Maragaret Alva’s autobiography is not just a political memoir but it also serves as a window to the growth of the nation, writes ANANYA BORGOHAIN
When Margaret Alva’s book released in July this year, it was mired in controversy. While that has often been the case with memoirs of politicians, the debates, arguments and counterarguments also render national attention towards a book. On one hand, the book gets talked about, but the flip side of it is that the autobiography may be robbed of its more engaging nuances. Alva’s Courage and Commitment was no exception. It led to some strain within the Congress party as allegations and denials were quickly made and in the process, many failed to see the book as a parallel documentation of India since the 1940s.
After all, this is a chronicle of a politician with decades of experience. Through Alva, we get a glimpse of how modern India evolved since Independence.
Born in 1942 at Mangalore, she has been the governor of four States — Uttarakhand, Goa, Rajasthan, Gujarat. In a career of over 40 years, she has served under four Prime Ministers — Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, PV Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh. She is also a qualified lawyer. At the same time, not only is she one of the youngest MPs to have entered politics at the age of 32 but she is also a devout Christian who has been the president of the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA).
This book serves as a window to the growth of our nation. It starts in the 1940s. Alva also remembers the day Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated: “Suddenly, policemen with guns appeared at the gate and in the compound. My father returned home early and was very agitated. We were asked to stay indoors. All the doors and windows were shut. We could hear loud shouts on the road outside as processions went through the streets. As I sat on my father’s lap, I asked, ‘Why is everyone scaredIJ’ My father told me, ‘Mahatma Gandhi, our great leader, has been killed.”
There is also an insight into her religious side as she narrates about her visits to the church and maintaining her religious inclinations after marriage as well. She recalls her father-in-law Joachim Alva kneeling next to her in the church and being impressed to see her at Mass on a weekday. There are anecdotes about her familial life, more so, after her wedding into the affluent Alva family and how a simple girl like her adjusted in her renowned in-laws’ life, which eventually led to her political career.
Gradually it veers into more sensitive arenas, such as her expulsion from the Congress in 1979, her role in the Jain Hawala case, how she could never form a consistently cordial association with Sanjay Gandhi, her perspective of Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination, PV Narasimha Rao’s prominence in the Congress, and so on.
There is also an amusing mention of Fidel Castro, whom she had met in 1983 when she was a part of a friendship delegation. He was charming but couldn’t resist commenting on women’s appearances. In the same way, she also talks fondly of Mother Teresa, calling her a close friend. In fact, reportedly, despite the bitterness between her and the Congress after the memoir was released, Alva will still represent the party at Mother Teresa’s canonisation today at the Vatican.
Alva’s book discusses in details different times and spaces that shaped and reshaped Indian political history. it may not be entirely enlightening but is still a valuable addition to a collection of Indian political chronicles.
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