An inspiring autobiography
Thursday, 11.02.2010, 10:08am (GMT+5.5)
FOR AN ordinary swayamsevak of Sindh (Pakistan) who crossed over to India escaping from the post-Partition Pakistani persecution, it is no mean achievement to make a mark in public life and rise to the position of Deputy Prime Minister. The life-story of Lal Krishna Advani is an inspiring testimony to courage, conviction, commitment, character, and self-discipline.
Advani joined the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, founded by Shyama Prasad Mookerjee in the early 1950s and came to work in camaraderie with such leaders as Deendayal Upadhyaya, Balraj Madhok, Nanaji Deshmukh, and of course Atal Bihari Vajpayee. By the dint of sheer hard work and unswerving loyalty to the Sangh’s principles, which continued in its incarnation as the Bharatiya Janata Party, he rose in stature. A staunch Hindu, he has however a secular frame of mind and this is exemplified by the tribute he paid to Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
In his foreword to Advani’s My Country My life, Vajpayee says the autobiography “closely follows the defining moments of independent India, including the tragedy of Partition that accompanied the joy of freedom from the British rule, allowing readers to learn both about him and, to some extent, also about the extraordinary times he has lived in.”
Yaarlagadda Lakshmiprasad, an eminent scholar and award-winning author in Hindi and Telugu, who served as a member of the Rajya Sabha, has had an opportunity to watch Advani, as Deputy Prime Minister, in close quarters and the personal knowledge he gained has stood him in good stead in translating Advani’s autobiography.
Autobiography of L. K. Advani: Translated by Yaarlagadda Lakshmiprasad; Alaknanda Prachuranalu, 59-6-15, Kanchukota Veedhi, Vijayawada-520008. Rs. 350.
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