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Photo: Rajeev Bhatt

Multi-faceted Anil Dharker believes this book shows India as it is today

“This is the first anthology I’ve edited and also the last. The occupation of an anthologist I would not recommend to my friends. To my enemies – yes!” And despite errant writers and vanishing deadlines, Anil Dharker has succeeded in compiling a collection of essays on iconic living Indians in 20 different fields. The result is ‘Icons – Men & Women who Shaped Today’s India.’

This Roli publication was released this week by Amitabh Bachchan, who also figures in the list.

The book was meant to correspond with India’s 60th year of freedom. So, it doesn’t merely provide biographies of the individuals. Instead, it places them in a national and historic context. Prem Shankar Jha’s article on Amartya Sen, for instance, is not a mere list of his accomplishments. Instead, it reveals the significance of Welfare Economics in an unequal society. Dom Moraes’ piece on Sachin Tendulkar places the master batsman not just as a sportsman but also as “everybody’s son and brother…and a wish fulfilled.” It is through the work and lives of these icons that some light is shed on different aspects of India in this century.

Multi-faceted himself, it is fitting that Dharker edited a book that traverses different fields. He is a graduate in Mathematics but loves English. He is also a mechanical engineer and a film critic. The compilation of the list was the difficult part, but Dharker knew that along with talent, hard work and energy he was also looking for humility. With grey eyes behind glasses, he says, “Humility comes from the knowledge that there is so much still to achieve.” And he feels that the icons in this book like Narayana Murthy and Ratan Tata possess those virtues.

He is aware that the list will be contentious. The book is essentially about difficult choices. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar lost out to Deepak Chopra, just as Pandit Ravi Shankar lost out to Zubin Mehta.

Remarks Dharker: “Having finished it there’s a sense of relief and achievement. If I’d written it there wouldn’t be the same sense of achievement.” Dharker has himself been Editor of the Illustrated Weekly of India, the Independent and Mid-day. He has previously written ‘The Man who Talked to Machines,’ on industrialist O.P. Jindal and ‘The Romance of Salt’ on the Dandi March. He now plans to try fiction. He has started to dream about play and a novel. Dharker reveals that he does a lot of his writing in his sleep, in fact. He goes to sleep with an idea and he awakes with a complete story.

Dharker also has a secret passion. “I’ve been a car lover from childhood,” he smiles. That passion was recently realised.

He recalls, “The ultimate was to drive a F1 Renault recently on a race track in the south of France. Unfortunately the car doesn’t have a speedometer!” With obvious animation he continues, “When you drive a F1 car you have to unlearn everything you have learnt previously. If you stall, you can’t even start it on your own. You’ll have to wait for a tow truck to come and rescue you. You can’t even open the car from inside. Luckily, I avoided that ignominy.”

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