Once the second most well-known figure in India—the first being Jawaharlal Nehru—V.K Krishna Menon is going to find himself in the limelight once again. A new biography of the diplomat—who was spied on by the British while he was posted in London as India's envoy—titled Chequered Brilliance: The Many Lives of VK Krishna Menon, written by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, will come out next year.
The book, which will be published by Penguin Random House India, will offer readers a glimpse into the rather colourful and eventful life of Krishna Menon. Born in a rich family—he used to feed his pet pony oats and milk from his breakfast table—Menon gradually became a prominent figure in Indian contemporary history. He was a socialist, served as a diplomat and rose to become the defence minister. The book would begin with his early life, and would focus on the “agitational career in the UK for a quarter of a century'' and end with in his resignation as defence minister of India in November 1962.
“This book draws extensively, for the first time, on material that has become available in archives in India and many other countries including the US, the UK, Russia and China. It also uses Krishna Menon’s personal correspondence available only with his family. It brings out Krishna Menon in all his various roles and incarnations,'' says Ramesh.
And in a way, Menon is coming home. “He was also one of the founder editors of Penguin, and it all comes full circle as we publish a book about him,'' says Ranjana Sengupta, deputy publisher, Penguin Random House India. “An early socialist and a very important influence on Nehru, the story of V.K. Krishna Menon is going to be an essential commentary on India’s freedom struggle and Indian history when Nehru was at the helm of public affairs.''
This is Ramesh's second book on contemporary political figures. His last book 'Intertwined Lives: P.N Haksar and Indira Gandhi' is a portrait of Indira Gandhi' most trusted advisors.