Believer's Dilemma

Like all good biographers, Choudhary informs us not just about an individual but about the world they’ve inhabited and how they’ve contributed to shaping it. In this regard, this exemplary biography may become the definitive work on Vajpayee, placed in a different league from other recent hagiographic or more speculative accounts of his life. The second volume is eagerly awaited. * India Today *The finest biography of an Indian prime minister that I have read – Ramachandra GuhaDoubles as a history of Hindu supremacism; it won’t be bettered for a long time – Pankaj MishraA real achievement, an instant classic and a total triumph – Shruti Kapila, Professor of History and Politics, University of Cambridge and author of Violent Fraternity: Indian Political Thought in the Global AgeExtraordinary and unputdownable. This is biography done right – Sonia Faleiro, author of The Good Girls: An Ordinary KillingExceptionally interesting … A must-read for anyone curious about the history of the Right in modern India – Zoya Hasan, Professor Emerita, JNU and co-author of Unequal Citizens: A Study of Muslim Women in IndiaA book to read for understanding the trajectory of Hindutva – and therefore of India – Christophe Jaffrelot, author of Modi’s India: Hindu Nationalism and the Rise of Ethnic DemocracyA compelling portrait of India’s first major national leader from the Right – Niraja Gopal Jayal, Avantha Chair and Professor of Politics, King’s College London and co-editor of The Oxford Companion to Politics in IndiaAttractively written … Choudhary skilfully deciphers the enigma of Vajpayee and the deep roots of his ideological commitments – Sugata Bose, Gardiner Professor of History, Harvard University and author of His Majesty’s Opponent: Subhas Chandra Bose and India’s Struggle against EmpireA thoroughly researched study of Vajpayee, who, far more than other Hindu nationalist figures, legitimized their participation in India’s political life – Walter K. Andersen, co-author of The Brotherhood in Saffron: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Hindu RevivalismDo yourself a favour, read Abhishek Choudhary’s biography of Vajpayee. This is political biography done right – and the backstory we need to understand our times … one of the best political biographies to come out of India – Prem Panicker, Consulting Editor, IndiaSpendPunctures some of the best known anecdotes about Vajpayee … reveals aspects of the man we neither knew of nor could have guessed – Karan Thapar * Hindustan Times *An exhaustive biography of one of India’s most popular politicians … Abhishek Choudhary does an extraordinary job of eight years of digging out primary sources unseen by others and talking to dozens who knew Vajpayee intimately to weave a political classic – M. R. Narayan Swamy * Federal *The early years of (the) late Prime Minister captured in Vajpayee are not just instructive on the manner in which Vajpayee dealt with questions of politics and ideology, but also the fluid lines between conservative and liberal politics in the years pre- and post-independence – Nistula Hebbar * Hindu *(Vajpayee’s) life has been reduced to stereotypical notions and snippets … To separate the wheat from the chaff of such representations, we turn to biographers who undertake the painstaking work of sifting through the tiniest details of a person’s life, rely on primary sources to sort fact from fiction, and critically assess popular views, while steering clear of unfounded speculations. On all these counts, Abhishek Choudhary’s spectacular biography of Vajpayee is a resounding success … Like all good biographers, Choudhary informs us not just about an individual but about the world they’ve inhabited and how they’ve contributed to shaping it. In this regard, this exemplary biography may become the definitive work on Vajpayee, placed in a different league from other recent hagiographic or more speculative accounts of his life – Gilles Verniers * India Today *A lesson in how to write a political biography in New India – without fear or favour … The first instalment of Abhishek Choudhary’s two-volume biography is one of the most significant works of non-academic history in recent memory … Like Philip Roth’s fiction, Choudhary has provided not just an account of a “great” man’s life but a vivid portrait of a worldview that today – more often for the worse – seeks to remake India in its insecure image … (This) is as much a history of twentieth-century India from the RSS–Jana Sangh vantage point as it is a biography of Vajpayee – Aakash Joshi * Indian Express *Abhishek Choudhary’s biography has taken the non-fiction world by storm – Manisha Pande * Newslaundry *When a public figure is as private as Vajpayee was during his lifetime and when there are more myths than facts surrounding the man himself, this is a tall order. But in Vajpayee, Choudhary has succeeded admirably…This is also a narrative of the rise of the Hindu right in India, at a time when politics was too fluid to be binaried into distinct sects of left and right … (A) magisterial understanding of a human and political life – Narayani Basu * Scroll.in *Choudhary’s biography marks a departure from the customary reverential tone used by Indians to chronicle deceased greats – Radhika Ramaseshan * Tribune *Choudhary’s book has already received a lot of well-deserved praise … Vajpayee is best understood as a pragmatic but deeply ideological figure trying to make the most of the political contradictions of his times – Roshan Kishore * Hindustan Times *If you want to understand the layered relationships at the highest echelons in the Sangh Parivar, you can do no better than read this masterpiece of a biography … For someone who has followed the Sangh Parivar closely, and Vajpayee particularly, some of the facts mentioned even surprised me – Virendra Kapoor * Open *Vajpayee has undoubtedly moved into the realm of canonisation … Yet, it is only when one reads the latest, well-crafted biography by Abhishek Choudhary that one realises how little is known about the life and times of this charismatic man … Victorian biographer Lytton Strachey had said it is as difficult to write a good life as it is to live one. In this, Choudhary passes the test commendably. He may have his ideological tilts but an element of empathy flows through the entire work … It leaves the reader eagerly awaiting the second volume – Vikram Sampath * Mint Lounge *

Abhishek Choudhary studied economics in Delhi and Chennai, and has worked since 2010 in development (Pratham, IGC-Bihar) and journalism (Governance Now, The Hoot, Newslaundry). His writing has appeared in a range of publications, including Anandabazar Patrika, The Caravan, Deccan Herald, EPW, Himal Southasian, HuffPost India and The Indian Express.

He was awarded the New India Foundation fellowship in 2017 to research the life of Atal Behari Vajpayee. During the winter of 2021-22, he was a scholar-in-residence at the International Centre Goa.

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