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Politics News Blog Archives
Politics News Blog posts insightful comments on the latest international news that render us taken-aback in the domain of the politics facet of life. Politics-News Blog: Family-Politics News Family Politics: December 2, 2007
As she walks down the hall of the India International Centre, a graceful figure, slightly hunched up at the shoulders, eyes sparkling with wit, it is a little difficult to believe that Nayantara Sahgal is all of 80 years old. Sahgal, Vijayalakshmi Pandit’s daughter and Jawaharlal Nehru’s niece, was in town for the re-launch of her memoir Prison and Chocolate Cake and the novel Mistaken Identity as part of the classics brought out by HarperCollins Perennial. The talk invariably meanders to her memoir, first published seven years after Independence, giving an insider’s view into India’s first political family. “At that time, everybody was delighted, particularly my uncle (Nehru). He said I had a gift for atmosphere and that I had refreshed the memory of the times very nicely. I was thrilled for days to come,” she says. Politics News Blog: Family Politics News (Continued) She is forthcoming about her rift with cousin Indira, who, on return to power after the Emergency, cancelled Sahgal’s appointment as ambassador to Italy. Sahgal, in turn, wrote a scathing account of Mrs G in Indira Gandhi: Her Rise to Power. “It was a difficult choice because we were always a close-knit family, but things had changed then,” she pauses, probably remembering the discord between “Indu” and Vijayalakshmi. “I was always an avid follower of my uncle and felt it necessary to uphold his ideals. I never wanted any power for myself, just my right as an independent individual,” she adds quietly. Even though the rift never healed between the cousins, things changed when Rajiv Gandhi came to power. “He was a lovable boy, very affectionate. He brought the family together again,” she says. Which is why Sahgal’s relationship with the new Mrs G is vastly different from the one she had with the original. “Sonia and I speak occasionally and meet at social gatherings,” she smiles. The novelist is not through with writing though. “I have the beginnings of a novel in my mind, something about regular lives set against a political backdrop, but before that I have to publish my mother’s papers,” says Sahgal, as she prepares to return to Dehradun. “There’s so much to do... I just don’t know where to start.” Politics News Blog Comment:
All the family politics within the confines of the first family of India! What happens in the first family is exactly what keeps happening in the last as well. Not only in India but wherever humans live! It is not a question of the first or the last family or the question of India or abroad, but of what the institution called family turns us to be. Family narrows down the horizons of our human perspective. Shouldn't we replace this narrow institution with a wider one that gives us space to breathe free on earth in company with our fellow human beings irrespective of blood or race relations? I invite you to subscribe to my E-zine titled Life Coach, free of charge. This E-zine publishes insightful comments on the latest international news that render us taken-aback in the domains of various facets of life. A not-to-be-missed opportunity! Subscribe to it here: I also invite you to subscribe to my Life Blog - no need to provide your e-mail address here. This RSS feed keeps you informed about new developments taking place on this site. It also harbors 25 journal bloglets posting insightful comments on the latest international news that render us taken-aback in the domains of various facets of life. In order to subscribe to the blog, right-click on the orange RSS button (see buttons up to the left) and then paste the URL into your RSS reader. Or click on add to My Yahoo! button or My MSN or Add To Google button if you keep a personalized home page there. If you are not sure what RSS or blogging is all about, click on What's an RSS Feed? here:
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