Ideas clash as political biographers discuss challenges in genre at Bangalore Literature Festival

Bengaluru: The 12th edition of the Bangalore Literature Festival on Saturday saw a clash of ideas during the session on Ink and Influence: The Craft of Political Life Narratives. 

The session was an interaction with senior journalists and political biographers Sagarika Ghose and Sugata Srinivasa Raju, moderated by Aakash Singh Rathore. 

Sagarika has authored biographies on former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee while Sugata wrote a biography on H D Deve Gowda and a book on Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra. 

Reacting to a question on how their long careers in journalism influenced them as biographers and whether the effects were positive or negative, the duo struck a discordant note. While Sagarika argued that the need for a non-partisan attitude and objectivity brings the two trades very close, Sugata insisted that he had to “unlearn” a lot of prejudices from his journalistic days to deliver justice to his subject. 

The duo clashed in terms of their biographical priorities. While Sagarika said she was less concerned about political commentaries and more interested in little-known incidents of anecdotal relevance, Sugata argued that Deve Gowda and Rahul were just excuses for him to explore the wider socio-political scenario of the their times. 

Sagarika said Indira loved what she didn’t like, stating Indian democracy and free press were not things she liked as she claimed. She also delved into their personal lives, claiming they had troubled relationships with their respective fathers. She quoted N M Ghatate, saying Vajpayee’s relationship with Mrs Kaul - a married woman - was not platonic, but lamented that Indian biographers cannot cross certain limits. Sugata said Gowda had been vilified throughout his career and lamented that though a Paddy variety in Punjab was named after him and Bangladeshis were also grateful to him, his legacy in Karnataka is largely confined to one caste (Vokkaliga).

He accused Sunil Khilnani of misrepresenting that Gowda was a PM who didn’t know English and Hindi.