by admin | May 25, 2021 | Books
By M.R. Narayan Swamy,
Title: MGR: A Life; Author: R. Kannan; Publisher: Penguin Books; Pages: xiv + 495; Price: Rs 599
When he was born in Kandy in Sri Lanka, perhaps none would have even remotely imagined that M.G. Ramachandran, or MGR, would overcome the tag of his Malayali origin and the grinding poverty he faced in childhood to one day become a colossus in Tamil Nadu. R. Kannan’s well-researched book does full justice to the extraordinary story of a remarkable man whose decision to split the DMK and form the AIADMK ended up effectively shutting out the political space in the southern state for pan-India parties.
Most people in the country think MGR was just a film actor-turned-lucky politician; he was much more than that. MGR had the power to draw crowds, believe it or not, on par with Mahatma Gandhi and Indira Gandhi. And though human and fallible, Kannan’s story reveals a great humanist and a fascinating man with keen native intelligence and politics in the DNA. All this took him to great heights, a feat that eluded many in Tamil Nadu.
Life was so harsh that MGR’s widowed mother Sathyabama often fasted to feed her children. Penury forced MGR to quit school after Class 3 and take to theatre where his constant companions were uncertainty, hardship and humiliation, even after he began earning a monthly salary of five rupees. When he got his first 100 rupees for his first movie at age 19, a disbelieving MGR asked his brother if it was a genuine note. At home, his mother placed the note near her husband’s picture, lit camphor and applied “vibhuthi” on her two sons’ foreheads. MGR could not sleep that night.
As his graph rose in the Tamil film industry, slowly and steadily, MGR began to acquire a cult image. He carefully cultivated a screen image of a do-gooder. He was already attracted to the Dravidian movement; his own increasing appeal was a major boost to the fledgling DMK and its leader Annadurai or Anna, a man whom he greatly admired.
The budding hero chose his roles and lines carefully, never essaying a negative character. That is why, as versatile actor Sivaji Ganesan remarked, MGR succeeded in politics where he did not. On screen, MGR was “vathiyar” or teacher to the working class, the epitome of the perfect man to the womenfolk. He was a crusader for justice. He wouldn’t smoke on screen. Obsessed with his image, MGR paid great attention to tailor-made songs that had a multiplier effect. His movies and songs turned MGR into a larger-than-life figure. And MGR fan associations, which the actor carefully cultivated, promoted the cult further.
But everything about MGR was not artificial. He genuinely believed in helping people in distress. According to one account, MGR’s unpublicised acts of charity ran into Rs 1 crore, perhaps much more. Even as he began earning decent money, he would ensure that the staff in his unit was fed well. Often he would have spent half his salary by the time his film finished. Once in the 1950s, after seeing rickshaw pullers in Chennai drenched in drain, he gifted 6,000 raincoats — each costing Rs 10. No wonder, to the mass of poor, MGR was a veritable god.
MGR dramatically survived when fellow actor M.R. Radha shot him in 1967, something that secured for the DMK great sympathy in assembly polls that year, helping it to dethrone the Congress in Tamil Nadu — forever. He entered the Tamil Nadu Assembly through the Upper House — which he would later abolish. Once he was made the Treasurer in the DMK, relations with Karunanidhi slowly derailed, leading to his exit from the party and the formation of ADMK (later named AIADMK), irrevocably changing the political map of Tamil Nadu.
But unlike Karunanidhi, MGR was not a fighter vis-�-vis New Delhi. He would capitulate easily. For him, befriending those ruling the Centre was a priority, even if the Prime Minister was a weak Charan Singh. After rubbing Indira Gandhi the wrong way initially, he finally became a staunch ally. His now celebrated Midday Meal Scheme in schools proved to be a revolutionary step that was embraced by the rest of India. But while his first administration was generally considered corruption free, corruption appeared with a vengeance in his two later regimes. That he funded the LTTE illegally was known, what was not clear was where the money came from.
