What do you think?
Rate this book
A Chequered Brilliance: The Many Lives of V.K. Krishna Menon
This is a compelling biography of one of India's most controversial and consequential public figures. V.K. Krishna Menon continues to command our attention not just because he was Jawaharlal Nehru's confidant and soulmate but also for many of his own political and literary accomplishments. A relentless crusader for Indian independence in the UK in the 1930s and 1940s, he was a global star at the United Nations in the 1950s before he was forced to resign as defence minister in the wake of the India-China war of 1962.Meticulously researched and based entirely on new archival material, this book reveals Krishna Menon in all his capabilities and contradictions. It is also a rich history of the tumultuous times in which he lived and which he did so much to shape.
862 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 19, 2019
47 people are currently reading
402 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 17, 2021
অধ্যাপক আবদুর রাজ্জাক লন্ডন স্কুল অফ ইকোনোমিক্সে পিএইচডি করতে গিয়েছিলেন ড. হ্যারল্ড লাস্কির অধীনে। লাস্কি সাহেব লেবার একসময় লেবার পার্টির চেয়ারপারসন ছিলেন এবং এই অসাধারণ পণ্ডিত ব্যক্তি তরুণ আবদুর রাজ্জাককে এতটাই প্রভাবিত করেছিলেন যে '৫০ সালে লাস্কি মারা গেলে পিএইচডি সম্পন্ন না করে দেশে ফিরে আসেন আবদুর রাজ্জাক। প্রবাদপ্রতিম ব্যক্তিত্ব আবদুর রাজ্জাকের গুরু লাস্কি সাহেবের সবচেয়ে প্রিয় শিষ্য ছিল কৃষ্ণ মেনন। অধ্যাপক রাজ্জাকের গুরুর প্রিয় শিষ্য সম্পর্কে স্বভাবতই কৌতূহল উদ্রেক হয়। তাই জয়রাম রমেশের লেখা কৃষ্ণ মেননের সাতশ পাতার এই ঢাউস কেতাবটি নিয়ে উৎসুক ছিলাম। জানার ও বোঝার চেষ্টা করেছি কোন কোন গুণপনার কারণে লাস্কি সাহেব কৃষ্ণ মেননকে লাই দিতেন। মূলত কৃষ্ণ মেননের সঙ্গে বিভিন্ন রথী-মহারথীর পত্রালাপকে মূল সূত্র ধরে কংগ্রেসের সাবেক মন্ত্রী ড. জয়রাম রমেশ কৃষ্ণ মেননের জীবনী লিখেছেন।
'অসাধারণ মেধাবী' অভিধাখানা কৃষ্ণ মেননের জন্য কম হয়ে যায়। লাস্কির স্ত্রী একটি পত্রে উল্লেখ করেছিলেন কৃষ্ণ মেননের মতো মেধাবী তিনি দীর্ঘদিন দেখেননি। কৃষ্ণ মেনন কিছুদিন পরিসংখ্যান নিয়ে গবেষণা করেন। তার ইংরেজ সুপারভাইজার মনে করতেন মেনন এই শাখায় নামলে অনেকের ভাত মারা যাবে। আবার, লিঙ্কস ইনে তার ব্যারিস্টারির গুরু ভাবতেন মেনন একজন অসাধারণ ব্যারিস্টার হতে পারবে। অর্থাৎ গুণপনার কৃষ্ণ মেনন একমেবাদ্বিতীয়ম।
মাউন্টব্যাটেন ও দেশভাগকালীন ব্রিটিশ প্রধানমন্ত্রী আ্যটলির বন্ধু কৃষ্ণ মেনন স্পষ্টতই তাদেরকে প্রভাবিত করেছিলেন। তার মেধাকে সবচেয়ে বেশি গুরুত্বপূর্ণ মনে করতেন পণ্ডিত নেহেরু। মাউন্টব্যাটেনের সুপারিশ ও নেহেরুর একক চেষ্টায় লন্ডনে ভারতীয় হাইকমিশনার হয়েছিলেন মেনন। কংগ্রেসে অত্যন্ত অজনপ্রিয় মেননের ক্ষমতার ভিত্তিমূল ছিল তার বন্ধু নেহেরু। মেননের কূটবুদ্ধি দুর্দান্ত। কোরিয়া সমস্যা, সুয়েজ খাল সংকট, সাইপ্রাসের জন্ম কিংবা কাশ্মির নিয়ে জাতিসংঘে দীর্ঘ বক্তৃতা সবকিছুই মেননকে পরিচয় করিয়ে দিয়েছিল বিশ্বের কাছে। 'ফর্মূলা ম্যান' মেননের দুই চোখের বিষ ছিল সাম্রাজ্যবাদীরা। অথচ তার মিত্রদের বেশির ভাগ ইংরেজ! বদমেজাজ ও নারীপ্রীতির কারণে লন্ডন হাইকমিশনে যথেষ্ট বিতর্কিত হয়েছিলেন মেনন। তখন তার বন্ধু নেহেরু তাকে রক্ষা করেছেন। জাতিসংঘে প্রতিনিধি করে পাঠিয়েছেন। কিন্তু সেখানেও ইউএসের সাথে সম্পর্ক তিক্ত করে তুলেছেন মেনন। নেহেরু চাইছিলেন মেনন দিল্লি বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের উপাচার্য হন। তবে মেননের মন মন্ত্রিসভায়। তাই দপ্তরবিহীন মন্ত্রীর দায়িত্ব দেওয়া হলেও পরবর্তীতে তাকে প্রতিরক্ষামন্ত্রী করা হয়।
ভারতীয় সেনাবাহিনীর কর্তাব্যক্তিরা সকলেই তখন ব্রিটিশ ঔপনিবেশের তৈরি। তাদের মনোজগতে রাজ করে ব্রিটেন ও যুক্তরাষ্ট্র। তাই 'সোভিয়েটপন্থি' ও আমলাতন্ত্রের ঘোরতর বিরোধী মেননের সাথে প্রতিরক্ষাবাহিনীর কর্তাদের সংঘর্ষ ছিল অনিবার্য। সেই সূত্রধরেই জেনারেল থিমাইয়া পদত্যাগ করেন। মজার ব্যাপার হলো এই অতিগোপনীয় সংবাদটি পরের দিন স্টেটসম্যান পত্রিকায় প্রকাশ হয়ে যায়। তাতে নেহেরু সরকার যথেষ্ট বিব্রত হয়। মূলত থিমাইয়ার পর সেনাপ্রধান হওয়ার দাবিদার জেনারেল জেএন চৌধুরী দীর্ঘদিন গোপনে স্টেটসম্যানের সামরিক সংবাদদাতা হিসেবে কাজ করছিলেন। জেনারেল চৌধুরী পরবর্তীতে গোপন সংবাদদাতা হিসেবে সেনাবাহিনীর আরও কিছু তথ্য স্টেটসম্যানকে দেন।
'৬২ সালে চীনের কাছে মার খাওয়ার জন্য এককভাবে মেননকে দায়ী করা হয়। দলে নেহেরু ব্যতীত মেননের কোনো শুভাকাঙ্ক্ষী ছিল না। দলের বাইরে থেকে সমর্থন পাওয়ার কোনো আশা নেই। এমনকি জেনারেল বিএম কাউলকে যুদ্ধে বড়ো কমান্ডের দায়িত্ব দেওয়া ছিল একদম ভুল। মেনন চীনের সাথে সন্ধির পক্ষে ছিলেন। তার যুক্তি ছিল তিব্বত ও লাদাখে চীনের কর্তৃত্ব স্বীকার করে নিলে চুম্বি ভ্যালি পর্যন্ত ভারতের সীমানা মেনে নিতে পারে চীন। মূলত ভারতীয় সেনাবাহিনীর কর্তারাও মনে করতেন রাজনৈতিকভাবে চীনের সাথে মীমাংসায় পৌঁছাতে হবে। মেনন সঠিক ছিলেন। ১৯৭৪ সালে ইন্দিরা গান্ধি সংসদে বলেছিলেন মেননের ফর্মূলা মেনে নেওয়াই হতো সবচেয়ে ভালো সমাধান। প্রতিরক্ষামন্ত্রী হিসেবে পরাজয়ের দায়ভার নিশ্চয়ই মেননের ওপর বর্তায়। কিন্তু সেনাবাহিনীকে আধুনিকায়ন করতে চেয়ে প্রয়োজনীয় অর্থ ছাড়ের প্রস্তাব অর্থমন্ত্রী মোরারজি দেশাইকে পাঠানো হলে এই 'গান্ধিপন্থি' অস্ত্রের জন্য পয়সা খরচ করতে যথেষ্ট রাজি ছিলেন না। উপরন্তু, ভারতের তখন বৈদেশিক মুদ্রার তহবিল তলানির দিকে। তাই মেননকে এককভাবে দায়ী করা যায় না।
নেহেরুর মৃত্যুর পর মেননকে রক্ষা করার মতো সত্যিই কেউ ছিল না। তিনি রাজনৈতিক অভিভাবকহীন হয়ে পড়েন। লোকসভা নির্বাচনে মুম্বাইয়ের তার আসনে তাকে মনোনয়ন না দিয়ে এক আইসিএস কর্মকর্তাকে মনোনয়ন দেয় কংগ্রেস। তখন প্রধানমন্ত্রী মেননের প্রিয় ইন্দু! স্বতন্ত্রপ্রার্থী হিসেবে দুইমাসের ব্যবধানে টানা দুইবার একই আসনে কংগ্রেস প্রার্থীর কাছে নির্বাচনে পরাজিত হন মেনন! এই সময় ছিল মেননের জীবনের সবচেয়ে কঠিন সময়। তিনি নিজের রাজনৈতিক ক্যারিয়ার টিকিয়ে রাখতে তামিলনাড়ুর ডিএমকে সভাপতিকে অনুরোধ করেন ডিএমকে প্রভাবিত কোনো আসনে তাকে মনোনয়ন দিতে। কিন্তু ডিএমকে মেননকে পাত্তা দেয়নি। তখন পশ্চিমবঙ্গের জ্যোতি বসু মেদিনীপুরের একটি আসনে মনোনয়ন দিয়ে মেননকে সংসদে পাঠান।
