H. N. Verma and Amrit Verma
GIP Books
Pages 245
Price not stated
Everyone reads history, but only a few write history; and those who make history are rarer still.
The Vermas have put together vignettes of 25 Indians who have shaped the history of modern India. The historical canvas encompasses not only political figures but also they who have made a mark in science, humanities, fine arts, business and law.
The book is written on the premise that "history as a narration of events in terms of rulers and leaders is no longer acceptable. Politicians, scientists, businessmen, industrialists, professionals, creative people and others have also been changing the course of events and their contributions claim attention." It encourages the reader to ratify this new view of history.
It is penned by veteran historians who have co-authored books like 100 Great Indians Through the Ages, Forts Of India etc, however, this book is disappointing, although not without flashes of greatness. It has four sections, each devoted to luminaries of a specific field. The first section deals with politics and puts together biographies of eight great statesmen and politicians like C. Rajagopalachari, Dr Rajendra Prasad, Dr B.R Ambedkar, Lal Bahdur Shastri, Indira Gandhi etc. The biographies of Lal Bahdur Shastri and Indira Gandhi delineate the character of these epoch-making Indians in the context of the contemporary political and social scenario. The public ambivalence towards Indira Gandhi, who was reviled as well as venerated as "devi", has been well brought out, making the biography a medium of social opinion and comment.
The second section is devoted to men and women who have made their mark in the field of science and humanities. The biography of C.V Raman, the first Asian to win a Nobel prize in physics, makes an interesting and readable narrative. Scientific terms have been explained in a simple language.
The third section deals with literary greats like Surya Kanth Tripathi Nirala and R. K , Narayan, painters of repute like M.F Hussain and Nand Lal Bose, musician Ravi Shankar and cinematographer Satyajit Ray.
The biography of Satyajit Ray is enlivened by an anecdote about "this unusually tall Indian". The final section has biographies of Dhirubhai Ambani, the business tycoon, and legendary lawyers like Motilal C. Setalvad and Nani Palkhivala. An introduction to the Indian Art Movement, which prefaces the biographies of the painters, and a note on Indian judiciary, which prefaces the sketches of the lawyers, gives a historical backdrop to the readers.
The historian couple has put together the life sketches of personalities who have shaped contemporary India. In doing so, the team has attempted to spawn a definition of history which rises above the mere narration of facts. This is a laudable effort, but often the narrative sinks into a prosaic and pedestrian detailing of chronological facts. Printing errors and chunks of unconnected prose jolt the reader out of a somnolent state generated by too many facts and figures. The promise the book holds out at the beginning remains unfulfilled.
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