MGR did promote J. Jayalalithaa, much to the chagrin of senior colleagues, but it remained a love-hate relationship. She was too independent and would at times be seen to be disobeying MGR. But for all his weaknesses, as a politician, MGR never relied on caste and religion for votes. While there was relative industrial harmony during his reign, industrial growth was slackening. He ushered in the era of freebies — something that haunts Tamil Nadu to this day. But this did not help the poor to leap out of the poverty graph. MGR’s 10 years in power in Tamil Nadu was a mixed bag, and the decay in the AIADMK, now so visible, began even as he was alive.
(M.R. Narayan Swamy can be reached on narayan.swamy@ians.in)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Books
By Meghna Mittal,
Title: The Corporate Jungle: Your Guide to Understanding Workplace People and Politics; Author: Seema Raghunath; Publisher: Harper Collins; Pages: 207; Price: Rs 299
“Understanding workplace politics is as important as going to work, dreaming of a future, holding on to aspirations and working on yourself, to be more competent. Else you could end up like a trained rally driver in full gear, sitting in the best car, however….driving on a dirt road!”
Right from its title to the introduction, this book loudly and clearly proclaims what it offers; so the reader gets exactly what he or she expects.
It begins with sharp sentences intended to agitate the reader, especially if he or she is someone who is intellectually far ahead of others but never moves up the corporate ladder fast enough.
“When faced with a strange, uncomfortable climate, people, events that begins to stifle the focussed worker in you, pause and check if any of these are in play,” the author, HR professional and expert Seema Raghunath writes.
The book abounds in metaphoric comparisons of human beings to animals like horses, ants, jaguars, apes, lions, grizzly bear, suckerfish, elephants, owls, cats and chameleons — and the chapters are named after these. The book compares the workplace to a jungle in which the working people have to find their way like an explorer with a map.
“Animals roam in all types of jungles. Nothing you studied in school can prepare you for workplace realities completely. A business establishment may have the good workhorse. One who eats, breathes and lives to work, but who may not be the one most likely to be declared the next CEO.”
The book is definitely not meant for those who are entering a profession, else it could scare them away. But yes, if you are feeling stuck at your workplace and not getting awarded enough despite all the hard work and intellect, this book may help.
For the author, Jaguars are natural leaders with superior intelligence, while lions are fearless and never allow anyone to trample upon them. Grizzly bears give a lot of people grief with their “grrr” arrogance; cats pretend to be tigers when they are only cats, while chameleons are hardly ever consistent, playing camps and people.
The various chapters give you tips on identifying the different kinds of animals in the corporate jungle — and how to tackle them.
“Being able to get a handle on workplace politics is like opening the third eye,” Raghunath writes.
The book is for all those simple and square people who can’t brag, or be manipulative or strategic to the point of scheming; those on whom others deploy strategies; those who admit they can’t see it coming, even if politics honked or shone a headlight at them.
According to the author, the age of simplicity is long gone.
“Simplicity was an attractive trait for over two centuries until the early twentieth century. The more non-political a person is, the more they assume the rest of the world to be the same. Because they don’t work with a hidden agenda or strategy for combat, they write off the possibility of others being capable of anything like that,” she writes.
But workplace politics is here to stay and as long as you don’t work in a cave, isolated from the rest of humanity, this element will continue to be a stark reality. Some of us admit and accept it in all maturity, while some pretend it does not exist.
“There is also a school of thought that believes you can exist in a cocoon of self-sufficiency. Things will fix themselves. When ‘other’ human beings become a variable that can alter you action and work, it is hard to dismiss them and say we will bring about change and outcomes that we seek by just managing our own selves. We know we can’t really manage others — that would mean we are controlling them. But we can try to understand others,” Raghunath writes.
However, she says that a person doesn’t need to “play politics” to survive — just knowing how different workers operate is enough to keep him/her one step ahead.
The book is not aimed at making you a wonderful human being. Neither will it get you a promotion, bring out the best in you or trigger anything spiritual immediately. But it just gives you some tips on how to get along at the workplace.
