Mandate: Will of the people by Vir Sanghvi

Book: Mandate: Will of the people

Author: Vir Sanghvi

Publishing House: Westland Ltd.

Category:Non-fiction/ Politics 

Age old politics is both – difficult and fascinating to comprehend. But the level of fascination only increases when you have books like Mandate.

Those belonging to my generation have never witnessed the crucial political events that unfolded in the country till 2000. We have only heard about some famous ones in bits and pieces. However, for enthusiasts like me, curiosity always existed to know about those and many more events in detail. And if there is a book that contains information, precisely and interestingly, then that is Mandate: Will of the people. 

The book isn’t restricted to a few selective events, as one might wonder looking at the number of pages the book is of. It covers all those events which shook and shaped Indian politics, and played a major role in the vote polarization. Not only does it discusses the political dilemma and paranoia that the then politicians faced, but also there are crucial details of the famous scams, and of course, of leaders – veterans and newbies, their agendas, mindsets and ideologies. 

Right from the emergency declared to vociferous insurgency in Punjab, from Indira Gandhi’s assassination to Sanjay Gandhi’s accidental death to Rajiv Gandhi’s murder, from the infamous riots to the horrible scam of the yesteryear, the book contains details of those political events people of the present generation rarely know about. 

The events written about are not just touched and left, but the vital and critical details have been put out. The conversations the author had with politicians concerned to the respective events and the others have been made a part of the book. One actually gets to comprehend what exactly was happening at that point of time and which person had what in mind. 

Being an ardent reader, I have read the author’s writings and columns, especially those in the HT Brunch, prior to reading this book. And one thing I have prominently realized is that he has got an addictive writing style. Even while going through the book one feels like going on and on reading it -- the events he has written about being anyways spicy and interesting! The insider information and personal account are much similar to icing on the cake for the book. 

And truly, the book stands by what it promises: of telling the stories behind the story and bringing alive the men and women behind the headlines. Mandate: Will of the people is a must read for all those interested to know about the traditional politics of our country and the history, of course, of the events that startled and paved the way for contemporary politics.

• You can avail the book via: Amazon, landmark, Infibeam, Rediff, Crossword.