The Kalam Effect: My years with the President: Book review

by

P.M.Nair

Author:        P.M. Nair P. M. Nair had a long and varied career in the IAS, which he joined in 1967.  In July, 2002, he was appointed Secretary to the President and continued that position all through the five years (July 2002-July 2007) of APJ Abdul Kalam’s tenure at Rashtrapathi Bhavan.

The Kalam Effect is an account of P.M. Nair’s days with President APJ Abdul Kalam, recounted with frankness, sincerity and affectionate reverence.  Dr. Kalam became President of India in July 2002.   He was a surprise choice for president.  A scientist and not a politician, and an unassuming way of doing things, and no other agenda except that of seeing India become a developed and a strong nation.  He was a good listener and an innovator in the art of communication.  He daily visited his own website answering question posed to him on e-mail or otherwise from across the country.  No wonder that he was known and loved as People’s President.  Dr. Kalam’s creative and innovative emphasis on spiritual values was like a ray of sunlight in the lives of the people of India.  He is a source of inspiration to the millions, especially the young.  By nature, kind and compassionate, Dr. kalam’s positive attitude infected all those who came in touch with him.

The Kalam Efect is easier to read informative and enthusiastic.  The 16 pages of colour photographs helped the readers to see Dr. Kalam on different occasions during his presidency.  The appendix given in this book is quite informative. It helps the readers to know about the author as well as how the President mingled and interacted towards the secretary on various occasions during his tenure with the President.

The author, through this book helped the readers to understand about the Rashtrpathi Bhavan and its magnificent glory. It is an excellent book and any kind of libraries can hold it in its possession.  Through this book we can see Dr. Kalam, as what the author had seen him during his tenure as secretary to the President.  The author has quoted that once Archbishop Tutu said about Nelson Mandela, “He was a Goodman, and did good things”.  How true this is of Kalam too.

Reviewed by

B. Surendran

Librarian (Shift II)

Face to Face India(Karan Thapar): Rev. by B.Surendran,Lib(Shift-II)

 

Face to Face India :

conversations with Karan Thapar

Penguin Books and BBC

New Delhi, 2006. Rs.295/-

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Karan Thappar, born in Srinagar in 1955 began his career in journalism with “The Times”. In 1993, he moved to India and worked with a number of Television channelsbefor e setting up his own production house, The Infotainment Television in 2007.Karan Thapar is perhaps India’s best known television commentator and interviewer.

The twenty interviewes that appear in this book were telecast on BBC world between 1999 and 2002 as part of the ‘Face to Face India Series’. The interviews of great personalities from different walks of life like music , cinema,art, litereture,sports, industry,etc.are very interesting. Many of his guests felt so much at ease in the course of their conversation with Karan Thaparthat they reveled intimate details about themselves that they had never made public before.The interviews with A.R. Rahman,Aishwarya Rai, Dev Anand,Pt. Ravishankar, Shah Rukh Khan, Karan Johar and Ustad Zakir Hussain helped us to know something about their early life and also about different fields they have concentrated and achieved great name and fame such as cinema, music and art.Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar and Viswanathan Anand opened their minds and revealed us how they could achieve their aims and came in the forefront of sports, ie, the world No.1 in chricket and chess.

The nobel laurette Amartya Sen, writers like Arundhathi Roy and Amitav Ghosh, India’s greatest cartoonist R.K.Laxman, photographer Raghu Rai, Gayatri Devi,Field marshal S.H.F.J.Manekshaw, dancer Sonal mansingh, all these personalities have given a vivid picture about their life and how they earned great names in their respective areas/ profession. Famous industrialists Kumar Mangalam Birla,and Ratan Tata through their interview opened their minds how they succeed in business life. This book , a collection of some of the most memorable mopments of these great personalities is quite interesting and also informative to the readers of any age

Reviewed by

B.Surendran

Librarian, Shift II