It has become a worldwide trend now for the former Presidents, former Prime ministers and former top bureaucrats to write their memoirs. They write their memoirs collecting their thoughts, experiences and memories in the tranquillity of retirement.
They expose some explosive events and place them in the public domain. The events contain some political situations and some pressing issues. Of course many of them are unverifiable. A memoir is not different from autobiography. It is rather a sub - category of autobiography. While autobiography tells the story of a life, the memoir tells the story of a particular event, or some turning points of the author's life. It is all about speaking truth.
A genuine memoir does not accept fiction and bias. But it is alleged, some authors deliberately make their works controversial to boost their sale. Recently two memoirs have hit the headlines in India and abroad.
One is the 'Presidential Years' written by the former President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, and other is 'A Promised Land ' written by Barack Obama, the former president of the United States of America. Pranab's book is yet to be released.
But it has become controversial in the beginning. His son Abhijit Mukherjee, a former MP and the daughter, Sarmistha Mukherjee, the present spokesperson of Congress Party, now spar over the release of the book.
Son says, the book should not be published without his consent and the daughter requests her brother not to create unnecessary hurdles in the publication of the book because father has checked the script when he was alive. Some excerpts of the book, the 4th one in the series , leaked and floated in different media forums , tell some critical comments given by Pranab about Sonia Gandhi and Dr Manamohan Singh.
The former late President reportedly in his book says, Congress party lost its political focus after his elevation as president and the party lost the elections too in 2014 due to Sonia Gandhi and Manamohan Singh as Mrs Gandhi did not take interest in party affair and Dr Singh’s prolonged absence in the House weakened the morale of the party MPs to face the challenges of the opposition members. The former president quoting his supporters' view further says, the Congress's election debacle in 2014 could have been averted had he become the Prime Minister in 2004.
The Congress is in bad phase now. If Pranab's book is released at this stage, it may cause more damage to the party's prospects. Therefore, there is an attempt in some circle to stop the publication of the book.
'A Promised Land' is a memoir by Barack Obama, the former president of the USA from January 2009 to January 2017. It is the 1st of Obama’s planned two volume series.
The book created massive hue and cry in India before it was released in November last. The Indian TV channels carried prime time debates on some comments made by Obama about India and some Indian politicians. Nearly nine lakhs books were presold before the release of the book. President Obama with his wife Michelle made an official visit to India in January, 2010. There was Congress led UPA -2 Government in India headed by Prime Minister Dr Manamohan Singh. Obama' s book contains a little description about his India -visit in just six pages only in his 751 page book. The book carries some of Obama's observations about India, Mahatma Gandhi, Manamohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and some critical comments about BJP and Nathuram Godse without mentioning Godse's name.
India occupies a special place in his imagination, Obama tells. It may be due to its size, due to its 2,000 distinct ethnic groups, or due to its 700 languages spoken or it may be due to Hindu tales of Ramayan and Mahabharat which he listened in his childhood days. But above all it is Mahatma Gandhi, Obama confesses in his book, whose ideological attractions brought him to India. Mahatma Gandhi is a unique personality, Obama says. His satyagrah, nonviolent resistance, oneness of religion, recognising the dignity of all people are the core essences which have influenced the thinking of Obama.
Despite his extraordinary gifts Obama laments, Gandhi had not been able to heal the 'sub continent's religious schisms and undo the India's stiffening caste system'. But it is unfortunate that Gandhi while on his way to prayer was shot at by a 'young Hindu extremist.'
Obama, in his book, looks very candid about Dr Manamohan Singh. He says, the PM Singh is the chief architect of India's economic transformation. He has won the people's trust not by appealing to their passion, but by bringing about higher living standard. Still across the country, Obama goes on speaking in his book that millions of people live in squalor, in slums though the Indian industrialists live the lives which the Rajas and Moguls of India's old ages would have envied. Obama's comments about Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi create both outrages and admiration in India.
The Indian media takes interest in it. Both Sonia and Rahul were present in the dinner party hosted by the Indian Prime Minister for president Obama and his wife Michelle. Sonia in traditional Indian saree, though participating in the discussion, was speaking less and was looking forceful, striking and shrewdly intellectual. And Rahul in his forties seemed to be smart and earnest. In discussing the future of progressive global politics there was marked nervous unformed quality in him lacking aptitude and passion to master the subjects. But in the end of his book Obama is sceptical if batton can successfully be passed to Rahul amid the divisive nationalism touted by BJP.
Obama's memoir, 'A Promised Land,' receives both praise and criticism in India. Some say, some of the Obama's comments about Indian politicians as a state guest are out of context and unwarranted. And some say Obama has deliberately brought Gandhi family to the ambit of his book to enhance the saleability of his memoir.
In fact, a memoir is a historical document to be preserved for future reference. It will be disastrous if the author adds fiction and bias to it.
(A Gandhian author and columnist, lawyer, Puri. Phone: 9861469328)