জীবনের শেষ তিন বছর বেশির ভাগ সময় আইনপেশা ও দেশের বাইরে বিভিন্ন কনফারেন্স কাটান। মূলত মেননের মতো মানুষের এমন পরিণতিতে মন খারাপ হয়ে গিয়েছিল।
চিঠিপত্রকে ভিত্তি ধরে এই জীবনী লেখা। তাই যথেষ্ট ধৈর্য না থাকলে বইটি পড়া সম্ভব নয়। জয়রাম রমেশ কৃষ্ণ মেননকে রক্ষা করতে এই বই লিখেছেন। এই কারণে একটি ভালো জীবনী হওয়ার বদলে এটি ব্যক্তির ইমেজ সচেতন একটি প্রোপাগাণ্ডা ছাড়া আর কিছু হয়নি।
'অসাধারণ মেধাবী' অভিধাখানা কৃষ্ণ মেননের জন্য কম হয়ে যায়। লাস্কির স্ত্রী একটি পত্রে উল্লেখ করেছিলেন কৃষ্ণ মেননের মতো মেধাবী তিনি দীর্ঘদিন দেখেননি। কৃষ্ণ মেনন কিছুদিন পরিসংখ্যান নিয়ে গবেষণা করেন। তার ইংরেজ সুপারভাইজার মনে করতেন মেনন এই শাখায় নামলে অনেকের ভাত মারা যাবে। আবার, লিঙ্কস ইনে তার ব্যারিস্টারির গুরু ভাবতেন মেনন একজন অসাধারণ ব্যারিস্টার হতে পারবে। অর্থাৎ গুণপনার কৃষ্ণ মেনন একমেবাদ্বিতীয়ম।
মাউন্টব্যাটেন ও দেশভাগকালীন ব্রিটিশ প্রধানমন্ত্রী আ্যটলির বন্ধু কৃষ্ণ মেনন স্পষ্টতই তাদেরকে প্রভাবিত করেছিলেন। তার মেধাকে সবচেয়ে বেশি গুরুত্বপূর্ণ মনে করতেন পণ্ডিত নেহেরু। মাউন্টব্যাটেনের সুপারিশ ও নেহেরুর একক চেষ্টায় লন্ডনে ভারতীয় হাইকমিশনার হয়েছিলেন মেনন। কংগ্রেসে অত্যন্ত অজনপ্রিয় মেননের ক্ষমতার ভিত্তিমূল ছিল তার বন্ধু নেহেরু। মেননের কূটবুদ্ধি দুর্দান্ত। কোরিয়া সমস্যা, সুয়েজ খাল সংকট, সাইপ্রাসের জন্ম কিংবা কাশ্মির নিয়ে জাতিসংঘে দীর্ঘ বক্তৃতা সবকিছুই মেননকে পরিচয় করিয়ে দিয়েছিল বিশ্বের কাছে। 'ফর্মূলা ম্যান' মেননের দুই চোখের বিষ ছিল সাম্রাজ্যবাদীরা। অথচ তার মিত্রদের বেশির ভাগ ইংরেজ! বদমেজাজ ও নারীপ্রীতির কারণে লন্ডন হাইকমিশনে যথেষ্ট বিতর্কিত হয়েছিলেন মেনন। তখন তার বন্ধু নেহেরু তাকে রক্ষা করেছেন। জাতিসংঘে প্রতিনিধি করে পাঠিয়েছেন। কিন্তু সেখানেও ইউএসের সাথে সম্পর্ক তিক্ত করে তুলেছেন মেনন। নেহেরু চাইছিলেন মেনন দিল্লি বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের উপাচার্য হন। তবে মেননের মন মন্ত্রিসভায়। তাই দপ্তরবিহীন মন্ত্রীর দায়িত্ব দেওয়া হলেও পরবর্তীতে তাকে প্রতিরক্ষামন্ত্রী করা হয়।
ভারতীয় সেনাবাহিনীর কর্তাব্যক্তিরা সকলেই তখন ব্রিটিশ ঔপনিবেশের তৈরি। তাদের মনোজগতে রাজ করে ব্রিটেন ও যুক্তরাষ্ট্র। তাই 'সোভিয়েটপন্থি' ও আমলাতন্ত্রের ঘোরতর বিরোধী মেননের সাথে প্রতিরক্ষাবাহিনীর কর্তাদের সংঘর্ষ ছিল অনিবার্য। সেই সূত্রধরেই জেনারেল থিমাইয়া পদত্যাগ করেন। মজার ব্যাপার হলো এই অতিগোপনীয় সংবাদটি পরের দিন স্টেটসম্যান পত্রিকায় প্রকাশ হয়ে যায়। তাতে নেহেরু সরকার যথেষ্ট বিব্রত হয়। মূলত থিমাইয়ার পর সেনাপ্রধান হওয়ার দাবিদার জেনারেল জেএন চৌধুরী দীর্ঘদিন গোপনে স্টেটসম্যানের সামরিক সংবাদদাতা হিসেবে কাজ করছিলেন। জেনারেল চৌধুরী পরবর্তীতে গোপন সংবাদদাতা হিসেবে সেনাবাহিনীর আরও কিছু তথ্য স্টেটসম্যানকে দেন।
'৬২ সালে চীনের কাছে মার খাওয়ার জন্য এককভাবে মেননকে দায়ী করা হয়। দলে নেহেরু ব্যতীত মেননের কোনো শুভাকাঙ্ক্ষী ছিল না। দলের বাইরে থেকে সমর্থন পাওয়ার কোনো আশা নেই। এমনকি জেনারেল বিএম কাউলকে যুদ্ধে বড়ো কমান্ডের দায়িত্ব দেওয়া ছিল একদম ভুল। মেনন চীনের সাথে সন্ধির পক্ষে ছিলেন। তার যুক্তি ছিল তিব্বত ও লাদাখে চীনের কর্তৃত্ব স্বীকার করে নিলে চুম্বি ভ্যালি পর্যন্ত ভারতের সীমানা মেনে নিতে পারে চীন। মূলত ভারতীয় সেনাবাহিনীর কর্তারাও মনে করতেন রাজনৈতিকভাবে চীনের সাথে মীমাংসায় পৌঁছাতে হবে। মেনন সঠিক ছিলেন। ১৯৭৪ সালে ইন্দিরা গান্ধি সংসদে বলেছিলেন মেননের ফর্মূলা মেনে নেওয়াই হতো সবচেয়ে ভালো সমাধান। প্রতিরক্ষামন্ত্রী হিসেবে পরাজয়ের দায়ভার নিশ্চয়ই মেননের ওপর বর্তায়। কিন্তু সেনাবাহিনীকে আধুনিকায়ন করতে চেয়ে প্রয়োজনীয় অর্থ ছাড়ের প্রস্তাব অর্থমন্ত্রী মোরারজি দেশাইকে পাঠানো হলে এই 'গান্ধিপন্থি' অস্ত্রের জন্য পয়সা খরচ করতে যথেষ্ট রাজি ছিলেন না। উপরন্তু, ভারতের তখন বৈদেশিক মুদ্রার তহবিল তলানির দিকে। তাই মেননকে এককভাবে দায়ী করা যায় না।
নেহেরুর মৃত্যুর পর মেননকে রক্ষা করার মতো সত্যিই কেউ ছিল না। তিনি রাজনৈতিক অভিভাবকহীন হয়ে পড়েন। লোকসভা নির্বাচনে মুম্বাইয়ের তার আসনে তাকে মনোনয়ন না দিয়ে এক আইসিএস কর্মকর্তাকে মনোনয়ন দেয় কংগ্রেস। তখন প্রধানমন্ত্রী মেননের প্রিয় ইন্দু! স্বতন্ত্রপ্রার্থী হিসেবে দুইমাসের ব্যবধানে টানা দুইবার একই আসনে কংগ্রেস প্রার্থীর কাছে নির্বাচনে পরাজিত হন মেনন! এই সময় ছিল মেননের জীবনের সবচেয়ে কঠিন সময়। তিনি নিজের রাজনৈতিক ক্যারিয়ার টিকিয়ে রাখতে তামিলনাড়ুর ডিএমকে সভাপতিকে অনুরোধ করেন ডিএমকে প্রভাবিত কোনো আসনে তাকে মনোনয়ন দিতে। কিন্তু ডিএমকে মেননকে পাত্তা দেয়নি। তখন পশ্চিমবঙ্গের জ্যোতি বসু মেদিনীপুরের একটি আসনে মনোনয়ন দিয়ে মেননকে সংসদে পাঠান।
জীবনের শেষ তিন বছর বেশির ভাগ সময় আইনপেশা ও দেশের বাইরে বিভিন্ন কনফারেন্স কাটান। মূলত মেননের মতো মানুষের এমন পরিণতিতে মন খারাপ হয়ে গিয়েছিল।
চিঠিপত্রকে ভিত্তি ধরে এই জীবনী লেখা। তাই যথেষ্ট ধৈর্য না থাকলে বইটি পড়া সম্ভব নয়। জয়রাম রমেশ কৃষ্ণ মেননকে রক্ষা করতে এই বই লিখেছেন। এই কারণে একটি ভালো জীবনী হওয়ার বদলে এটি ব্যক্তির ইমেজ সচেতন একটি প্রোপাগাণ্ডা ছাড়া আর কিছু হয়নি।
April 28, 2020
I remember Krishna Menon as a man of sharp intellect and for his brilliant lengthy speeches which he has made at the UN. I'm also aware that he was the defence minister during the Indo-China war in 1962 that somehow ended in a fiasco.
But, beyond that little did I know that he was one of the towering personalities India has ever produced. Perhaps, also the most hated personality at the same time. This agathokakological nature is something which makes his life story mysterious and thrilling.
