೋಲುವ ಮುಖ್ಯ ಪಾತ್ರ ನೀರಸ. ಆನಂದನ ಜೀವನ ಜೊತೆಗೆ ಭಾರತದ ರಾಜಕೀಯ ಪಲ್ಲಟ, ಬೆಳವಣಿಗೆಗಳು ಇವೆಲ್ಲ ಎಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ಗೊತ್ತಿರುವ ಮಾಹಿತಿಗಳ ವಿಸ್ತೃತ ಬರವಣಿಗೆ. ಅದಲ್ಲದೆ ಈ ಪಾತ್ರ ಪ್ರಧಾನಿಯಾಗುವಲ್ಲಿಗೆ ಕಾದಂಬರಿಯೂ ಮುಗಿಯುತ್ತದೆ.
ಹಾಗಾಗಿ ಓದುಗ ಕಾಯುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ಪ್ರಧಾನಿಯಾದ ಮೇಲಿನ ಕಥೆ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಬರುವುದೇ ಇಲ್ಲ.

ಇನ್‌ಸೈಡರ್‌ ಅನ್ನುವ ಇಂಗ್ಲೀಷ್ ಕಾದಂಬರಿಯ ಅನುವಾದವಾದ ಇದು ಓದಿ ಮುಗಿಸಿದೆನಪ್ಪ ಅಂತ ನಿಟ್ಟುಸಿರು ಬಿಡುವಂತೆ ಮಾಡಿತು.

[Madan · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 2013, a one time US academic who also happened to be the son of a RAW biggie, took charge as governor of the RBI. He did so at a time when the rupee was in freefall and the current account deficit was burgeoning even as inflation too refused to be tamed. His tenure saw a marked improvement on all three parameters so much so that India almost returned a current account surplus last month (debating the merits and demerits of THAT is beyond the scope of this review). Not satisfied with this, though, he set about creating a market economy style financial structure in India. No.1 hurdle to this was the domination of credit by public sector banks, which in turn were sitting on huge piles of never to be repaid loans, mostly owed by large and supposedly successful corporates. He fought the good fight but had evidently picked the wrong one and a campaign was launched to present him as too outspoken for India's good (of all the possible crimes!), as a US spy, as too impractical, so on and so forth until he, without saying so in as many words, had basically had enough and returned to the US after a 3 year term, uncharacteristically short for an RBI governor.

Why this lengthy preface to a review on an autobiographical novel penned by former Prime Minister the late P V Narasimha Rao? You shall see why when you read the book. Without spoiling it for you - and in any case I believe the book will appeal more to people who have read up on Rao's background - let me just say that the book brings out the problems involved in crusading against 'the system' in India. The system may have taken the form of landlords in an earlier agri-dominated era; today it takes the form of industrialists. But a somewhat feudalistic and elitist system (some may argue that somewhat is an understatement!), nevertheless. Then as now, an all powerful Prime Minister who promised radical change and a clean break with the status quo developed cold feet and sacrificed his/her strongest ally in the fight he/she had promised to fight.

This in my view is the essence of The Insider. It is NOT about liberalisation, be warned. Which does not make it any less interesting. And Rao's wonderful style, his dry wit bringing LeCarre to mind at times, makes this gargantuan 800 pager a breezy read.

A question that troubled me throughout the book and still haunts me is what happened overnight to the freedom fighters - many of whom populated governments at the Centre as well as States at the time - due to which they lost sight of the nation building project that a few like Nehru were very much focused on? I understand the onset of cynicism among subsequent generations but the book does not, to my mind, explain the reasons behind the metamorphosis of those fervent patriots who valiantly fought for our independence. Or perhaps it does and I need to read it one more time to locate the answer.

As you can see, this is not a criticism of the book but an indication of the depth of the issues it raises. It does not matter whether Rao was right about what all he wrote in this epic or whether he was entirely biased and intent on decorating himself. What matters is the questions he raised therein remain pertinent and unresolved in a country that moans for change but is generally quick to bury the lone crusader who dares to be the change. With the exception of Gandhi but hey we shot him dead too!

