Indira

With her latest biography Indira, Katherine Frank has chosen to grapple with the original Iron Lady of world politics. The result is a wonderfully convincing and balanced account of the life of Indira Gandhi, the mountain girl of Kashmir who rose to succeed her father, Jawaharlal Nehru, as prime minister of the world's largest democracy. A difficult childhood--her mother died early of tuberculosis and her father was frequently incarcerated by the British--saw her a frail, introverted child. Born in the same month as the Russian Revolution, she felt her life was linked to the trajectory of history, yet it took until her mid-40s, after her father had reached his dotage, for political conviction to grip her life. First sworn in as Prime Minister in 1966, she quickly achieved a revered, mythic status as the mother of the nation. In all, she held the post four times, three consecutively, the last occasion coming in 1980 at the age of 63, four years before she was gunned down by her Sikh bodyguard. The Nehrus believed passionately in a secular state and Indian "oneness": it made Gandhi's factionalist assassination grimly ironic.

This is a book of death and its actions. In addition to Gandhi's parents and husband, her son Sanjay, a disreputable rascal on whom she doted damagingly, was to die in a plane crash, and his brother Rajiv was assassinated in 1991. Even the author lost her husband during the six years it took to research and write the book. A tenacious demagogue rather than an ideologue, Indira personalised Indian politics, her sway coming from the natural authority of a matriarch, yet she was demonised by Salman Rushdie in Midnight's Children for her Emergency which suspended democratic practice in India. Frank, though, in appraising her subject, asserts that she was typically "sincere and deluded", and while being guilty of hubris, was no megalomaniac. Arguably each generation of Nehrus lost something of the family's intellectual rigour, and the death of Rajiv was seen by many as the close of the dynasty. However, Priyanka Gandhi Varda, Indira's granddaughter, is said to harbour political ambition, so perhaps there will be further chapters to write. If so, they will prove addenda to this first-class biography, which deserves to be read for many years. --David Vincent

View other editions of Indira.
View books by Katherine Frank.

simply unbelievable - Rated
i'm into a braod range of books but this has to take the buscuit, it is enveloping and its astnoishing to see how a true story is so dramatic...simply a must read

Modern Indian History through the eyes of the founders - Rated
Katherine Frank's book is clearly well researched and has no obvious bias for or against the subject.

Readers expecting to learn more about Indira Gandhi will not be disappointed as the book begins with the political development of her grandfather, leading on to Nehru's political career as seen through the eyes of Indira as a child, through to Nehru's death.

The book is also an excellent guide to modern Indian history without sensationaling well known events and not seeking to understand or judge episodes in history. It also gives some interesting information about members of the Gandhi family (eg Sanjay Gandhi working at Rolls Royce in Crewe).

I would recommend this book for the historical information alone but the fact that the historical events are related through the eyes of Indira Gandhi make it a far more interesting read than a history textbook.

A remarkable book about a remarkable woman - Rated
This is an amazingly compulsive account of the life of Indira Gandhi. A controversial woman with many faults, this book deals sympathetically with its subject. I feel I now understand why she made the decisions she did whilst often not agreeing with them. This wonderful book should be read by anyone interested in the history of the Indian subcontinent. Outstanding

when you read "Indira" you almost become Indira! - Rated
Some people are convinced that the longer the review, the better the book. This review is going to be one of the shortest i have ever written. Katherine Frank explains at length how Indira became the Indira the world came to know, without going into useless and endless details. When at last i put the book down, it was as if i had lost a very close aquaintance. And i longed for Katherine Frank to continue talking about Indira through her son's life. Because Indira's influence did not end with her being assassinated.Even if you are not interested in Indian politics and history, if you like to read about other people, this book just sucks you in. Warning: do not buy this book unless you are willing to sacrifice hours on end. You are not going to be able to put it down easily. It is as compelling as the the person it describes!

Impartial, concise, straight talking compulsory reading - Rated
This is a well written, highly controversial book, which exposes Indira Gandhi life, from the time she used to shadow her Father (Nehru) playing behind the scenes politics holding great unofficial power, to her scandolous political life as a saviour and mother of India to a corrupt prime minister who crippled the country. This book shows her in many lights, not all of them Good. Katherine Frank, just like her name suggests is very Frank.