His contributions to Indian independence is gigantic. He was instrumental in creating a conducive atmosphere in favour of India among the British society through his activities via India league. He also played a significant role in the initiation of several of the defence organisations in independent India. But, at the same time, there were enormous failures like in the purchase of vans for the Indian army, Indo-China war debacle and so on.
Another attribute that I understood from the book is that even being a Malayali he was against the formation of Kerala on linguistic grounds and interestingly was in favour of the dissolution of the first communist government by Nehru. But, later it so happened that he became a Member of Parliament by contesting from Trivandrum (1971-74) with the support of the communists. This duality existed all throughout his life.
To further know about his controversial legacy and enigmatic personality I suggest reading this wonderfully crafted biography about V K Krishna Menon by Jairam Ramesh.
But, beyond that little did I know that he was one of the towering personalities India has ever produced. Perhaps, also the most hated personality at the same time. This agathokakological nature is something which makes his life story mysterious and thrilling.
His contributions to Indian independence is gigantic. He was instrumental in creating a conducive atmosphere in favour of India among the British society through his activities via India league. He also played a significant role in the initiation of several of the defence organisations in independent India. But, at the same time, there were enormous failures like in the purchase of vans for the Indian army, Indo-China war debacle and so on.
Another attribute that I understood from the book is that even being a Malayali he was against the formation of Kerala on linguistic grounds and interestingly was in favour of the dissolution of the first communist government by Nehru. But, later it so happened that he became a Member of Parliament by contesting from Trivandrum (1971-74) with the support of the communists. This duality existed all throughout his life.
To further know about his controversial legacy and enigmatic personality I suggest reading this wonderfully crafted biography about V K Krishna Menon by Jairam Ramesh.
June 16, 2020
Vengalil Krishnan Krishna Menon (1896–1974) was born in Kozhikode, Kerala but worked outside the state for all his life. He organised British public opinion in favour of Indian independence for about two decades. Acting as a facilitator and liaison for visiting dignitaries especially Nehru in London, Krishna Menon shot to prominence in the national movement. He had a sharp intellect but a lousy tongue which alienated almost all the people he came into contact with. He had a visceral aversion to the US, but managed to lead the Indian delegation to the UN and to be India's high commissioner to the UK. After he made both the seats too hot to hold him, Nehru appointed him as India's defence minister. He initiated some far-reaching projects to indigenize defence production, but the war with China in 1962 and the miserable defeat which ensued caused a clamour for his removal. Krishna Menon stepped down in 1962 and faded into obscurity after Nehru's death, even though he managed to win elections to the Indian parliament. Menon was one of the friends of Nehru who considered themselves taller in stature than the country. They gave paramount importance to their personal opinions than national interest. That was one of the reasons why Menon’s career ended up disastrously even though India had witnessed very few people of his intellectual calibre among its political class. This book is written by Jairam Ramesh, a stalwart leader of the Congress party which is in opposition at present.
After his education in Chennai, Krishna Menon shifted his arena of operations to London as directed by his mentor Annie Besant. He spent twenty-three years there and became a crony of Nehru from 1935 till his death in 1964. Ramesh notes that he was cantankerous yet charming who had an uncanny ability to make instant enemies. His opportunism is described in detail on more than one occasion. He ditched the Congress Socialist party and sided with Nehru who was by then being seen as Gandhi's successor. Menon was acutely aware of this and there is a definite element of personal ambition in hitching his star to Nehru's bandwagon. He was extremely helpful to his daughter Indira as well. Her first public meeting was arranged by Krishna Menon in 1937 under the guise of supporting the Spanish cause.
Krishna Menon never participated in public protests, demonstrations and agitations in the heat and dust of India and had never been arrested or jailed. The author remarks that independence had come to India largely because of upheavals and mass movements crafted and led by Gandhi at home. Menon had no role whatsoever in this. However he also notes that independence came also because since the mid–1930s, public opinion in Britain itself became more sympathetic to and supportive of the Indian cause. In creating this climate of opinion, Krishna Menon had made significant contributions, perhaps second to none (p.309). Anyhow, Sardar Patel viewed him as a busybody during the partition negotiations.