[Devi Shankar · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author disappoints the reader with a novel that is more conversations than actual events. The novel has been dragged to over 800 pages with conversations or introspection that at times carry on over 5-6 pages; conversations are more philosophical, hypothetical and at times repetitively rhetoric. In one such super long conversation, there was 2 pages filled with rhetoric questions. Conversations are also less engaging as they flow like FAQs or end up being extremely dreamy and speculative without adding any value to a reader who is looking to get history insights from this book. There are sections where the author has mocked physical atrributes of some characters or plainly described people as ugly, which came across in bad taste. The novel also loses some credence in some chapters where it appears like they have been written in hindsight e.g. the character Anand wonders if loyalty to the political party is becoming loyalty to one family, which is a current issue in the country, but the author speaks of this in context of the year 1962 when there was no legacy issue then.
Macro events in the country such as the 1962 war with China,etc are described by stating the obvious. The book (pages which are not never-ending conversations) remain on the surface. The author sways between super macro highlight of events and super micro detailing of conversations, and the reader is left with a deep sense of wanting in the middle. By staying on the surface of political history, he defies the expectations of the reader who expects the novel to be true to its title. The novel is an out-and-out drag. One can easily skip lines or paragraphs and even pages and not lose the plot at all.

[Raghav Tanaji · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could eulogize him for hours, for he has written in such a simple language.

The twists and turns of Human nature, the power politics. How can one person stand on his ideology, when every one is against him.

a thoughful leader.

[M. MUSEEM · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about the first Non-Gandhi Leader of Congress who became the Prime Minister of India.

Goes into detail on he rose in rank, his turbulence in politics as well as his fall as one of the most influential leaders of India

[Aditya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a riveting account of Indian political landscape by an insider.

[Jagdish · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a novel, and not an autobiography (as the author himself says), portraying the political scenario from the time of Nehru to 1973 (till the imposition of President's Rule in Andhra Pradesh). How things take place, arranged, work, how the machinery works, etc. The book gives you an idea of situation of those times.

[Avinash Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seldom an insider writes such and elaborated piece which remains a legacy for future generation to come. Anand remains to the most successful prime minister of India.

[Sri D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading the economic reforms and Indian political/economic history, had a fairly rough idea of the force behind these, PV. This semi-autobiographical account brings forth many incidents from the time of independence, Nehru's strong hold on the nation, internal congress conflicts to Indira's struggle, rise and fall, the emergence of Indian foreign policy, the state and central policies, Afrozabad being the protogonist's home state, his own humble beginnings along with the greatest events that determined the course of our nation. An extremely engaging and thought provoking read for the politically/historically inclined.

[Shiva Sankalpa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Insider felt like walking into a quiet storm. I read it two decades after its release, and the experience was almost voluptuous in the way it unfolded layers of power, ambition and solitude. What struck me most was Rao’s intellect and scholarship. He writes with a depth that doesn’t show off, but you feel it in every controlled sentence.

I kept wishing I had the Hindi edition. I read Hindi much faster, and the political rhythm might have flowed even better. If I had found this book twenty years earlier, I probably would have struggled to finish it. It asks for patience and a steadier mind than I had back then.

[PK · Rating 5 out of 5]

PV Narsimha Rao has singed through the political landscape of India after independence in what I will consider a brave approach. Politics demands subtlity even in its most brutal form and when someone of Mr Rao's stature jots down the truth, some are hit hard. One may not take it in right spirit. Yet here it is, an amazing account of plays and counter-plays that were plotted under the leadership of Nehru and Indira. Read it to correct your political reality map.

[Sinu John · Rating 5 out of 5]

a great book that reveals the nature of Indian Politics. A good way to learn Indian Political history too. This version of history may not be accurate but as someone said history is 'his story'. A really good book that helps the reader in understanding the Raj rule, the independence and the hoard of problems the country faced after independence.

[Sadhana Pandey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The insider is gripping story of what went on in the hearts and minds of common people of India, before and after indian freedom struggle.
Certain references of how people use to coexist, despite of their difference and how harmony prevailed for the simple reason that common people have common aspirations and nothing more, are so apt even for today’s India.

[Sambasivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a rare book by an even rarer personality. PV wears his erudition ever so lightly on his shoulders. Comes out with an honest auto biography. Simple yet profound thoughts. The author comes across as a dreamer and a doer. Go for it.

[Satheesha Tk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fiction on a freedom fighter and young politicean during indipendance

[Black Coffee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good one

[Rajaneesh Chalamalasetti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rarely a fictional non-fiction gives tremendous satisfaction. This is one such book about hope in a corrupt system.

[Kishore]

I WANT TO KNOW THE INDIAN POLITICS

[Baidhurya · Rating 5 out of 5]

the best autobiography from an Indian Politician. Fast paced and engaging

[SHANMUKHA VEERENDRA · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clean account of a politician's thought process and more importantly the essence of power games.

[Bindu Vinod]

It was amazing to read the initial chapters and later on felt dragging. It could mislead the political perspective of an Indian.

[Sheshu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

[Sahil Gupta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice book, gives a thorough view of indian politics from point of view of an ideal politician.