Critical comments

Though the Sena chief8217;s youngest son Uddhav8217;s name routinely does the rounds, he himself has always denied chief ministerial ambitions.

And in a party where even Bal Thackeray8217;s blink is interpreted by attention-starved Sainiks as 8216;an important message8217;, it is unlikely that his appraisal of Rane will be forgotten in a hurry.

Even before Thackeray finished cutting the saffron ribbon off the glossy cover, Sainiks had already queued up for a slice of Rane8217;s literary attempt. By next morning, about 150 books had already been bought by enthusiastic partymen.

This is Rane8217;s third book. The others8212;Purnasatya and Lakshavedi didn8217;t do well. All the books are published by Prabhodan Prakashan, owned by Shiv Sena spokesman Subhash Desai.

Barely a week before Arthavichar hit the market, Thackeray had also released the second volume of former Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi8217;s Speaker8217;s Diary. It did not even make it to the shelves of the Sena8217;s shakhas units. Incidentally, Joshi8217;s first volume of the book by the same name released in June 2003 sold 1,000 copies.

The mention of a political rivalry between siblings Uddhav and Raj Thackeray in the first volume perhaps helped sell it. However, publisher of Speaker8217;s Diary, Narendra Parchure thinks otherwise. 8216;8216;It is Joshi8217;s standing in society which has helped sell the book,8217;8217; says the Girgaum-based owner of Parchure Prakashan Mandir.

Joshi, on the other hand, maintains that he is unmoved by his book sales. 8216;8216;The sales depend on who the writer is and who8217;s releasing the book. My books are a different form of literature. Since I wanted to write, the final sale figures didn8217;t matter,8217;8217; says Joshi, a former principal and head of the Kohinoor chain of hotels.

Though Rane, also a hotelier who has studied only till class XI, admits that his books are not a commercial venture he is keen on the numbers sold. 8216;8216;People should know that there are people in the Sena who can write books. Every copy sold increases my acceptability, so numbers count.8217;8217;

Both men have different reasons for taking to the pen. While late Lok Sabha Speaker Malwankar has been Joshi8217;s inspiration, Rane decided took the literary route to get an image makeover.

8216;8216;People associated me with aggression. I wanted to change my image. I want to be known as a serious writer, someone whose books will be used as a reference,8217;8217; says Rane.

With the state going to the polls on October 13, Rane8217;s role as the leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly is crucial for many political careers. As ticket-aspiring Sainiks pick up Arthavichar, the 47-year old Rane8217;s dream of emerging from the shadows may yet be fulfilled.

On the other hand, Joshi8212;a former chief minister and contender for the chair8212;is slowly moving into the shadows after Thackeray declared that politicians above 60 should not contest polls. It8217;s logical then that Rane8217;s budget speech has suddenly become a must have for sitting and aspiring MLAs.