Will the President’s pen be critical?

new delhi: will president k r narayanan record for posterity’s sake his take on gujarat and ayodhya? his book, the making of modern india, slated for release this month will now be launched later this summer, as the president has expressed a wish to take ‘‘another look at the final draft of the book’’. and, according to the publishers, the decision has apparently been prompted by the recent events in ayodhya and gujarat.penguin india had featured the title in this month’s release list, billing it as the ‘first ever book by an indian president on the state of the nation while still in office’. but the decision to take ‘‘another look’’, coupled with the president’s forthcoming official tour of europe may actually end up delaying the release till after the presidential elections in july-august. ‘‘the book is a 230-page articulation of narayanan’s vision who has seen india change over the past six decades — an effort to make us understand how modern india came about, and think seriously about where we are headed,’’ says udayan mitra, senior editor with penguin india, who has worked for over two years with the president on the project. having been an academic, diplomat, central minister and vice-president, narayanan takes an insider’s look at the way modern india has evolved. what’s admirable is the man’s style. ‘‘he is disappointed, but never cynical with the way things have turned out; his ability to raise important issues and criticise flaws in the system without getting personal is amazing; also extremely striking is the clarity of his vision and his focussed formula of regeneration,’’ says mitra. in the section on foreign policy, however, he minces no words and squarely blames the us for fanning india-pakistan hostilities. given his understated yet critical style, the president’s decision to take a relook is being seen as significant. especially since the president has time and again spoken his mind on matters of public importance, marking a departure from some of his predecessors in rashtrapati bhavan. a similar attempt by another man of stature to influence the young is ignited minds: unleashing the power within india by abdul kalam. the former scientific adviser to the government is now a professor of technology and societal transformation at the anna university at chennai. ‘‘drawing upon his experiences as a man of science, kalam uses his combined vision of our spiritual heritage and the technological framework of which he is a part to articulate how india’s untapped energies could be harnessed for a regeneration,’’ says krishan chopra, the book editor. just as narayanan’s lectures and essays through the years have been compiled to form his book, kalam’s lectures and interactions with students have been the basic material of this work.