Kamaraj:: The Life and Times of K. Kamaraj

Description

History has few parallels, if any, in which a person with no advantages of birth, status, wealth and education rose to high positions of trust and responsibility as Kamaraj has done. -R. Venkatraman, the eighth President of India To many, Kumarasami Kamaraj's story is the stuff of legends. His political career afforded him many roles, and he is recognized till today for his accomplishments as a freedom fighter, Congress party boss, chief minister, national leader, kingmaker and opposition leader. Of his many achievements, the ones that Kamaraj is remembered most for are bringing school education to millions of the rural poor by introducing free education and the free Midday Meal Scheme during his tenure as chief minister of Tamil Nadu, and the role he played in bringing to power as prime minister first Lal Bahadur Shastri and later Indira Gandhi. Known for his integrity and his modesty in conduct, Kamaraj exercised his political power for the benefit of the masses and was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, in 1976. Dealing with significant phases of Kamaraj's life, Bala Jeyaraman explains his actions in a larger historical context. A concise yet comprehensive biography, this book unravels for the reader the story of this exceptional visionary and leader. Review: Crispier and compact as kamaraj - Its my first book to read and it was a most interesting one because of Kamarajar. Definitely suggest this for everyone to read Review: A really good primer and page turner on one of the best and honest politicians in South India - Finished this book in two-three sittings. The writing style is a matter-of-fact one with little or no anecdotes as admitted by the author himself. Which is why this is a short read and may or may not give us a better glimpse of the motivations and psychology of Kamaraj which is what prevented me from giving it a five star. Having said that, this is a great intro read for this who want to know about this great tamilian leader of the congress who was admired even by opposition party leaders in the DMK during his reign in TN.