Democrat with an authoritarian streak

Of all the politicians of his generation, the life and times of Biju Patnaik is among the least explored, by academics and political historians alike.

- ADITI PHADNIS

His role both in the Congress and the opposition was pivotal. Yet books on him in English can be counted on the fingers of two hands. This is a man who merited an obituary in The Economist that said: "It is worth writing about Biju Patnaik for at least two reasons. His long life can be read as something of a history of India back to the time when the country was run by the British. And he gave Indian politics a rare flash of colour".

Although he was chief minister of Orissa (as it was then known) for one full five-year term and a second that lasted 27 months, it is he, not some of the longer serving CMs, who represents instant recall for all Odiyas, regardless of class or caste. Most Odiyas in the state's rural areas still refer to former chief minister Naveen Patnaik as Biju Babu's son, rather than the state's CM for 24 years.

Bhaskar Parichha's book is an attempt to correct this information gap. An updated version of one that came out a few years ago, it describes Patnaik's feats of derring-do, his internationalism, his passion for politics, his commitment to democracy and the breadth of his vision for his beloved state.