In the end, no formula book can see you through at your workplace, though this book’s tips might prove helpful. You may also need to identify yourself as to which animal’s characteristics you have.
If nothing else, the book provides you an interesting perspective of the workplace and brings in some humour and novelty in your dreary surroundings if you imagine being surrounded by all the various kinds of animals after comparing their traits.
(Meghna Mittal can be reached at meghna.m@ians.in)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Books
New Delhi : Wade through a searing memoir and a chilling indictment of the Indian prison system; get an insight look into what motivates exceptional companies and how they are a cut above the rest; read a mystery story that revolves around diamonds worth millions; and flick through a book full of stories from Chennai.
IANS bookshelf has varied fare to offer to its readers for this weekend.
1. Book: Comeuppance: My Experiences in an Indian Prison; Author: James Tooley; Publisher: Speaking Tiger; Pages: 256; Price: Rs 299
In March 2014, James Tooley, a champion of low-cost private schools across South Asia and Africa, was enjoying a break in Hyderabad, where he reunited with his girlfriend Sara and niece Alissa. One evening he was visited by a friendly Deputy Superintendent of CID, who was concerned about alleged irregularities in the funding of his NGO, the Educare Trust. Tooley clarified that he had already given a statement to the CID and shut the NGO down years ago. However, not to be brushed off, the Deputy Superintendent returned to his hotel later that night — this time with a posse of subordinates to arrest him without a warrant.
Conditions in the prison were dire, and the jailers typically cruel and violent, but the other prisoners were extraordinarily kind. Appallingly, many had been inside for years, never charged with anything, often victims of police corruption and too poor to go to court.
In this disturbing yet gripping book, Tooley recounts his time in prison and his Kafkaesque struggle against Indian bureaucracy. Even after securing bail, he was subjected to humiliating interrogations, threats from armed goons and demoralising visits to the court.
A searing memoir and a chilling indictment of the Indian prison system, the police, and the judiciary which allows them discretion to act with impunity, “Comeuppance: My Experiences in an Indian Prison” is a timely reminder about the terrifying reality of 21st century India.
2. Book: Win Win Corporations; Author: Shashank Shah; Publisher: Penguin; Pages: 438; Price: Rs 599
Why did Ratan Tata decide to pay for all the victims of 26/11 whether injured in the Taj or anywhere else? Why did HDFC’s Aditya Puri insist that employees leave for home by 5.30 p.m.? How did HUL develop a cheaper, better product to beat its competitor, Nirma? What do Taj Hotels, HDFC, HUL, L&T and BPCL have in common? They are the win-win corporations. Based on over a decade of research, Shashank Shah takes a look at these truly outstanding Indian companies and how they do business.
Each of these companies has exceptional practices when it comes to stakeholder management. Whether the stakeholder is an employee, customer, investor, vendor or even society at large, these companies reveal how looking at everyone else’s interests doesn’t really mean compromising your own. Often, the two complement each other and that is what makes a win-win solution for everyone. The book provides an inside look at what motivates exceptional companies and how they are a cut above the rest. Full of fascinating anecdotes, leadership philosophy and background stories of the organisations, “Win-Win Corporations” is an inspiring read about what makes companies great.
3. Book: Diamonds Are For All; Author: Surender Mohan Pathak; Publisher: Harper Black; Pages: 400; Price: Rs 299
Taxi driver Jeet Singh is cruising for fare when a man being tailed by a bunch of goons blocks his way. Entrusting him with a briefcase full of secret, classified government documents to be delivered in lieu of a huge sum to a girl in Jogeshwari, he jumps off the moving taxi.
His body is found by the railway track in a Mumbai suburb the next morning, while Jeet Singh finds he has nobody to give the briefcase to: The girl died mysteriously the previous night. He opens the briefcase, and a free-for-all for diamonds worth millions is set into motion.
