Yesterday I have finished reading one more new book titled,  “Indira: India’s Most Powerful Prime Minister” by Sagarika Ghosh.  Sagarika is currently the consulting Editor of an English News Paper, and a journalist with over 25 years experience in print and visual media. The book is an objective account of Mrs Gandhi’s life. She admits that she disagreed with her politics but was fascinated by the subject as a political journalist. Unlike her father Mrs Gandhi believed in politics of singularity. Sagarika, it seems read 80 out of 120 biographies written about Indira. In order to bring something interesting, and new to the book, that had not been already done, she took the role of an interviewer. The narrative is interspersed with letters addressed to the Ghost of Indira Gandhi, which poses questions Sagarika would have wanted, to ask her, if she were alive today. In this book PN Haksar, has been given prominence as a pivotal player in all of Indira’s masterstrokes. Sagarika credits him with being the architect of Bangladesh War. Though Sagarika was blown away by the level of courage that Mrs Gandhi displayed when she took the lone stand against the world for the war. The book goes beyond her facet as a ruler and dwells into her multi-faceted personality. Indira wasn’t all business; she had a softer side as well. I have understood that Indira was a paradoxical person who loved things she didn’t like. She espoused similar feelings towards Indian democracy, Indian politics, the Indian press, men in her family etc. Sagarika sums up her impression of Mrs Gandhi as one beautiful and magnanimous person caged in a castle made of her own paranoia, anxiety, anger, and suspicion of everyone around her. Indira lived in black and white, a person of extremes, capable of great evil and good. It’s a very fascinating read.