The novel penned by Shekhar Gupta revolves around the national interest and has been aptly titled as Anticipating India. The front cover of the book gives a look, which describes it as "a riveting first draft of modern Indian history". Shekhar has raced through the last 18 years, wielding his weapon, cracking arrogance, two-facedness and falsehood, whenever and wherever he found these elements, he has acclaimed his heroes and degrading the villains.
To him, the villains are from the same class, where he belongs to and his background. He has described in his book with a column of 2011, the upper-caste configuration of the Anna movement, where Shekhar stated "the upper-caste upper crust of our country is the most prejudiced, but dominant, minority in any democracy in the world". A comprehensive slit of the weapon if ever there was any.
There is a compilation of columns by Shekhar Gupta, who describes in the book about two of the most verbal groups in the upper crust he loathes so thoroughly as "the most retrograde environmental and jholawala movements in the history of mankind".
To his rescue Shekhar says, “I am a shameless, old-style reporter type. I never stop talking to anybody my writing may have torn into, or not answer phone calls from anybody whomsoever. Generally, Indian politicians have that quality as well ... I have not just argued, but even fought, with the three who so remarkably personify the shift in our politics that is generational as well as political and philosophical: Narendra Modi, Arvind Kejriwal and Rahul Gandhi ... All three will evolve in the months to come: Modi towards mainstream moderation, Kejriwal towards a little establishmentarian calm and Rahul will shed some diffidence and risk avoidance. Together, the trio will lead a brilliant cast of political characters who—and I say this with absolute certainty and unbounded gratitude—will never leave me short of an idea when I sit down to write the next National Interest.”
The book describes about the modern India politics by putting across various questions to the politicians like, how many, in a Mumbai room full of Hermes ties and finance whizkids, are Dalit? What if Mahesh Bhatt’s son, David Headley’s friend, had been a Muslim? Why is Delhi getting better as a city and Mumbai going downhill?
Looking forward to the progress and development of India, covering every crucial and central aspect Shekar answers the questions like When did the Congress first start shrinking its prime minister? When did it become clear that Narendra Modi would take over his party? Who are the HMTs? And what does an angry Arvind Kejriwal say about us?
Raising questions like this, which is the trademark of Shekhar Gupta’s National Interest, the most fervently anticipated news and current affairs features in Indian journalism. Well-versed by more than three decades ago about formidable reporting and a credibility that gives Gupta unparalleled entrée of the decision makers in government, politics and business, have been perfectly described by him in his columns in the book Anticipating India give details and construe, incite and envisage modifications for more than a billion people.
Each and every chapter in Anticipating India, is in the format of questioning power, its use and abuse, carries within it ideas of India challenging conventional wisdom, destroy stereotypes and, in the end, question our long-held postulations and statements of who we are as a nation and its pupil.
