Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray - Anandan, Sujata

. .

Résumé :
Defender of the Marathi manoos. Protector of Hindus. The Hindu Hriday Samrat. Bal Thackeray almost single-handedly changed Mumbai forever - not just the name of the city, but its very character and fabric.So charged was Thackerays rhetoric, so unequivocal his identification with the Hindu right that it seems counter-intuitive to claim he was not driven by ideology. Yet, that is what the facts reveal. He was capable of seeking to enter into agreements with the Muslim League and Dalit parties even as he virulently lambasted them in public. Viscerally opposed though he was to the communists and communism, he had no problems inviting the great S.A. Dange to address Sena workers.Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray is a unique insight into how a rather timid man from a modest background was shaped by circumstances and vested interests into a demagogue, with the kind of success and following few could dream of. It explores the life and times of the enigmatic person behind that powerful mask. An instance: Thackeray was mortally afraid of going to jail, a fact exploited by both his friends and enemies. That is why he supported the Emergency, and why he recanted on the Sena's role in the Babri Masjid demolition.There was never a dull moment with Bal Thackeray, and there is none in this book, packed as it is with anecdotes, stories and interviews. This is, after all, the story of the rise of the Shiv Sena and the decline of mighty Mumbai....

Biographie:
Sujata Anandan, a journalist for nearly three decades, has closely observed the rise and fall of the Shiv Sena since the 1980s. She has worked for leading newspapers like The Indian Express, magazines like Outlook, and a wire service (United News of India). A versatile writer, Sujata has distinguished herself as a political analyst with sharp insights. As a young correspondent she specialized in conflict and disaster news coverage - riots, massacres, cyclones and earthquakes in different parts of the world. She makes western India her home and is currently employed by the Hindustan Times as its Political Editor (West) at its Mumbai office....

Sommaire:
Sujata Anandan, a journalist for nearly three decades, had closely observed the rise and fall of the Shiv Sena since the 1980s. She worked for leading newspapers like The Indian Express, magazines like Outlook, and a wire service (United News of India). A versatile writer, Sujata distinguished herself as a political analyst with sharp insights. As a young correspondent, she specialized in conflict and disaster news coverage - riots, massacres, cyclones and earthquakes in different parts of the world. She was the political editor at the Hindustan Times. She passed away, tragically, in February 2024....