Usha Bhagat brings Indira Gandhi in blood and Flesh through “ Indiraji : Through My Eyes

People are always curious about life in high places. The book is neither catty nor chatty. It provides no new insight into Indira Gandhi's married life or the way she brought up her sons (both of them had been Usha Bhagat's pupils). All we get is her observation that Sanjay needed a firm, fatherly hand. There is an amusing episode of Bhagat trying to get Sanjay to learn the tabla. The drum ended up as teapoys in no time. The book could also have told us how Sonia Gandhi Indianised herself. There is a reference to Sonia doing the cooking during the days Indira was out of power. This is the kind of theme that a perceptive writer would have developed. With this kind of build-up, one would, of course, expect Bhagat to come up with instances of confidences and assessments of persons and events that Indira Gandhi had shared with her. But Usha Bhagat was not a Dorothy Norman, who "was like a mother, friend and agony aunt", in whom Indira Gandhi confided things she told no one else. She was a great one for maintaining distances. There were moments when even her father felt cut off from her. Usha Bhagat realised she could not cross this barrier. Usha Bhagat's work in the prime minister's house underwent many avatars. She joined Indira Gandhi in 1953 on the recommendation of Elisabeth Gauba, whose kindergarten school Rajiv and Sanjay attended and where Usha Bhagat taught. She describes her elation at receiving her first pay cheque signed by Jawaharlal Nehru himself. Soon the major domo of Teen Murti House, M.O. Mathai, jumped into the act and appointed her as his own personal assistant though she continued to work for Indira Gandhi. As per her own note, Indira was a compulsive writer of letters. They bring out the best side of her caring, sensitive nature. She also scribbled innumerable notes, which convey instructions but also reveal her humour. For example, "No one ever noticed my hair-do." "Please do conversational Hindi with Sonia. The progress of Hindi teacher seems to be non-existent." So many little facts and things about Ms Gandhi have made this work really interesting, and definitely deserves a collector’s item status. And you have RightBooks.in to serve that. Visit www.rightbooks.in/product_details.asp?pid=9780670057726&Indiraji Through My Eyes now to get it all.