A Chequered Brilliance : The many lives of V K Krishna Menon by Jairam Ramesh

 

        This book, A Chequered Brilliance : The many lives of V K Krishna Menon by Jairam Ramesh, is 700 pages long and widely drawn from correspondence between Krishna Menon and other contemporary personalities and other documents from history. Like his earlier book, Intertwined Lives of Indira Gandhi and P N Haksar, this too, is a very well-researched book. The sheer volume may deter you from reading it but once you start reading you find it very captivating.

       V K Krishna Menon had been largely portrayed as a villainous character because of the 1962 debacle but his brilliance as a diplomat was formidable. He was most feared and disliked by western diplomats due to his sheer brilliance in debating contentious issues. Diplomats from the USA hated him. He was feared by Paki Diplomats. His 8 hours-long address to the UN on the Kashmir issue is a record.   

    He lived a life of a spartan. He had nearly 12000 books in his library. He drank many cups of tea during the day and the tea leaves of a particular brand were imported from England. He did not keep good health. He had bouts of anger, depression, sickness, and even Neuro disorders but he kept working at the hectic face. He underwent two operations of brain one just before the war of 1962.   He drove his juniors to the breaking point.  He had a queer habit of collecting toys. He was the holder of large properties in Kerla. In his will, he bequeathed all his properties to the Nation.   

Born in Krala to a wealthy family, he moved to England for higher education. Here he met his enter Harold Laski and developed leftist leanings. China considered him as a friend. In fact few months before the 1962 war, he had a long meeting with the Chinese Foreign Minister in Geneva. 

His speeches used to full of wit, sarcasm, satire, and biting into the arguments of the opponent. He was a misfit as Defence Minister but could have made a very good Foreign Minister. Jawaharlal Nehru had a very soft corner for him and Nehru often sought his opinion on wide-ranging issues.       

He was considered Nehtu's alter ego. He represented India in UNO for many years. Before Independence, he was in the UK for many years and did a stellar job in organizing like-minded Britishers to lobby for the Independence of India by establishing an organisation named India League. He was High Commissioner of India in the UK up to 1957. It was during his time that a Jeep Scandal took place. It was largely due to trust imposed by him in an Englishman who promised to supply jeeps that he suffered embarrassment. It also shadowed Nehru's Govt. But as we see the documents produced in book and parliament debates, later on, it was found as more of a procedural lapse by officials who did not draw the contract properly. 

    He was a Member of Parliament twice for Bombay. Later when he was denied the ticket by Indira Gandhi he fought election twice from the same constituency but lost. Later he became MP from Midnapur, Bengal with the support of Communists. Later he was MP from his home Trivandrum,  Kerala. He drew token one rupee salary as High Commissioner. He was a teetotaler. He was always dressed in the finest suits.  

    The book is a must-read by those who wish to understand politics and India's worldview of the Nehruvian years.