Shekhar Gupta’s book ‘Anticipating India: The Best of National Interest’ launched

That Shekhar Gupta’s 900-odd columns spread through 19 years captured India’s political territory and trends most presciently week after week in The Indian Express was reinforced on Monday (April 28) when stalwarts from across walks of life came together to greet the release of his new book ‘Anticipating India-the Best of National Interest’.
Indian Express Group CMD Viveck Goenka releases editor-in-chief Shekhar Gupta's book titled 'Anticipating India: The Best of National Interest' on Monday in New Delhi. (IE Photo: Neeraj Priyadarshi)

Chairman and managing director (CMD) of The Indian Express group Viveck Goenka best described why Gupta’s book inspires awe and admiration from one and all.
Seen here: Sunil Jain (Managing Editor, Financial Express), with Viveck Goenka, Anant Goenka (Wholetime Director & Head - New Media, Indian Express) and Shekhar Gupta. (IE Photo: Tashi Tobgyal)

“Because in its more than 100 columns, it asks questions without fear or favour, it provokes and it predicts, it explains and it interprets the most significant changes in our contemporary politics and economics,” Goenka said.
Viveck Goenka seen here with Chidambram. (IE Photo: Tashi Tobgyal)

(L-R) Krishan Chopra, Chief Editor & Publisher, HarperCollins; Rajiv Kaul, President, The Leela Palaces, Hotels & Resorts; Viveck Goenka, Chairman & Managing Director, The Express Group; Shekhar Gupta, Editor-in-Chief, The Express Group; PM Sukumar, CEO, HarperCollins; Anirudha Taparia, Managing Partner, IIFL Private Wealth Management.

Finance Minister P Chidamabaram who together with Gupta steered a panel discussion on the current political scenario and the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, remarked how Gupta’s many columns had mapped the changes in the Indian society which even the political class seemed to have missed. (IE Photo: Neeraj Priyadarshi)

British High Commissioner Sir James Bevan, Kiran Bedi, Kumari Shelja, Salman Khurshid and his wife Louise during Shekhar Gupta's book release function. (IE Photo: Oinam Anand)

Salman Khurshid in conversation with Shekhar Gupta at the book launch event. (IE Photo: Oinam Anand)

Sachin Pilot greets Montek Singh Ahluwalia at the event. (IE Photo: Oinam Anand)

“The message of the book is…how India has moved away from a petitioning society to an aspiring society…people are looking for goods, services, better quality of life, better quality of education, health… we should no longer see people as petitioners…no one is any longer resigned to his fate. Even the poor think their fate can be better and demand a better life…even 20-30 years back people were resigned to their fate,” Chidamabaram said. (IE Photo: Amit Mehra)

Former Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi and BJP leader Ravi Shanker Prasad at the book release function. (IE Photo: Oinam Anand)

Underlining the political neutrality of the author of the book and the newspaper, the event, held to a packed house, was unique for it was not pres-ided over by any chief guest.
Guests at the book release function. (IE Photo: Oinam Anand)

“These are such polarised times that it is very problematic to choose a chief guest because to be seen with someone these days — even for a journalist — becomes a story…so we figured while the code of conduct is on, to get a chief guest from one side might cause a problem not just for the other side but in some cases on the same side as well…so we decided this was a gathering of friends and everybody is a friend and everybody is a host,” Gupta said. (IE Photo: Oinam Anand)

Kiran Bedi greets Ravi Shankar Prasad at the event. (IE Photo: Amit Mehra)