P.V. Narasimha Rao once told me, ‘I can take her on, but I do not wish to do so.’
PRIME MINISTER’S HOUSE
NEW DELHI
9 June 1980
Dear Natwar,
Your letter to the 4th
Just when you are talking about the working of the democratic process in a coherent way, Badshah Khan is busy giving statements from a Srinagar Hospital that there is no democracy in India and compares us in a vague sort of way to Pakistan! Can you believe it? All this keeps one from getting a swollen head.
We have won the elections but the going was pretty tough and many of the seats either won or lost, were neck-to-neck.
The real difficulties now begin. The people’s expectations are high but the situation both political and economic, is an extremely complex one. I cannot help being an optimist and I have no doubt that if only our legislators and the people as a whole have the patience and forbearance to climb the steep and stony path for the next few months, we can get over the hump and arrive at a place from which progress is possible once again.
However, politics is at a low ebb. All those who shouted so much about democracy have no compunctions now in saying as Charan Singh2 has, that ‘Parliament is irrelevant’, or the Jan Sang encouraging anti-national elements in the North-East. The Opposition parties are making frantic efforts, egged on by Bahuguna, to unite. What for? Only to have agitations and violence or to encourage defections.
I am glad you are enjoying Islamabad.
Yours sincerely,
(Indira Gandhi)
Shri Natwar Singh,
High Commissioner of India,
Islamabad.
***
PRIME MINISTER’S HOUSE
NEW DELHI
3 August 1981
Dear Natwar,
I have read some of the interviews in the book you left and I am depressed. I feel isolated, not because of politics, the correctness of which will be seen in time as it has been before. But while the earth spins on the beauty and with method, the world of men is a hollow one, where words have no meaning and sentiments no feeling, the young have lost wonder, elan and even hope. What can a leaden-eyed civilization do? Can flame of idealism or a vision of a better man be protected from all this cynicism, hypocrisy and hatred?
8 August 1981
I did not send this as I thought you were coming to Delhi. I am sorry to hear you are unwell and in hospital. Do get well soon.
Thank you for Galbraith’s book though I have it already. We might exchange-you can take mine as it has no name on it.
Sincerely,
(Indira Gandhi)
Shri Natwar Singh,
High Commissioner of India,
Islamabad.
***
Andhra Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Reddy has announced year long programmes for observing the birth centenary of the late P.V. Narasimha Rao. He was the ninth Prime Minister of India. He will go down in history as one of the greatest. He rescued the country from financial bankruptcy. He made India a world class economic power.
He was, as I have written in the past, the most cerebral and scholarly PM. Jawaharlal Nehru wrote better English and was a front rank intellectual. He lacked P.V.’s subtlety of mind and linguistic versatility. P.V. could read, write and speak half a dozen languages besides Telagu and English.
I knew him intimately. We had at one time serious public differences. These fortunately did not last long.
Sonia Gandhi was allergic to P.V. This speaks poorly of her judgement. P.V. once told me, “I can take her on, but I do not wish to do so.”
P.V. Narasimha Rao was born on 28 June 1921 and passed away in New Delhi on 21 December 2004.
***
It was December 1948. I was in my first year at St. Stephen’s College. The first ever West Indies cricket team had come to India. The opening Test match was played at Ferozshah Kotla ground.
About fifty Stephenians trooped in to the Feroz Shah Kotla ground, two hours before the match started. We sat on wooden benches. The West Indies won the toss. They scored over 600 runs. Everton Weekes, 5 feet 6 inches tall, scored a century. Clyde Walcott also clobbered our bowlers. I vaguely remember the handsome Frank Worrell. Amarnath was captaining India. From our side Hemu Adhikari scored a century.
Everton Weekes died earlier in the week, at the age of 95 in Bridgetown, Worrell died in 1967 at the age of 43. Walcott at 80 in 2006. It was an unforgettable experience to watch such great cricketers play.