Menon’s relations with women had been a never-ending source for rumours during his lifetime. It may be remembered that he remained a bachelor all his life. The author keeps a dignified silence on this topic, but drops sufficient hints for the readers to solve the puzzle. Menon’s India League was said to be a one–man, many–women army (p.108) and this very fact antagonized many supporters of Indian independence. Even when he became the envoy of the new Indian republic in the UK, his office courted controversies in good measure. The private secretary to the high commissioner was often referred to as ‘the Queen of India House’. Menon orchestrated her entry into the Indian Foreign Service. The worst part of this aspect of his character was that the enemies were also aware of this weakness. The British intelligence agencies used women agents to get close to Menon and extract information.
Ramesh provides an exhaustive analysis of the ‘Jeeps scandal’ that rocked Menon’s tenure as high commissioner. Large amounts of money were paid to alleged traders in Britain for procuring used Jeeps for the Indian army, who later turned out to be Menon’s close friends. It was also established that Menon’s India League had received financial contributions from them. The problem erupted when the army rejected the vehicle shipments as of poor quality and unusability. Later, Subimal Dutt investigated charges of extravagant spending at the Indian high commission and came out with a scathing indictment. Menon indignantly offered to resign, but Nehru won’t allow him. The British also raised issues of security risk due to the large number of people employed by the High Commission who had solid links to the Communist party. It is amazing that Nehru pardoned all of his offences like a mother does to her child. This was in spite of Nehru’s assessment of Menon in 1951 as “he is not an easy person to get on with. He is highly sensitive, somewhat self–opinionated and tries to do everything himself which no head of mission should do” (p.372). Yet, Menon remained in his position right till the moment he wanted.
This book has been able to show the bubble of delusional self-importance Nehru and Menon attached to India's postures in international fora. Menon had a series of meetings with Chinese Premier Zhou En-Lai over ten days in 1955. They discussed all regional and global issues instead of the burning border dispute between them. Even after China’s forceful occupation of Tibet, the focus of the discussion was on Sino-US relations and how they could be normalised! Ramesh epitomizes Menon’s eight-hour speech in the UN Security Council on the Kashmir issue, which turned out to nothing in the end as the Security Council unanimously voted against India. He fainted at the end of the speech which was a clever ploy to win votes in parliamentary elections scheduled a few weeks later. Menon brazenly pleaded for China's entry into the UN when in fact they had intruded into Indian territory in 1959. He stayed on in the UN even after specifically asked by Nehru to return, which he did only after sixteen days. He wanted to go back to the UN within two days, but this time Nehru restrained him. Right before a few weeks of the Chinese invasion in 1962, Menon was lecturing in the UN on the situation in Papua New Guinea and hair-splitting on Congo's disarmament! The author’s claim that Menon resolved the Korean and Suez crises is just wishful thinking.
Menon’s hypocrisy and opportunism are handled discreetly in this book. He was accused to be a Communist, whereas in fact he maintained a relationship with them that best suited his own purposes. He spoke against the detention of Communists engaged in armed struggle against India immediately after 1947, but felt no compunction in pressurising Nehru to dismiss the first Communist government in Kerala in 1959. He opposed the formation of Kerala state on linguistic basis on the flimsy pretext that it could well end up becoming a Communist citadel. Menon was first introduced into Nehru’s cabinet in 1956 as a minister without portfolio. But he wanted something meaty and substantive instead which Nehru obliged by shifting him to defence. He was also awarded the prestigious Padma Vibhushan while Nehru decorated himself with the Bharat Ratna. Menon’s anti-Americanism did not deter him from seeking medical treatment in the US to remove a clot in the brain in 1961. Menon was a misfortune for the nation till then, but when he stepped in as defence minister, turned into a disaster. He antagonized all three service chiefs and appointed his aides in key positions in the army, sparking rumours of a coup. US President Kennedy informed Nehru that US military assistance during China war was possible only if Menon was eased out of the defence ministry. Krishna Menon was temperamentally ill-suited for the sensitive assignment as defence minister and the country had to pay a heavy price for his personality quirks and work habits.
Many biographies of Menon have been published over the years, but this one is probably the first to be based on his own papers which were made available to the public only in early 2019. Menon was progressive, socialist and a rationalist. However, he was fixated on astrology! This was a new piece of information. The book includes many hypocritical letters between Menon and Nehru who vainly offered to resign their posts while in fact both of them had no inclination to do so. Menon refused to leave the high commissioner's office even when Nehru clearly demanded it by asking him to go on leave. He delayed putting in his papers for one full year while Nehru patiently waited! This makes one wonder at the kind of influence Menon wielded over Nehru. There was strong opinion of him as ‘an unredeemed and ignominious failure’, but the author’s harping on the possibility of a military coup by him is too far-fetched. Personal appreciation of Menon by private individuals and disgruntled overseas groups are touted as his huge diplomatic victories.
This book is a humongous one as his earlier book titled ‘Intertwined Lives’ on P N Haksar, reviewed in this blog on a previous occasion. Lots of verbatim quotes of his letters are reproduced, as well as photographs of notices of India League meetings. This book could have been condensed to about 300 pages if the author had taken the style of a personal narrative rather than journalistic reporting. It is structured like a diary, year-wise. This book is easily readable but this diary format diminishes its potential for an enjoyable reading experience.
The book is strongly recommended.
After his education in Chennai, Krishna Menon shifted his arena of operations to London as directed by his mentor Annie Besant. He spent twenty-three years there and became a crony of Nehru from 1935 till his death in 1964. Ramesh notes that he was cantankerous yet charming who had an uncanny ability to make instant enemies. His opportunism is described in detail on more than one occasion. He ditched the Congress Socialist party and sided with Nehru who was by then being seen as Gandhi's successor. Menon was acutely aware of this and there is a definite element of personal ambition in hitching his star to Nehru's bandwagon. He was extremely helpful to his daughter Indira as well. Her first public meeting was arranged by Krishna Menon in 1937 under the guise of supporting the Spanish cause.
Krishna Menon never participated in public protests, demonstrations and agitations in the heat and dust of India and had never been arrested or jailed. The author remarks that independence had come to India largely because of upheavals and mass movements crafted and led by Gandhi at home. Menon had no role whatsoever in this. However he also notes that independence came also because since the mid–1930s, public opinion in Britain itself became more sympathetic to and supportive of the Indian cause. In creating this climate of opinion, Krishna Menon had made significant contributions, perhaps second to none (p.309). Anyhow, Sardar Patel viewed him as a busybody during the partition negotiations.
Menon’s relations with women had been a never-ending source for rumours during his lifetime. It may be remembered that he remained a bachelor all his life. The author keeps a dignified silence on this topic, but drops sufficient hints for the readers to solve the puzzle. Menon’s India League was said to be a one–man, many–women army (p.108) and this very fact antagonized many supporters of Indian independence. Even when he became the envoy of the new Indian republic in the UK, his office courted controversies in good measure. The private secretary to the high commissioner was often referred to as ‘the Queen of India House’. Menon orchestrated her entry into the Indian Foreign Service. The worst part of this aspect of his character was that the enemies were also aware of this weakness. The British intelligence agencies used women agents to get close to Menon and extract information.
Ramesh provides an exhaustive analysis of the ‘Jeeps scandal’ that rocked Menon’s tenure as high commissioner. Large amounts of money were paid to alleged traders in Britain for procuring used Jeeps for the Indian army, who later turned out to be Menon’s close friends. It was also established that Menon’s India League had received financial contributions from them. The problem erupted when the army rejected the vehicle shipments as of poor quality and unusability. Later, Subimal Dutt investigated charges of extravagant spending at the Indian high commission and came out with a scathing indictment. Menon indignantly offered to resign, but Nehru won’t allow him. The British also raised issues of security risk due to the large number of people employed by the High Commission who had solid links to the Communist party. It is amazing that Nehru pardoned all of his offences like a mother does to her child. This was in spite of Nehru’s assessment of Menon in 1951 as “he is not an easy person to get on with. He is highly sensitive, somewhat self–opinionated and tries to do everything himself which no head of mission should do” (p.372). Yet, Menon remained in his position right till the moment he wanted.
