Samrat : How the Shiv Sena Changed Mumbai Forever

by Sujata Anandan

Full of anecdotes and pulling no punches, Samrat explores the life and times of Bal Thackeray and attempts to bring to the readers a unique insight into how a rather timid man from the working classes was shaped by his circumstances-and certain vested interests-into becoming a demagogue with the kind of success and following few could either dream of or replicate in the future. Thackeray not just changed the name of Bombay to Mumbai but quite altered the character and fabric of the city even though he was driven not by ideology, as might have seemed to most outsiders, but by his own pragmatism and personal interests. As Vir Sanghvi says in the forward, 'The book is an attempt to understand the milieu that Thackeray operated in and to capture the essence of his style amidst the shifting stands and the politics of pragmatism'.

272 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2014

Reviews

[Siddharth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Samrat suffers from an abundance of commas and the absence of a competent editor, but Anandan offers us a believable portrait of Bal Thackeray and Maharashtra politics in 26 short, thematic chapters.

[E.T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Thackeray’s biopic was released, film critics wrote of the “bindaas”, “honest” way in which he had been depicted. And they also wrote how the audience were not aghast but were cheering him. Perhaps the classes do not understand the politics of the masses. Certainly not right-wing politics.
The author seemed to understand which truths needed to be told. 5/5 to her for her courage and depth and hence the generous rating.
As for the book itself, it was repetitive and not a smooth read. It was not a chronological narrative but each chapter dealt with a separate theme which was not clear sometimes. Also, in 2019, I am surprised at the lavish praise showered by the author on “gentleman” Uddhav.
Still a good read for those who r interested in books on Indian politics.

[Sadiq Kazi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads more like an extended version of the HT Column every Wednesday. This is less of a biography and more of an obituary to the Sena. My own take is that it is an obituary written a few years too soon. Because, the upcoming elections might just throw up a reinvented SS, and power can be an amazing panacea to everything. What is interesting about this book is an account of the milieu in which an organisation like Sena was born and thrived.

[Ravish · Rating 2 out of 5]

an okayish book but too much repetition of same facts over and over again. not expected to read in a book written by a journalist who covered Bal Thakare personally multiple times. Anyway, it was an okayish one time read.

[D Kamboj · Rating 2 out of 5]

Should have been better edited as it gets repetitive many times. Also, the narrative structure should have been different. Though, it was informative for me who didn’t know much about Thackeray earlier

[Shreeram Petkar · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is too biased towards Maharashtrians, in a negative way, and speaks ill of the Marathi people as if the author has a personal grudge against the entirety of the Marathi speaking folk. Repetitive with the facts after a while.

[Iqra Tasmiae]

https://scroll.in/article/735457/how-...

[Rajesh Akinapalli · Rating 4 out of 5]

for the non-marathi people, the book does a good job of demystifying him, otherwise portrayed as a godfather of Hindutva politics.

[Rajat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a traditional biography. A Fun and informative read on one of India's most notorious parties and it's Balasaheb, Bal Thackeray.

[Manoj Chacko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful details into the the making for this leader and the forces that were behind it. This is a third party 'outsider' view point and does not give any rationale of thoughts behind the slew of political flip-flops that would confuse the masses if viewed in fast forward. I am sure there could have more intriguing psychological analysis that would have been more fascinating to understand but the narrative is more from a 'reporting point of view.
This definitely take me down the memory lane and i could recall distinct events from memory and associate the hidden missing jigsaws to complete the scene. From anti south Indian, anti english language, anti north Indians, anti muslims, anti Pakistan to anti valentines it all felt like a flicker comics laced with the tragedy and disappointment of how murky our politics is and more so how gullible the masses really are.

[Vikas Datta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite an insightful study into a rather murky episode of Indian politics... in fact reading it was struck by the parallels of this leader and Yasser Arafat - insofar both were charismatic leaders that ultimately condemned their supporters to a most unsustainable existence that did not presage well for their long-term future. Ms Anandan has however done a great job here in chronicling not only this political patriarch but his support from a venerable old party that has an enviable record in stoking up tensions and mavericks for their benefit but then sitting back impotently as they get out of hand. However, one point missing from this book is the 2008 attack on the metropolis....

[Annie Zaidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book offers some good insights about what the political landscape of the 1980s and 1990s looked like, and some much-needed reminders about the consequences of political and moral unscrupulousness. There was much I did not know about the Shiv Sena and it's rise to power, and why people were drawn to it. Every political decision - voting for or against, joining a party even if it is headlined/bottom-lined by people you disagree with, or switching to another party - is a complex decision. Reading about the players who helped build the Shiv Sena taught me a little more about this complexity.

[Khalil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent enough insights into the history of Shiv Sena and its top leader, with possibly no competitor existing in terms of another Sena/Thakre biography
More a collection of the author's regular Sena beat columns, which then looks were edited to feel like a coherent whole.
Writing is simple, which make reading a breeze