4. Book: Madras on my Mind; Authors: Chitra Viraraghavan and Krishna Shastri; Publisher: Harper Collins; Pages: 207; Price: Rs 350
Once upon a time by the sea, there was a story and another and another and some wandered into these pages to make up a city.
So meet, among others, a travel guide who falls for a French tourist, a rice merchant with Kollywood dreams, a god whose editor proves elusive, a portly musical lawyer caught in a noir plot, and a man in search of family in the Great Madras Flood.
Find yourself, among other places, in Town, at that gastronomic oxymoron, the Udipi cafe, in Velachery, looking for pot or maybe for love, on Kaanum Pongal day all across Madras, even in a fast car on East Coast Road, fleeing the city till it lures you back with its lovely lies.
It’s all here: The salt in the breeze, the eternal summer, the swing of the sea.
It’s Madras on your mind.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Books
By Vikas Datta,
Title: The Great Game in Afghanistan – Rajiv Gandhi, General Zia and the Unending War; Author: Kallol Bhattacherjee; Publisher: Harper Collins; Pages: 328; Price: Rs 599
Donald Trump has become the third US President to send more troops to Afghanistan, in what has become his country’s longest-ever war — with no signs of any closure yet. But the Americans, who had a big part in launching the nearly four-decade-long crisis, also did forgo a chance of a settlement in its very first decade itself. By miffing India.
The list of the mistakes that the Americans committed in Afghanistan after deciding to oppose the Soviet invasion is long. We know too well how their fervent urge to defeat their ideological adversary made them oblivious to the means they chose to employ – – until their instruments became their own implacable enemy. Then, they failed to exert any meaningful influence over their chosen regional ally, who frequently played false with them, and always ignored its indiscretions.
But how the US spurned a natural partner after trying to involve it to reach a solution is a story not many outside a small circle of high political and diplomatic movers and shakers of the 1980s may know — and it is this that Kallol Bhattacharjee tells here.
Noting that while it is the hyphenated “Af-Pak” perspective that has gained ground, especially after 9/11, he says zeroing in on only Pakistan to explain Afghanistan’s predicament is not enough. And in this book, he seeks to offer “a counter-narrative of the narrow Af-Pak project to show that the focus of the crisis was much broader”.
“Diplomats who worked during these difficult years told me that the story of Afghanistan of the 1980s cannot be complete without going into how the United States, India and Pakistan worked on a peace plan and how the plan failed to take off due to differences between the stakeholders,” says Bhattacharjee, a journalist with extensive experience of South and West Asian affairs and conflicts.
Though there was a rather different configuration of allies and adversaries, it was a “Great Game” all over again, and India, under Rajiv Gandhi, was bound to be involved given the threat from a huge influx of weapons and radicalism to the region.
And India did try to use its good offices, but saw its efforts go nowhere — and got victimised in the bargain.
Beginning with a watershed event — the accident that killed Pakistan President Zia ul Haq in 1988 — he goes back and forth in time with his three principal protagonists: Zia, Rajiv Gandhi and then US Ambassador to India John Gunther Dean (whose career was ended shamefully when he questioned the official version of the crash) to narrate how this turbulent, “lost” decade not only squandered a chance to end one of the most destructive and destabilising conflicts ever, but also delayed a new global partnership.
Drawing from the papers of Dean — and in the process, rehabilitating his memory and contribution — and supplemented by interactions with key players like Indian diplomat Ronen Sen, then a key member of Gandhi’s office, and then Pakistani envoy to US Jamsheed Marker and others, Bhattacharjee not only offers a new look at the dynamics of the Afghan issue, but also the generational transformation of Indian politics and diplomacy in the Rajiv Gandhi years.
There is, alongside, the strong thread of how the prevailing toxic mistrust between India and Pakistan — even before the Kashmir issue came centrestage — prevented them from having normal relations, and how it would affect the destiny of the region itself — an impact which lingers on till now.
Bhattacharjee shows how this also cast a malefic influence on a promising new start between the world’s largest and oldest democracies, despite the positive chemistry between the top leaders.
