2014: The Election That Changed India (55 page)

Writing a book is a bit like a political party attempting to win an election: it cannot be a one-man show even if the author’s name is emblazoned on the cover. This book wouldn’t have happened without the dynamic Chiki Sarkar of Penguin asking me to write it and my remarkably poised editor Nandini Mehta ensuring that I stayed the course. Journalists are used to deadlines, but we usually write 1000 words; a 100,000-plus-word book is very different. Without Chiki and Nandini’s gentle prodding, I’d have been lost.

A special thanks to all my journalist friends and colleagues who so readily shared information and insights. Whoever says we have lost the spirit of camaraderie in this ruthlessly competitive world? To the many others who agreed to part with their wisdom, my thanks: some of you are quoted in the book, others have chosen to stay off record. Thank you also to all the politicians who contributed to the book: we tend to lampoon our netas too easily, but trust me, a majority of them are rooted and knowledgeable. I didn’t have a formal researcher, but Monica Sarup at CNN-IBN was always there with background material. The team at CSDS, especially Professor Sanjay Kumar and Shreyas Sardesai, were, as always, terrific with election data and analysis. A special mention for my assistant
Surinder Nagar, who is my man Friday (and Saturday and Sunday!). Surinder even gets the credit for the jacket photograph.

I have been privileged to have had great friends who have stuck by me through good times and tough times. I want to especially thank Ramachandra Guha, who was the first to encourage me to write and the closest I have had as a mentor: I know of no other public intellectual so generous with his ideas (and with his hospitality, at his wonderful home in Coonoor). Thanks to my friend Shikha Trivedy for believing I had a book in me, and to Sameer Manchanda and Piyush Goyal for always being there for me. I have been fortunate in my early years to have worked with editors and media leaders who gave me two rare gifts for a young journalist: freedom and opportunity. So thank you to Darryl d’Monte, Dileep Padgaonkar, Radhika and Prannoy Roy. And the legendary R.K. Laxman who gave me my first journalistic lesson: the art of communicating in simple language.

Most of all, thank you to my family. My daughter Tarini who taught me all I needed to know about how to use the computer, while my son Ishan kept reminding me of the need to be steadfast in my writing ( I guess medical students learn to be focused at an early age). To my mother Nandini, indomitable professor, who is perhaps my biggest (at times, only) fan and who gave me my early learnings in life. To my late father, who was a champion Test cricketer and my hero. I wanted to be a cricketer; he just wanted me to be happy in whatever I chose to be. Shonali, Taimur, Aman, Mummyma, Chitra and Bhaskar Ghose—thank you all for always being there.

Last of all, thank you to Sagarika, beloved wife and friend. She is the original author in the family and I guess she had mor e unflinching faith in me than I had in myself that I could actually pull off a book. I can only hope that you, the reader, will be generous with this debutant who remains simply a newshound in heart and soul.

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First published in Viking by Penguin Books India 2014

www.penguinbooksindia.com

Copyright © Rajdeep Sardesai 2014

Author photograph by Surinder Nagar

Cover design by Aparajita Ninan

All rights reserved

All the quotations in the book are substantially correct but some may not be verbatim.

The views and opinions expressed in this book are the author’s own and the facts are as reported by him which have been verified to the extent possible, and the publishers are not in any way liable for the same.

ISBN: 978-0-670-08790-7

This digital edition published in 2014.
e-ISBN: 978-8-184-75010-2

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