10th October 2021
Ravi Shankar Prasad writes: Even though power was within his reach many times, he preferred to work at the grassroots, strengthening India’s democratic foundation.
Jayaprakash Narayan was an outstanding leader of modern India. October 8 marked the 42nd death anniversary of the man who remains a “Lok Nayak” in popular esteem and is affectionately called JP. He was a freedom fighter of great courage and one of the pioneers of the socialist movement in the country. He galvanised support for the Bhoodan movement, worked relentlessly for the poor and the underprivileged and, above all, became a symbol of the national conscience in the fight against corruption, anti-democratic conduct and repressive practices of Indira Gandhi’s government in the 1970s. He was a man of great intellect and ethical values and standards. Power sought him many times but he remained immune to it, because he wanted to work for the people at the grassroots and strengthen democratic foundations.
A recent biography of JP, The Dream of Revolution, authored by Bimal Prasad and Sujata Prasad, is an excellent portrayal of his life, containing fascinating details about the various stages of his evolution. Bimal Prasad was a well-known professor of South Asian studies, a leading intellectual and author of numerous books, including a trilogy on Partition. He was a close associate of JP and had edited selections of his writings, speeches and letters, which were published in 10 volumes. He passed away in 2015, while working on JP’s biography, and the book was completed by his daughter Sujata, an author of repute, besides being a heritage conservationist and a distinguished former civil servant.