Gujarat Files : Book review
Book review by Syddie
The Anatomy of A Cover Up
If you haven’t heard of Rana Ayyub, you have either been living under or a rock, or not an avid twitter junkie. In my book, she can safely declared as “The most taunted and verbally overhauled” person on Twitter, after a certain Ms. Dutt and a Ms.Ghose. The choicest of choice words, have been used (or rather invented), especially for them, for being bold, outspoken, and for challenging the status quo. It is therefore, no big surprise, that Ms. Ayyub’s latest book has come under the ire of the “right-wing keyboard warriors” club.
(Perhaps this could have been legitimised with the addition of a BMKJ)
You need to have the hide of a hybridised rhino to survive life as a journalist in India. And more so, if you aren’t great shakes with the folks in power. It’s harder for a female journalist to make their bones, let alone work for one of the more controversial magazines of our times. Add the pressure of being an investigative journalist. And then, juxtapose a name that screams “Muslim”, and voila…you have a recipe for disaster.
In that way, Ms. Ayyub should be considered lucky, and downright mental, to have pursued this as a profession, and cracked it thus far. And for this, she deserves a round of applause.
The phrases “No Guts, No Glory” and “Go big or go home” seem to be tailor-made for her latest book “Gujarat Files : Anatomy of a Cover Up”. It’s no surprise that it has been receiving the single star reviews that adorn the Amazon Reviews. With my previous observation, you would have landed a hint on what kind of critics would have posted those scathing reviews. Rana Ayyub has chosen a subject, that is destined for controversy. And controversy is exactly what she got. A finger licking good one at that.
The author must be applauded for the sheer audacity to pen this down. Her story is candid, perfect as a script for a Hansal Mehta/Anurag Kashyap movie, informal, conversationalist, in Hinglish, and has its grammar/spelling errors. But, this book doesn’t peddle itself as literature.
It’s a simple, brave compilation of the genesis of the wave that catapulted a certain irrelevant thug, and an even more sinister person; his Man Friday; to the hallways of power in Delhi. This book does not take a direct pot shot at the powers that be, but dissects deftly through the skin, fascia and connective tissue, and reveal the anatomy of a plot most sinister.
This is, essentially, a brave memoir of a young female journalist, her alter ego, the people she met & worked with, to converge upon the story of one of the most abhorrent moments in our history. It gives us insight into the brave world of undercover journalism, and what it takes to get a scoop, right. It gives us views into the working of the minds of the people in the institution, and how much the rot has set into the fabric of our system. It is an abstract summation of what exactly is wrong with our country. Therefore, it is no wonder that it has been touted as unpalatable. Because we cannot be inconvenienced, by the mere notion of the truth.
Quite simply put, the narrative is fast paced, thrilling, unputdownable, and reminiscent of the initial plot of Argo, mixed with the pace of Spotlight
The scenes set, are compelling and equally disturbing. The author (a tad self-indulgent, and why not), takes you through her version of the events that unfolded after the disturbing black spot of 2002. It chills your bones, and wallops your brain into submission, and the kind of evil genius that is needed to construct a powerful political force. The interviews reveal a Frankenstein experiment, and shows how amazingly twisted minds can engineer a leader. Some parallels drawn will give you the same reaction, as a bucket of ice-cold water down your spine. It makes sense of news events. It shows how minions are made, and discarded, like sanitary tissues. It shows you how time, pressure, tactics and manipulation, over time, can create political heavyweight
It doesn’t chastise, nor praise. It puts a few facts (her word, against the world) and leaves it to you, to form your judgement. It makes sense of the protocol being employed to keep hold of the power you wield. It shows how algorithmic it is, to manipulate public opinions by tweaking the facts here and there, to suit one’s narrative. It makes you feel for the pawns who were played, and sacrificed. It goes hammer and tongs at the king and his rooks, bishops and knights. It unravels an intricate web of cold calculating methodology .
Ayyub threads it all up with dexterity, to unravel a plot most devious.
It will appeal to the Opposition. I’m quite surprised that it hasn’t been picked up by them, and utilised to its full potential. Loyalists will lambast it, as is evident from the reviews. But one thing is for sure, it will ruffle some major feathers. The major push for this book, has been Ms. Ayyub’s relentless pursuit for the truth, and for getting it out there. It’s a crying shame, that a country that prides itself on being the largest democracy in the world, would have chosen to censor it .I really wish some heavyweight publishers had thrown their weight behind this book when it first came out. It really does show the poor state of the publishing industry. An industry that pumps out a dozen substandard paperback novels per month, should have had no trouble, in getting this book into the market.
This book also throws light on the issues of censorship, from the powers that rule. In the garb of protecting democracy, they ended up trying to stifle a voice of dissent . Kudos to the author for the conviction she held on to, to release this book. As I write this, I remember the faces of the many folk who have read this book, and have applauded Ms. Ayyub for pulling off what she did. It is also evident who all have read the book, and who have not. If you see folks hyperventilating like a hippo with a hernia, you know which crowd they belong to, and whether they had taken the pains to read the book or not.
I thoroughly recommend this book for a read. Do have the courtesy to read before you comment. This book should be read for it’s sheer chutzpah. Though, my right wing friends would prefer to employ it in the sense, as used in “Haider”.
Well done, Rana, for sheer guts and grit.
The review first appeared on Syddie’s blog in 2016.