This book has been able to show the bubble of delusional self-importance Nehru and Menon attached to India's postures in international fora. Menon had a series of meetings with Chinese Premier Zhou En-Lai over ten days in 1955. They discussed all regional and global issues instead of the burning border dispute between them. Even after China’s forceful occupation of Tibet, the focus of the discussion was on Sino-US relations and how they could be normalised! Ramesh epitomizes Menon’s eight-hour speech in the UN Security Council on the Kashmir issue, which turned out to nothing in the end as the Security Council unanimously voted against India. He fainted at the end of the speech which was a clever ploy to win votes in parliamentary elections scheduled a few weeks later. Menon brazenly pleaded for China's entry into the UN when in fact they had intruded into Indian territory in 1959. He stayed on in the UN even after specifically asked by Nehru to return, which he did only after sixteen days. He wanted to go back to the UN within two days, but this time Nehru restrained him. Right before a few weeks of the Chinese invasion in 1962, Menon was lecturing in the UN on the situation in Papua New Guinea and hair-splitting on Congo's disarmament! The author’s claim that Menon resolved the Korean and Suez crises is just wishful thinking.
Menon’s hypocrisy and opportunism are handled discreetly in this book. He was accused to be a Communist, whereas in fact he maintained a relationship with them that best suited his own purposes. He spoke against the detention of Communists engaged in armed struggle against India immediately after 1947, but felt no compunction in pressurising Nehru to dismiss the first Communist government in Kerala in 1959. He opposed the formation of Kerala state on linguistic basis on the flimsy pretext that it could well end up becoming a Communist citadel. Menon was first introduced into Nehru’s cabinet in 1956 as a minister without portfolio. But he wanted something meaty and substantive instead which Nehru obliged by shifting him to defence. He was also awarded the prestigious Padma Vibhushan while Nehru decorated himself with the Bharat Ratna. Menon’s anti-Americanism did not deter him from seeking medical treatment in the US to remove a clot in the brain in 1961. Menon was a misfortune for the nation till then, but when he stepped in as defence minister, turned into a disaster. He antagonized all three service chiefs and appointed his aides in key positions in the army, sparking rumours of a coup. US President Kennedy informed Nehru that US military assistance during China war was possible only if Menon was eased out of the defence ministry. Krishna Menon was temperamentally ill-suited for the sensitive assignment as defence minister and the country had to pay a heavy price for his personality quirks and work habits.
Many biographies of Menon have been published over the years, but this one is probably the first to be based on his own papers which were made available to the public only in early 2019. Menon was progressive, socialist and a rationalist. However, he was fixated on astrology! This was a new piece of information. The book includes many hypocritical letters between Menon and Nehru who vainly offered to resign their posts while in fact both of them had no inclination to do so. Menon refused to leave the high commissioner's office even when Nehru clearly demanded it by asking him to go on leave. He delayed putting in his papers for one full year while Nehru patiently waited! This makes one wonder at the kind of influence Menon wielded over Nehru. There was strong opinion of him as ‘an unredeemed and ignominious failure’, but the author’s harping on the possibility of a military coup by him is too far-fetched. Personal appreciation of Menon by private individuals and disgruntled overseas groups are touted as his huge diplomatic victories.
This book is a humongous one as his earlier book titled ‘Intertwined Lives’ on P N Haksar, reviewed in this blog on a previous occasion. Lots of verbatim quotes of his letters are reproduced, as well as photographs of notices of India League meetings. This book could have been condensed to about 300 pages if the author had taken the style of a personal narrative rather than journalistic reporting. It is structured like a diary, year-wise. This book is easily readable but this diary format diminishes its potential for an enjoyable reading experience.
The book is strongly recommended.
January 20, 2021
When I picked this as my first book to read in 2021, I had two expectations from it. One was that Jairam Ramesh, as a Nehruvian would find a scape goat in V.K. Krishna Menon for India’s 1962 military misadventure with China. The other was that, the book would be a complete white washed portrayal of Krishna Menon, with Congressman Jairam Ramesh documenting only the favourable contributions from a most controversial figure of post-independence era. Last year, when I read the biography of P.N. Haksar written by Jairam Ramesh, I was quite impressed by the author’s way of narration, completely refraining from writing a speculative or a psychohistory while relying heavily on archives, official notes, correspondence and personal diaries. Likewise, this book from Jairam Ramesh is a compelling biography on V.K. Krishna Menon, which runs down to roughly seven hundred pages describing the many lives of a man who was academically intellectual, highly influential among the British higher ranks, who left an ever enduring legacy in his diplomatic career and a man who lived on tea and buns all through his life. Some people eulogize him. Some castigate him. Many forgot him. For some who know him, the life of V.K. Krishna Menon is a proof for Shakespeare’s “The evil that men do lives after them; the good is often interred with their bones.”
For people who remember Krishna Menon, he was nothing but a notorious defence minister who was a culprit behind 1962 humiliation. But, this narrative history from Jairam Ramesh delves into historical records to split the life of Krishna Menon into two phases. The first phase is when Krishna Menon would spend two decades in London, toiling hard and fighting for the cause of Indian Independence by being an active member of India League, an organization that would often come under the British intelligence radar for their communist tendencies and anti-British stance, while gaining significant support from the Labour Party and the Communist Party of Great Britain. Krishna Menon’s academic accomplishments were on par with Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, with multiple degrees in fields across wide canvas, an economics degree from London School of Economics, a law degree from Glasgow University and a doctoral thesis on psychology. But, what makes him the most formidable men of his generation was that he was mentored by greats such as Annie Besant, J. Krishnamurthi, Bertrand Russell, Noel Baker and Harold Laski. It was interesting to note that Krishna Menon was also one of the founding members of Penguin books where he edited some of the greatest works of Sigmund Freud and Bernard Shaw.
As the book narrates, Krishna Menon’s first phase in London would involve him taking up multiple roles as a student, agitator, pamphleteer, propagandist, public speaker, editor, lawyer, councillor who developed excellent contacts in the British Labour Party and in British Literary circles. He was also well known as an indefatigable crusader of Indian independence movement by politically lobbying for the release of Jawaharlal Nehru every time after his arrest and arranging M.K. Gandhi’s visit for the Round Table Conference. Soon, Vengalil Krishnan Krishna Menon would become Nehru’s Man in London, commanding significant influence in orchestrating the British public and political opinion. Nehru's friendship with V.K. Krishna Menon would continue to grow with latter helping the former to publish all his three books (Autobiography, The Discovery of India & Glimpses of World History) under the banner of Penguin Classics. The influence of Krishna Menon on British Politics was so significant and substantial that P.N. Haksar once noted,
“There is a tendency in our country to be somewhat inward looking, to say that the struggle for independence was fought and won in India, and undoubtedly it was fought and won in India. But, Indian Independence was a product of negotiation. . . If those negotiations were made possible then, to a very large extent the preparation of public opinion in Britain and more specifically in Labour movement, as far as the intellectual opinion in Britain is concerned, credit must go in all fairness to the life work of Krishna Menon in London through India League.”
It is well known that Gandhi had two lieutenants namely Patel and Nehru, who came together transcending their ideological and political differences after his death. But, what is little known is that, there were two Menons who acted as Patel and Nehru’s alter ego respectively. In case of Patel, V.P. Menon would look after the integration of princely states, while V.K. Krishna Menon would monitor the transfer of power in 1947. This book gives an intriguing narration of the ideological differences which prevailed within the Congress after 1947, whose right wing included big heads like Patel, Rajendra Prasad, Govind Ballabh Pant and Morarji Desai. Naturally, Krishna Menon would enjoy a very special relationship with Nehru as both were steeped in British leftist traditions; both were bibliophiles with similar interests in books. Both were fiercely Indian but at same time they were Anglophones. The author’s assertion that Krishna Menon was targeted by entire Congress for two reasons; that he was not an active participant in freedom struggle (who had no prison time) and for those who could not question Nehru, Krishna Menon was soft target was nothing but a flimsy excuse to slip up on Krishna Menon’s own foibles. Nehru’s friendship and affection towards Krishna Menon was very much evident from the letters they exchanged. Remarkably, Krishna Menon was the only person Nehru opened up to and he would defend and protect Krishna Menon all through his life. For Krishna Menon, Nehru was a patron saint, who was extremely forbearing, patient and caring. This book also portrays the other side of VK Krishna Menon, as a self-loathing depressed personality who often seeks emotional support from Nehru. As presented in this book, the suicidal letters which Krishna Menon wrote to all his friends including Indira Gandhi and Nehru during his days in London were emotionally distressing.
