BENGALURU: Veteran journalist Sugata Srinivasaraju will be releasing his new book– Furrows in a Field– a biography on former Prime Minister of India, H D Deve Gowda. The book gives an account of the highs and lows of Gowda’s journey in national and regional politics. It also examines his federal commitment and his vast knowledge about irrigation agriculture and law.
Speaking about the book, Srinivasaraju says, “The history of post-Independent Indian politics has been partial to some and cruel to many. For me, studying HD Deve Gowda’s life, politics, and times has been about restoring the balance. It has been about tracking our own perceptions, prejudices, and misjudgments. It has been about exploring the diversity and democratic traditions of India and its vibrant federal character.”
Commenting on the experience of writing the book on Gowda, Srinivasaraju says, “As I wrote this book, the life of Deve Gowda presented itself to me as a fascinating intermingling of the local and the universal; of the traditional and the modern; of the urban and the rural; of ritual and reason. The finest realisation was that none of these binaries has ever existed apart but have always made meaning together.
As the writing of this biography drew to a close, I felt immensely lucky and gratified. Very rarely are learnings so fresh and bountiful.” The book is centred around Gowda’s rich parliamentary record, archival material and interviews conducted with people associated with him at various stages of his life. The book published by Penguin Random House India, will be out on November 29.