Primus Inter Nehrus
With the publication of his autobiography, B K Nehru joins the list of Indians who suffer from an unaccountable attack of modesty when it comes to the title of their memoirs. Nirad Babu started the Unknown Indian trend; more recently Khushwant Singh, of all people, shyly confessed that he was Not a Nice Man to Know. But the man who was our ambassador to the US when Kennedy ruled over Camelot has outdone his predecessors his account of his life, just released by Penguin India, is called Nice Guys Finish Second .
Dont you believe him. The highlights of B K Nehrus career included a stint in the ICS, an ambassadorship and a gubernatorial post, in addition to the permanent post of man-about-town. He managed all this with a combination of charm, humour and great discretion normally possessed only by the best sort of royalty (think the Queen Mother, not Fergie). As the vice president of India, K R Narayanan, said at the book release, The title is unfair to the author. He is a nice guy, but charming, noble, with a very generous personality and he has always come first in life.
The book release was held with much grace but a minimum of fuss at the vice presidents residence. I have only one comment to make, the author said, the book contains no mention of my girlfriends. They will not be offended. But it does mention boyfriends. Before Stanley Wolpert decides to shift focus from one Nehru to another, he should note that the author did not use the b-word in its modern-day sense.
For Penguin India, still a trifle red-faced after the Surabhi Bannerjee debacle, this book comes as soothing balm. Nehru writes the way he speaks with wit, pithiness, and great charm. He takes an insiders look at Mrs Gandhis regime and the Kennedy days, but is careful not to kiss and tell. There are priceless vignettes, however, such as a description of a tipsy Motilal methodically upsetting every dish on the eve of Jawaharlals wedding. Nice Guys Come Second, in other words, is the perfect comeback vehicle after Mr Basus (un)authorised biography bombed at the box office.
Pobodys nerfect, and there were a few minor teething problems. Tongue only slightly in cheek, Nehru suggested that one could have an adverse effect on book sales: It is the habit of people to turn to the index to see whether they figure in it before they reach into their pockets there are some people who do exist in the book, though they do not exist in the index.
The vice president regaled the audience with his remembrances of Nehru. He cited a reference by Nehru to the ways in which India could attract foreign capital. We have to create an atmosphere of soft light and champagne if we have to get real investment, the author had said. Narayanan smiled at his audience: Our ways have not been as elegant, but we have made the effort in the same spirit. (Rebecca Mark, needless to say, was not a guest at the function.)
But the vice presidents favourite Nehru anecdote sums up the spirit of the man best. Returning from the US, Nehru had to make a stopover at London, and realised on the flight that he did not have his passport with him. Before he reached Immigration, he spruced up his suit, brought his hat to the correct angle and strolled through. No one had the temerity to ask him any questions. Nice guys do finish second its the ones with the chutzpah who come in first.