Krishna Menon can be criticized, castigated and chided for his performance as Defence Minister. But, as Nehru’s right hand man in the United Nations, he aced his life in diplomacy. From defending India’s case on Kashmir, solving the Suez Canal Crisis, supporting nuclear disarmament, campaigning against apartheid in South Africa, he was a reflection of Jawaharlal Nehru’s policy of pacifism and world peace all through his career as a diplomat. Krishna Menon’s life until 1962 was filled with accolades, global recognition, honour and respect. Though he had a special talent for making instant enemies, Nehru would support him all through his follies and mishaps, for which he would pay the price in the end.
For a person who despised parochial regionalism, who opposed the reorganisation of states along linguistic lines and who warned Nerhu that if the States Reorganisation Commission’s suggestions would be applied, Kerala would turn into a citadel of communists insurgency and Tamil Nadu into a place of fascists orientation with racial Tamil Outlook, I found it very interesting to note Krishna Menon’s South Indian connect. After resigning from the cabinet and been out of Congress, it was Kannadasan, one of the all-time greats of Tamil Poetry who would recite a poem eulogizing Krishna Menon after a rousing reception on Marina Beach among tens of thousands of people. When he decided to contest in election as an independent candidate from South Madras constituency, he wrote a letter to then DMK Chief C.N. Annadurai seeking support for his candidature. After losing consecutive elections, he would take up law as a career and defend the Kerala’s Communist Chief Minister EMS Namoodripad for his contempt of court. Likewise, after his death, it was V.R. Krishna Iyer who took the initiative of setting up a Krishna Menon Memorial Society.
As I finished reading this book today, I was filled with multiple thoughts. In fact, Jairam Ramesh’s previous book invoked the same in me. Because, unlike a judgemental history, the author had presented the facts before me and I need to judge the person based on what I have read. History will always judge Nehru and Krishna Menon for what happened in 1962 and it shall continue. Often times, I try to take all the good from the biographee because as Nehru once said, ‘Like all of us, others have their own failings, but unlike most of us, they have some remarkable virtues also.’ In that sense, when APJ Abdul Kalam published his work ‘Defence Research & Development Organisation (1958 – 1962)’, Kalam noted in his paper that, ‘When VK Krishna Menon took over the reins of the defence ministry, he initiated the moves to form DRDO’. Krishna Menon will always be remembered for his passionate advocacy for indigenous defence production and his role in setting up the Tank factory in Avadi, Chennai. Moreover, next time when you read the preamble of our Indian Constitution, remember that it was VK Krishna Menon who drafted that preamble.
The author concluded thus saying, ‘Krishna Menon’s achievements were gigantic, his failures monumental. His intellectual strengths were awesome, his emotional equilibrium pathetic. It is very easy to judge Krishna Menon.’ My job is not to judge anyone. To me, Krishna Menon was a shooting star, who reached heights of glory and shined brightly. As he evolved and stumbled, he fizzled out into nothingness.
For people who remember Krishna Menon, he was nothing but a notorious defence minister who was a culprit behind 1962 humiliation. But, this narrative history from Jairam Ramesh delves into historical records to split the life of Krishna Menon into two phases. The first phase is when Krishna Menon would spend two decades in London, toiling hard and fighting for the cause of Indian Independence by being an active member of India League, an organization that would often come under the British intelligence radar for their communist tendencies and anti-British stance, while gaining significant support from the Labour Party and the Communist Party of Great Britain. Krishna Menon’s academic accomplishments were on par with Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, with multiple degrees in fields across wide canvas, an economics degree from London School of Economics, a law degree from Glasgow University and a doctoral thesis on psychology. But, what makes him the most formidable men of his generation was that he was mentored by greats such as Annie Besant, J. Krishnamurthi, Bertrand Russell, Noel Baker and Harold Laski. It was interesting to note that Krishna Menon was also one of the founding members of Penguin books where he edited some of the greatest works of Sigmund Freud and Bernard Shaw.
As the book narrates, Krishna Menon’s first phase in London would involve him taking up multiple roles as a student, agitator, pamphleteer, propagandist, public speaker, editor, lawyer, councillor who developed excellent contacts in the British Labour Party and in British Literary circles. He was also well known as an indefatigable crusader of Indian independence movement by politically lobbying for the release of Jawaharlal Nehru every time after his arrest and arranging M.K. Gandhi’s visit for the Round Table Conference. Soon, Vengalil Krishnan Krishna Menon would become Nehru’s Man in London, commanding significant influence in orchestrating the British public and political opinion. Nehru's friendship with V.K. Krishna Menon would continue to grow with latter helping the former to publish all his three books (Autobiography, The Discovery of India & Glimpses of World History) under the banner of Penguin Classics. The influence of Krishna Menon on British Politics was so significant and substantial that P.N. Haksar once noted,
“There is a tendency in our country to be somewhat inward looking, to say that the struggle for independence was fought and won in India, and undoubtedly it was fought and won in India. But, Indian Independence was a product of negotiation. . . If those negotiations were made possible then, to a very large extent the preparation of public opinion in Britain and more specifically in Labour movement, as far as the intellectual opinion in Britain is concerned, credit must go in all fairness to the life work of Krishna Menon in London through India League.”
It is well known that Gandhi had two lieutenants namely Patel and Nehru, who came together transcending their ideological and political differences after his death. But, what is little known is that, there were two Menons who acted as Patel and Nehru’s alter ego respectively. In case of Patel, V.P. Menon would look after the integration of princely states, while V.K. Krishna Menon would monitor the transfer of power in 1947. This book gives an intriguing narration of the ideological differences which prevailed within the Congress after 1947, whose right wing included big heads like Patel, Rajendra Prasad, Govind Ballabh Pant and Morarji Desai. Naturally, Krishna Menon would enjoy a very special relationship with Nehru as both were steeped in British leftist traditions; both were bibliophiles with similar interests in books. Both were fiercely Indian but at same time they were Anglophones. The author’s assertion that Krishna Menon was targeted by entire Congress for two reasons; that he was not an active participant in freedom struggle (who had no prison time) and for those who could not question Nehru, Krishna Menon was soft target was nothing but a flimsy excuse to slip up on Krishna Menon’s own foibles. Nehru’s friendship and affection towards Krishna Menon was very much evident from the letters they exchanged. Remarkably, Krishna Menon was the only person Nehru opened up to and he would defend and protect Krishna Menon all through his life. For Krishna Menon, Nehru was a patron saint, who was extremely forbearing, patient and caring. This book also portrays the other side of VK Krishna Menon, as a self-loathing depressed personality who often seeks emotional support from Nehru. As presented in this book, the suicidal letters which Krishna Menon wrote to all his friends including Indira Gandhi and Nehru during his days in London were emotionally distressing.
Krishna Menon can be criticized, castigated and chided for his performance as Defence Minister. But, as Nehru’s right hand man in the United Nations, he aced his life in diplomacy. From defending India’s case on Kashmir, solving the Suez Canal Crisis, supporting nuclear disarmament, campaigning against apartheid in South Africa, he was a reflection of Jawaharlal Nehru’s policy of pacifism and world peace all through his career as a diplomat. Krishna Menon’s life until 1962 was filled with accolades, global recognition, honour and respect. Though he had a special talent for making instant enemies, Nehru would support him all through his follies and mishaps, for which he would pay the price in the end.
