Feroze Gandhi146;s no favourite with Book Trust

Why does the National Book Trust, a body under the HRD Ministry, run shy of significant references about the late Feroze Gandhi?

Why does the National Book Trust, a body under the HRD Ministry, run shy of significant references about the late Feroze Gandhi? Just before the launch of her book, K P Bhanumathy, author of Candid Conversations, discovered that NBT wasn8217;t keen on the lesser Gandhi finding any prominence in the book.

The book, which was launched today, is a collection of interviews conducted by the veteran All India Radio journalist with some of last century8217;s greatest names. It includes narratives and conversations recorded between the 1950s and the 80s with world political leaders like Zhou Enlai, Helmut Schmidt, Ho Chi Minh, Olaf Palme; retro rebels like the world8217;s favourite Ernesto 8216;Che8217; Guevara8212;yes, he was in Delhi in 1959, when he stayed at the Ashoka Hotel as a guest of Jawaharal Nehru8212;the Dalai Lama and notables like Agatha Christie and Pierre Cardin, who first came in the 50s on the invitation of cultural czarina, the late Pupul Jaykar.

Says Bhanumathy, 8220;I was surprised that NBT insisted on removing the footnote on Feroze Gandhi despite the fact I had included it in all the drafts. Both the editor and the chairman felt it was not necessary.8221; Bhanumathy8217;s sentiment for the late Feroze Gandhi is justified: he introduced her to journalism when she first came to Delhi, giving her a column in this newspaper, The Indian Express. He was a director on the board.

The footnote, at the end of her interview of all the three PMs from the Nehru-Gandhi family, describes Feroze Gandhi as an exceptional parliamentarian and crusader who took up fiery causes to the bitter end. In fact, one corner of Central Hall in Parliament was known as Feroze8217;s Corner, an adda, where all his colleagues gathered for feisty discussions.

However, NBT editor Binny Kurien says it was not a deliberate decision to delete the Feroze Gandhi footnote. Says Kurien: 8220;It was not an interview, and therefore, did not fit into the format of the book. It was a decision both me and my chairman Prof Bipin Chandra took.8221;