The Man Who Remade India: A Biography of P.V. Narasimha Rao (Modern South Asia)

When P.V. Narasimha Rao became the unlikely prime minister of India in 1991, he inherited economic catastrophe, violent insurgencies and a nation adrift. Yet because he was unloved by his people and mistrusted by his own party-a minority in Parliament and ruling under the shadow of Sonia Gandhi-Rao lacked the mandate to combat these crises. Yet, Rao was not just able to last a full five years as Prime Minister, he reinvented India, at home and abroad. Few world leaders have achieved so much with so little power. With exclusive access to Rao's never-before-seen personal papers as well as over a hundred interviews, Vinay Sitapati's definitive biography tells the story of India's makeover in the 1990s and the story of the Deng Xiaoping-like figure who did it. Assuming power over an ossified, quasi-socialist economy burdened by inefficient industrial behemoths, Rao was instrumental in driving through a broad set of liberalizing economic reforms that transformed India. Rao's career is the ideal window through which to understand how India became a force in the global economy almost overnight. Sitapati traces Rao's life from a village in Telangana through his years in power and-afterward-his humiliation in retirement. Yet the book never loses sight of the inner man-his difficult childhood, his corruptions and love affairs, and his lingering loneliness. Meticulously researched and honestly told, this landmark political biography is a must-read for anyone interested in the man responsible for transforming India. " When P.V. Narasimha Rao became the unlikely prime minister of India in 1991, he inherited an economic crisis, violent insurgencies, and a nation adrift. Rao was unloved by his people, mistrusted by his party, and ruled under the shadow of Sonia Gandhi, Congress' first choice for Prime Minister after Rajiv Gandhi's assassination. Despite these obstacles, Rao transformed the economy and ushered India into the global arena. Few world leaders have achieved so much with so little power. Nevertheless, Rao is relatively unknown in the United States. This book promises to change that myopic view, illuminating the life of a remarkable leader who reinvented India at home and abroad. With exclusive access to Rao's never-before-seen personal papers and diaries, Vinay Sitapati's The Man Who Remade India is the definitive biography of Rao. The book provides new revelations on the Indian economy, nuclear program, foreign policy, and the demolition of the Babri Masjid. Tracing Rao's early life from a small town in Telangana through his years in power, and finally, his humiliation in retirement, Sitapati never loses sight of Rao's interior life: his difficult childhood, his corruption and love affairs, and his lingering loneliness. Meticulously researched and brutally honest, this landmark political biography is essential reading for anyone interested in knowing about the man responsible for transforming India. "-- Provided by publisher "When P.V. Narasimha Rao became the unlikely prime minister of India in 1991, he inherited a nation adrift. Despite lacking the support of his people, party or parliament, India's Deng Xiaoping reinvented his country. Relying on Rao's private papers and over a hundred interviews, this biography is a must-read for anyone interested in the transformation of India"-- Provided by publisher