Sanjeev Chopra, The Great Conciliator: Lal Bahadur Shastri and the Transformation of India, 2025, 371 pp., ₹899, Bloomsbury. ISBN: 978-9-35640-885-2.
Sanjeev Chopra’s The Great Conciliator: Lal Bahadur Shastri and the Transformation of India attempts to bridge the gap in existing literature on Lal Bahadur Shastri’s life by offering a deeper exploration of his leadership, vision and impact on India’s transformation. Unlike Nehru and Gandhi, Shastri was not fortunate enough to have countless books and research papers written about him. His life and personality are often perceived merely as a rudimentary transitional phase, overshadowed by Nehru’s charismatic leadership and Indira Gandhi’s populist politics. Sanjeev Chopra, a historian, former civil servant and former director of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, does justice to Shastri by documenting his pragmatic, ethical, transformative and visionary leadership in his latest book. This work presents an in-depth analysis of Shastri’s leadership, including his contributions to economics, agricultural policies and foreign affairs. It also highlights the challenges he navigated, focusing on how he steered the country towards recovery and set the direction for the future. more...