For a person who despised parochial regionalism, who opposed the reorganisation of states along linguistic lines and who warned Nerhu that if the States Reorganisation Commission’s suggestions would be applied, Kerala would turn into a citadel of communists insurgency and Tamil Nadu into a place of fascists orientation with racial Tamil Outlook, I found it very interesting to note Krishna Menon’s South Indian connect. After resigning from the cabinet and been out of Congress, it was Kannadasan, one of the all-time greats of Tamil Poetry who would recite a poem eulogizing Krishna Menon after a rousing reception on Marina Beach among tens of thousands of people. When he decided to contest in election as an independent candidate from South Madras constituency, he wrote a letter to then DMK Chief C.N. Annadurai seeking support for his candidature. After losing consecutive elections, he would take up law as a career and defend the Kerala’s Communist Chief Minister EMS Namoodripad for his contempt of court. Likewise, after his death, it was V.R. Krishna Iyer who took the initiative of setting up a Krishna Menon Memorial Society.
As I finished reading this book today, I was filled with multiple thoughts. In fact, Jairam Ramesh’s previous book invoked the same in me. Because, unlike a judgemental history, the author had presented the facts before me and I need to judge the person based on what I have read. History will always judge Nehru and Krishna Menon for what happened in 1962 and it shall continue. Often times, I try to take all the good from the biographee because as Nehru once said, ‘Like all of us, others have their own failings, but unlike most of us, they have some remarkable virtues also.’ In that sense, when APJ Abdul Kalam published his work ‘Defence Research & Development Organisation (1958 – 1962)’, Kalam noted in his paper that, ‘When VK Krishna Menon took over the reins of the defence ministry, he initiated the moves to form DRDO’. Krishna Menon will always be remembered for his passionate advocacy for indigenous defence production and his role in setting up the Tank factory in Avadi, Chennai. Moreover, next time when you read the preamble of our Indian Constitution, remember that it was VK Krishna Menon who drafted that preamble.
The author concluded thus saying, ‘Krishna Menon’s achievements were gigantic, his failures monumental. His intellectual strengths were awesome, his emotional equilibrium pathetic. It is very easy to judge Krishna Menon.’ My job is not to judge anyone. To me, Krishna Menon was a shooting star, who reached heights of glory and shined brightly. As he evolved and stumbled, he fizzled out into nothingness.
December 28, 2019
I gained a deeper understanding of this figure of history. Initially the structure of this book was unappealing as the author hardly provides any view or analysis of background. It’s a book that needs to be read with some prior knowledge of indian colonial and partition history. But as the chapters of the book reveal, we see Krishna Menon at different phases of life. Some of his ways are quite startling, unique and left unexplained yet others especially his role in indian diplomacy and politics, you see the pattern of his life. Some of his personal attributes are worth emulating. His attention to detail, strenuous work, driven to the point of sickness (& madness) yet his temper, abrasiveness, deep loyalty and self loathing and sense of pity would have made him quite insufferable. But these contradictions still make him a compelling character worth knowing and this book helps us see the full picture from his own archival materials.
April 2, 2020
An amazing tome presenting the various facets of a much-misunderstood man. Hitherto, I, like most of my contemporaries, knew V K Krishna Menon as the man responsible for India's 1962 humiliation. But this biography has opened me up to the brilliance of the man. The author has rightly put that Menon's 'achievements were gigantic, his failures monumental'. But before making this assessment, the author has objectively presented the achievements and failures of V K Krishna Menon before the reader, alongwith opinions held of him by his contemporaries. The author has admirably refrained from giving his opinion on every event as and when he describes it, reserving it for the very last and keeping it as brief as possible. In the process, he has been able to highlight what a giant Menon was on the world stage and how crucial was the role he played not only in India's freedom struggle, but also in raising its standing in the comity of nations thereafter. He has also, with the help of documents, shown how prescient a man he was. Kudos to the author!
A thoroughly eye-opening read about a reviled man.
A thoroughly eye-opening read about a reviled man.
February 24, 2023
A Chequered Brilliance - The many lives of VK Krishna Menon by Jairam Ramesh
VK Krishna Menon was an eclectic personality a man larger than life with immense ambitions that shaped the cradle of the future of India. Whether as a rabble rouser or Indian High Commissioner or as UN ambassador or Defence Minister Krishna Menon made swifter enemies than people seldom can. An irksome personality for his foes and friends alike with bipolar manic energy and depressing anxiety, leading to long term solutions and problems at the same time, a man with as many hits as misses and will long be remembered as the only person during the Cold War who used to get USA and USSR to vote together against him, a man so hated by the Soviets the Chinese and the Americans that any and all aid or talk depended on him being kept outside the loop.
Jairam Ramesh’s biography of a man is a far cry for an introduction of Vishnu Krishnu Krishna Menon(as per Scotland Yard). The book skips the character building and at any point does not let us empathise with the chief protagonist and tries vainly to give nuance to both his successes and scandals with no clear intentions. It does add some value to anyone interested in the partition and 1962 war, would only recommend it to the die hard fan.
VK Krishna Menon was an eclectic personality a man larger than life with immense ambitions that shaped the cradle of the future of India. Whether as a rabble rouser or Indian High Commissioner or as UN ambassador or Defence Minister Krishna Menon made swifter enemies than people seldom can. An irksome personality for his foes and friends alike with bipolar manic energy and depressing anxiety, leading to long term solutions and problems at the same time, a man with as many hits as misses and will long be remembered as the only person during the Cold War who used to get USA and USSR to vote together against him, a man so hated by the Soviets the Chinese and the Americans that any and all aid or talk depended on him being kept outside the loop.
Jairam Ramesh’s biography of a man is a far cry for an introduction of Vishnu Krishnu Krishna Menon(as per Scotland Yard). The book skips the character building and at any point does not let us empathise with the chief protagonist and tries vainly to give nuance to both his successes and scandals with no clear intentions. It does add some value to anyone interested in the partition and 1962 war, would only recommend it to the die hard fan.
January 28, 2020
VK Krishna Menon was, by all accounts, an exceptionally brilliant mind with an ability to think out of the box on most complex, multi-dimensional problems facing India and the world. He was a crazy workaholic who lived a frugal life and had a high personal integrity. At the same time, he was an impossible person to work with and had the unique ability to turn his supporters into his detractors.
He is most known and reviled as India’s defence minister who set India up for the most humiliating debacle against the Chinese attack in 1962. And he is also considered to be Pt Nehru’s blind spot, for which India and Pt Nehru paid a dear price.
What, however, may not be well known is the battle he fought for India’s independence for ~20 years, while living in London, by tirelessly presenting the Indian point of view and put the discussion on Indian right to self-determination, centre-stage, helping to soften the public opinion in favour of India.
Menon’s life took a turn though, when he came in contact with Pt Nehru in the mid-30s. Since then, he became a confidant of Pt Nehru with virtually unfettered access to all the trials and tribulations that went through Pt Nehru’s mind. This association was his ticket to ‘success’ as suddenly he found himself in a position of influence with India’s 2nd most popular leader and one who would eventually establish the foundation of the nation.
Menon then leveraged his access to Pt Nehru to build a friendship with the Mountbattens that would last a lifetime. In the process, he also ingratiated himself in India’s independence negotiations and became a vital go-between for Mountbatten and Pt Nehru.
The highlight of Menon’s life, however, are his contributions as a diplomat at the United Nations and related roles he played on the global stage. The mere fact that he is actively referred to in the archives of at least 8-10 countries, underlines the wide-ranging impact he had on the geopolitics of the day. At a time when the United Nations was findings its feet during the Cold War, and India was a fledgling democracy on the global stage, Menon’s efforts in resolving vexing matters like the Suez Canal dispute, Korean War and the war in Indo-China, put him and India on the global diplomatic map. He is credited with the longest ever speech at the UNGA, extending ~8 hours, post which he had to be carried out on a stretcher. He vigourously defended India against every attempt by Pakistan to rake up Kashmir and was a strong proponent of disarmament. His success in the diplomatic arena was quite a paradox, considering that his arrogance and lack of people skills would ensure he rubbed off most people he met, the wrong-way. Hence, he had many haters and baiters across India and the rest of the world (especially in USA and UK).
While being all of the above, VK Krishna Menon was also probably one of the most insecure persons in constant need of reassurance. And surprisingly, in Pt Nehru he found a patron who would patiently humour him with countless reassurances, day after day, letter after letter. Yet, none of these would stop him from begging for more.