While there are some problems — why Dean suspected Israel of killing Zia is never made clear, the language is sometimes clunky (too many ‘buts’ in a paragraph) and some factual errors (Pervez Musharraf could have never honoured Marker in 2011) — Bhattacharjee has created a spell-binding tale of missed opportunities, misplaced priorities, and Machiavellian gambits that no student of regional affairs can miss.
(Vikas Datta can be contacted at vikas.d@ians.in)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Books
By Vikas Datta,
Title: Fifty Things That Made the Modern Economy; Author: Tim Harford; Publisher: Little, Brown; Pages: 352; Price: Rs 599
The i-Phone may seem the pinnacle of human endeavour, ingenuity and technological prowess — but while Steve Jobs deserves the plaudits, the range of technologies making it possible were a collective effort, facilitated by a surprisingly unexpected benefactor.
When we think of the wonders of our modern world, we may cite these flashy hand-held devices that enable us to communicate, entertain ourselves and find information instantly. But they are merely one facet, for our lives now owe to a range of inventions and discoveries stretching from the humble plough to Google, and from the elevator to intellectual property, and achieved in several unusual and unexpected ways.
And while the i-Phone does make a list of 50 such inventions, so do concrete, clocks and infant formula as well as limited liability companies, public key cryptography and the welfare state — and many others, including some which may seem surprising.
But economist, columnist and author Tim Harford does not only seek here to list of 50 specific inventions but also to tell us the singular stories behind their inception — the iPhone especially — and how they affected us socially and economically from the beginning of civilisation to workings of the world economy now. Or rather in laying its foundations.
These 50 inventions, he says, range from those “absurdly simple” to ones which became “astonishingly sophisticated”, “stodgily solid” to “abstract inventions that you cannot touch at all”, profitable right from their launch or, while others were initially commercial disasters.
“But all of them have a story to tell that teaches us something about how our world works and that helps us notice some of the everyday miracles that surround us, often in the most ordinary-seeming objects. Some of these stories are of vast and impersonal economic forces; others are tales of human brilliance or human tragedy.”
Harford, known for his “Undercover Economist” series, does stress that he doesn’t seek to identify the 50 most economically significant inventions for some seemingly obvious entrants — printing presses, airplanes, computers — are missing. And there are good reasons why.
He also promises that while zooming in closely to examine one of these or pulling back to notice the unexpected connections, will provide answers to questions like the link between Elton John and the promise of a paperless office, how an American discovery banned in Japan for four decades affected women’s careers there, which monetary innovations destroyed Britain’s Houses of Parliament in the 1830s.
Harford also explains how all these inventions have two facets — they may not be always benign — in the longer run, or ensure a “win-win” scenario for all.
While it is easy to see inventions as solutions to problems, he warns against seeing them as only solutions, for they “shape our lives in unexpected ways — and while they’re solving a problem for someone, they’re often creating a problem for someone else”.
These attributes are best shown by the case of an ostensibly well-meaning American inventor who is responsible for poisoning our environment twice-over though his two contributions were initially helpful, and then by both the beneficial and baleful impacts of the plough — or banks for that matter.
Harford also shows that there is more to an invention than its inventing, and even for any one of them, “it’s often hard to pin down a single person who was responsible — and it’s even harder to find a ‘eureka’ moment when the idea all came together”.
Dealing with such aspects in the brief interludes between the inventions, placed in no discernible chronological or thematic order, Harford also seeks to put them together at the end to pose the vital question of how we should think about that often used and often misunderstood buzzword “innovation” today.
“What are the best ways to encourage new ideas? And how can we think clearly about what the effects of those ideas might be, and act with foresight to maximise the good effects and mitigate the bad ones?” he asks.
But as his incisive but illuminating and entertaining sojourn through centuries of human activities and endeavours show, there are no easy or definite answers.
(Vikas Datta can be contacted at vikas.d@ians.in)
—IANS
