Review: “Anticipating India: The Best of National Interest” By Shekhar Gupta

By Faiz Rehman

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It was on the November 16, 2002, exactly 11 years and 6 months to the day that Modi was sworn in as the Prime Minister of India, that Shekhar Gupta first called it. Mr Gupta is a veteran journalist, and may not be bothered with, or even agree with this platitude, that over his decades in the world of Indian journalism, he has consistently displayed the unerring ability to read the tea leaves much before everybody else. And if his soothsaying is the only reason anybody decides to purchase his book, Anticipating India: The Best of National Interest, so be it, because the book is a treasure trove of information.

Mr Gupta has the uncanny ability to educate and inform readers without having to patronize them, unlike the brilliantly biting commentary of his colleague Tavleen Singh. Simple prose, but with sufficient details and flourishes that make clear that the author is an old hand at the political analysis and insight game. From the North Eastern states that were embroiled in intractable conflict, to Operation Bluestar that led to Indira Gandhi’s assassination and the Siachen capture, many of the seminal moments of Indian history have been accompanied by a Shekhar Gupta byline.

With sources that pepper the Indian landscape — army jawans, senior commanders, bureaucrats, business tycoons and giants of Indian polity — Mr Gupta manages, through a mixture of charm and coyness, to glean incredible stories from the nation. Just check out the chapter, ‘Breach Candy Dilemma’ for a great summation of the relationship between money and power, big business and politics, Delhi and Mumbai. And then check out his column from June 30, 2012, where he succinctly makes clear the needs and desires of an India undergoing a sea change. ‘Meena Kumari Politics’ was the headline (in reference to the yesteryear actor who portrayed tragic characters) of an article the Congress would have done well to read and actually pay heed to. In no way is this a suggestion of Mr. Gupta knowing everything at all times but he knows damn well enough to help anybody get a handle on perceptions and moods within the nation.

He provides a macro-overview and then leads the reader towards the nitty gritty without getting lost in ‘breaking news’ or just magnifying shrill reactions that fill the air. Move on to another column from the July 6, 2013, ‘Body Politics’, that ran with the subheading, ‘Ishrat isn’t the first, she won’t be the last. We need stronger checks and balances, not petty point-scoring’. A call to get to the bottom of an issue as opposed to, again, magnifying shrill reactions.

Having handed it out generously to some of my expat clients, I received thanks for referring the book and pronouncements of how much it had helped in making sense of this vast, wondrous land. A few more resources for further reading would have been exceptionally helpful though was the refrain as a lot of them are fairly high up corporate food chains and love analysis. The timeline and the way the chapters are organized can take getting used to, but, to its credit, it becomes a lot more fluid and forms a wonderful narrative arc especially towards the end.

And with news that Mr. Gupta is looking to publish other columns that he has penned including ‘Walk the Talk’ and, fingers crossed, ‘Writings on the Wall’, this proposed trilogy should be a part of your reading list, especially if you are interested in social or political analysis. Get your copy today.

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This review was first published on the author’s blog, The Delhi Dispatch.

Follow the author on Twitter: @Multibility