Menon’s career eventually came to a standstill post China’s attack on India. Not only did he preside over a very poor defence preparedness, he is also accused of bringing in partisanship into the Army top brass by sidelining those competent officers that he felt threatened by and promoting those who were more pliant (even if incompetent).
What makes the book quite interesting is its reliance on the hundreds of letters exchanged between Pt Nehru and VK Krishna Menon. These exchanges bring to life the closeness of Krishna Menon with Pt Nehru though it does not explain why someone of the maturity of Pt Nehru continued to indulge Menon’s consistent and pathetic whining.
Where the book lets the reader down, in my opinion, is that Jairam Ramesh is unable to live up to his promise to provide an unbiased, non-judgmental view into this complex man based on new material which has come into public domain in recent times. On the contrary, one cant but help if Jairam makes an active attempt to shift the blame for the China debacle onto Morarji Desai and the Indian parliament, as part of an effort to reduce the burden of this defeat on Krishna Menon and by extension Pt Nehru.
Jairam also makes a steady effort to highlight how Pt Nehru had a much more balanced view on the USA vs USSR debate than most historians believe and that it was more of Krishna Menon’s unabashed hatred of all things American which kind of rubbed off on Nehru. In this manner, he also tries to put together an alternate explanation of why the West was so anti-India in the initial decades (as they thought Menon to be a committed communist and by extension Pt Nehru and India too). One does wonder, however, if this is also overdone as part of an effort to cleanse Pt Nehru’s image at a point in history when Pt Nehru’s contributions have been brought into the debate by an unfriendly political establishment.
Despite the obvious bias of the author, the book is quite insightful as it presents the many facets of the life of this rather complex bureaucrat cum politician and his impact on India (mostly via Nehru) in the past 70 years. Whats also fascinating is the light that it sheds on some rather key turning points in our yet being written history.
He is most known and reviled as India’s defence minister who set India up for the most humiliating debacle against the Chinese attack in 1962. And he is also considered to be Pt Nehru’s blind spot, for which India and Pt Nehru paid a dear price.
What, however, may not be well known is the battle he fought for India’s independence for ~20 years, while living in London, by tirelessly presenting the Indian point of view and put the discussion on Indian right to self-determination, centre-stage, helping to soften the public opinion in favour of India.
Menon’s life took a turn though, when he came in contact with Pt Nehru in the mid-30s. Since then, he became a confidant of Pt Nehru with virtually unfettered access to all the trials and tribulations that went through Pt Nehru’s mind. This association was his ticket to ‘success’ as suddenly he found himself in a position of influence with India’s 2nd most popular leader and one who would eventually establish the foundation of the nation.
Menon then leveraged his access to Pt Nehru to build a friendship with the Mountbattens that would last a lifetime. In the process, he also ingratiated himself in India’s independence negotiations and became a vital go-between for Mountbatten and Pt Nehru.
The highlight of Menon’s life, however, are his contributions as a diplomat at the United Nations and related roles he played on the global stage. The mere fact that he is actively referred to in the archives of at least 8-10 countries, underlines the wide-ranging impact he had on the geopolitics of the day. At a time when the United Nations was findings its feet during the Cold War, and India was a fledgling democracy on the global stage, Menon’s efforts in resolving vexing matters like the Suez Canal dispute, Korean War and the war in Indo-China, put him and India on the global diplomatic map. He is credited with the longest ever speech at the UNGA, extending ~8 hours, post which he had to be carried out on a stretcher. He vigourously defended India against every attempt by Pakistan to rake up Kashmir and was a strong proponent of disarmament. His success in the diplomatic arena was quite a paradox, considering that his arrogance and lack of people skills would ensure he rubbed off most people he met, the wrong-way. Hence, he had many haters and baiters across India and the rest of the world (especially in USA and UK).
While being all of the above, VK Krishna Menon was also probably one of the most insecure persons in constant need of reassurance. And surprisingly, in Pt Nehru he found a patron who would patiently humour him with countless reassurances, day after day, letter after letter. Yet, none of these would stop him from begging for more.
Menon’s career eventually came to a standstill post China’s attack on India. Not only did he preside over a very poor defence preparedness, he is also accused of bringing in partisanship into the Army top brass by sidelining those competent officers that he felt threatened by and promoting those who were more pliant (even if incompetent).
What makes the book quite interesting is its reliance on the hundreds of letters exchanged between Pt Nehru and VK Krishna Menon. These exchanges bring to life the closeness of Krishna Menon with Pt Nehru though it does not explain why someone of the maturity of Pt Nehru continued to indulge Menon’s consistent and pathetic whining.
Where the book lets the reader down, in my opinion, is that Jairam Ramesh is unable to live up to his promise to provide an unbiased, non-judgmental view into this complex man based on new material which has come into public domain in recent times. On the contrary, one cant but help if Jairam makes an active attempt to shift the blame for the China debacle onto Morarji Desai and the Indian parliament, as part of an effort to reduce the burden of this defeat on Krishna Menon and by extension Pt Nehru.
Jairam also makes a steady effort to highlight how Pt Nehru had a much more balanced view on the USA vs USSR debate than most historians believe and that it was more of Krishna Menon’s unabashed hatred of all things American which kind of rubbed off on Nehru. In this manner, he also tries to put together an alternate explanation of why the West was so anti-India in the initial decades (as they thought Menon to be a committed communist and by extension Pt Nehru and India too). One does wonder, however, if this is also overdone as part of an effort to cleanse Pt Nehru’s image at a point in history when Pt Nehru’s contributions have been brought into the debate by an unfriendly political establishment.
Despite the obvious bias of the author, the book is quite insightful as it presents the many facets of the life of this rather complex bureaucrat cum politician and his impact on India (mostly via Nehru) in the past 70 years. Whats also fascinating is the light that it sheds on some rather key turning points in our yet being written history.
July 8, 2020
A well researched book with wide information. Meticulously unfolded every movement of V.K.Krishna Menon. From India league to attending as a mere representative in a conference. A person with unfathomable scale. A person with high intelligent level,infatigable effort. We know about his long eight hour speech in UN. But from this book we able to know his tireless effort for freedom movement through India League.
June 20, 2021
An insight to an incredible person's life journey.
This book has different flavours as the life of Krishna Menon and it very smoothly meanders through various shades of his life.
A well researched and detailed account of one controversial but very important leader in Indian history.
Authors' narration is unbiased and supported by evidences from the past which, makes it a complete read.
To me, It gave an appropriate insight while I was researching for my book and helped me to construct a viewpoint.
A recommended read for all history enthusiasts.
This book has different flavours as the life of Krishna Menon and it very smoothly meanders through various shades of his life.
A well researched and detailed account of one controversial but very important leader in Indian history.
Authors' narration is unbiased and supported by evidences from the past which, makes it a complete read.
To me, It gave an appropriate insight while I was researching for my book and helped me to construct a viewpoint.
A recommended read for all history enthusiasts.
May 16, 2020
An amazing life of a brilliant mind.. encompassing India's freedom movement from British soil ,to a world diplomatic player, to the intellectual soul mate of PM Nehru.. to a controversial Defence minister.to a prospective successor of PMNehru ,A person with super human IQ and a terrible EQ which was his nemesis.. which otherwise could have given him unparalleled greatness..awesome reading
April 5, 2020
This was a brilliant piece of work. It was eye opener and the incredible work that Krishna Menon did in England mobilising the Labour party and also how insecure he was. The depth of the relationship between him and Nehru and the Mountbatten.
December 3, 2021
I must complement the author who has done an excellent research from the archives and at no point tried to push his own impressions about the personality Krishna Menon. The facts are presented AS-IS and it is up to the reader to make an impression of such an workaholic man.
February 3, 2020
This book needs to be widely read. Talks about a completely new set of armory that India used to gain independence. VK Menon was the secretary of India League operating from London which played I think a very significant role in gaining independence for our country.
His relationship with Nehru is well known.
Painstakingly and meticulously researched thjs is sure to become a classic.
Go for it.
His relationship with Nehru is well known.
Painstakingly and meticulously researched thjs is sure to become a classic.
Go for it.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews