Getting the Political Menu Right Shahid Siddiqui’s memoirs, “I Witness” (published by Rupa) was launched in a packed auditorium. The author, a journalist and an editor, has witnessed many political churns and interacted with almost all the Prime Ministers of the country including a meeting with Jawaharlal Nehru when he was a little boy, all dressed up in sharp sherwani for the momentous meeting with “Chacha Nehru”.
The launch had Farooq Abdullah, Chaudhary Jayant Singh, Shashi Tharoor, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Salman Khursheed, Sanjay Singh, Prof Hilal Ahmed and Neerja Chowdhury on the dais. As it happened, Jayant was called to speak immediately after Shashi Tharoor. Well aware of the positioning, the young Union Minister quipped that asking anyone to speak after Tharoor is to offer plain rice after a bowl of kheer!
Well, he managed to turn that plain rice into a flavourful biryani as he kept the audience engaged, with anecdotes both about politics and the author. It’s a good politician who knows how to stir the pot. The Witness Shahid Siddiqui’s memoirs are a must read, both for students of history and for those who enjoy a tale well told. Being a journalist with an eye for detail as well as a political activist with access to the top leadership, Shahid Siddiqui has penned a chronicle that bears testimony to key events that have shaped our nation postIndependence.
But what struck me also, is that when chronicling our past there is a glaring gap regarding the Rajiv Gandhi years. Except for Mani Shankar Aiyar and Wajahat Habibullah, very few have written about the late Prime Minister’s term in office. Shahid Siddiqui’s book throws a great deal of light on these missing years, as well as the crafty role played by Arun Nehru who seems to be the “nepocousin” turned “palace-Rasputin”, harbouring Prime Ministerial ambitions for himself. Indeed, as Shahid writes he (Arun Nehru) saw himself as more of a Nehru than Rajiv, who also had the Parsi Gandhi genes, and thereby fashioned himself as Indira Gandhi’s heir apparent post Sanjay.
Arun Nehru’s role in the shilanyas during Rajiv’s prime ministership is well documented, but Shahid Siddiqui also talks about the role he played during the Indira years in destabilising Punjab and Kashmir. Being a good writer, he uses telling details to make his point very evocatively, such as when he writes about how Arun Nehru used to summon senior party leaders to stand in attendance as he issued orders with his legs propped up on a cushioned stool before him. It is little details like these along with the larger analysis that make Shahid Siddiqui’s testimony a compelling read.
The Minister, At Home Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, the Cabinet Minister for Culture and Tourism was a gracious host as he invited women journalists over for tea and an informal chat. The event was organised at the behest of the Women Journalists Welfare Trust (WJWT) and what followed was a very candid conversation about the tourism and culture ministry, a sector crucial to our economy in the time of Trump tariffs. He answered a range of questions patiently—from his plans for the Yugeen Bharat museum to the challenges before the tourism sector.
His daughter Suhasini also came towards the end as the minister had to rush off for a meeting, and played host. In fact, meeting her was rather interesting, for she is an ace shooter and also keen on adventure sports. The WJWT has been pretty enterprising in organising these relaxed informal dos, with leaders from across the political divide, from Hardeep Singh Puri to Manish Tewari. Since the meeting is not a rushed interview, it becomes a much more meaningful interaction.
