Being a Bharat Ratna is a big deal!
Who is Bharat Ratna Karpoori Thakur?
He is the revered former Chief Minister of Bihar who was posthumously honoured with India’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to society in January 2024. He would’ve turned a 100 years old, had he been alive.
Thakur, popularly known as Jannayak was a political luminary who left an indelible mark on the landscape of Bihar and India as a whole. He is best remembered for his announcement of reservation allotment to various societal segments during his brief two and a half year tenure as Bihar’s chief minister.
The book is a uniquely glocal project bringing together a journalist and an academician; Author Santosh Singh is as much a son of the soil as it gets, being an Indian print journalist with three political books to his credit, viz. Ruled Or Misruled: The Story and Destiny of Bihar (Bloomsbury, 2015), JP TO BJP (Vitasta Sage Select, 2021) Kitna Raaj Kitna Kaaj (Vani Prakashan, 2023).
Co-author Aditya Anmol is an alumnus of the University of Chicago and New York University. One joyful celebration of this unique partnership is thenomenclature of the fourteen chapters! Sample this, ‘Caste Catches Up: The Leader of Unopposition’ and other quaint gems imbued with local flavour.
Here are our five Bookstrapping insights:
1. This book is about peeling off the layers of Indian politics and society. Readers meet a revolutionary figure, that we simply and sadly don’t know enough about. At a time when the call for social justice is restricted to being a political slogan, Karpoori Thakur’s purpose was meaningful.
2. The book helps the reader navigate the concept of democratic socialism – and engage in a lively debate on the same. After all, Karpoori Thakur is known for free education, the democratisation of education by removing English as a mandatory language and for strengthening the Panchayati Raj system. Tall order!
3. The book explores Karpoori Thakur’s affinity to Mahabharata’s Eklavya- a wronged warrior-in detail. In the Jannayak’s own words, “Eklavya is a symbol of injustice, atrocity, disparity, neglect and deprivation of one’s rights in our social system; what was meted out to Eklavya is a living example of injustice and atrocity happening for 5000 years in Indian society.” Referring to how nobody was willing to teach Eklavya, the Jannayak says, “Whenever the poor try to excel in any art form they are discouraged, humiliated and even destroyed! What happened to Eklavya has been happening to many others even today we must not stop with celebrating the anniversary of Eklavya.” Quite poignant.
4. This book will remain a milestone for years to come; many urban readers will have to familiarise themselves with the context of the book itself! Kapoori Thakur remains the primary reference for socialism after Dr Ram Manohar Lohia and Jaiprakash Narayan. He is widely believed to have impacted the reservation ideology nationwide and the book tells you about his motivations and his travails.
5. In fact, it is said that when the Jannayak passed away in 1988, several leaders went to his village to pay tributes. When they saw the condition of his house, they were moved to tears- how can someone so towering have a house so simple!
Possibly the highest phrase for Karpoori Thakur is that he was a politician uncorrupted by power! Born into a traditional barber’s family, the author says that he continued to walk on razor’s edge throughout his life.
After all, being a Bharat Ratna is a big deal! #Respect
Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta is a columnist and bestselling biographer. She is credited with the internationally acclaimed Red Dot Experiment, a decadal six-nation study on how ‘culture impacts communication.’ A reading coach, you can find her on Instagram @OfficialReetaGupta.