Book to offer insight into minds of India's young politicians

According to publisher Oxford University Press (OUP), the book attempts to unravel the personalities, aspirations, ideologies, interests, passions and motivations of the leaders featured. "The next generation of political leaders will determine India's future.

A new book will give readers a snapshot of contemporary Indian politics through interviews of 20 of the country's most prominent next-generation politicians. Titled "India Tomorrow: Conversations with the Next Generation of Political Leaders", the book, which includes interviews of politicians below 50 years only, offers a glimpse into the lives and personalities of the likes of Rahul Gandhi, Smriti Zubin Irani, Varun Gandhi, Omar Abdullah and Akhilesh Yadav, among others. It is written by academicians Pradeep Chhibber and Harsh Shah. According to publisher Oxford University Press (OUP), the book attempts to unravel the personalities, aspirations, ideologies, interests, passions and motivations of the leaders featured.

"The next generation of political leaders will determine India's future. We know their names, but not what lies behind what we hear or see of them in the event/news-focused coverage in newspapers and television channels. "For instance, what moves them? Who inspires them? What are their passions and interests outside of politics? Where do they stand on some of India’s most contentious political issues? Do they have any regrets about their political careers?," it added.

Though admitting that the list of 20 politicians interviewed for the book might not be an "exhaustive" one, it claims to be fairly representative as it brings in "diversity in terms of age, experience, region, political party, gender, and most significantly, viewpoints and ideologies". "... For instance, you might notice a stark contrast between the philosophy language and independent Gujrat MLA, Jignesh Mevani, and somebody like a Jyotiraditya Scindia, who has been schooled in politics since an early age.

"The single most limiting factor for us was whether a politician was willing to make time to sit down with two strangers who are writing a book for an academic press. Thankfully we were eventually able to meet almost everyone we had hoped to," writes the author in the book. It had managed to garner high praises from senior Congress leader and celebrated author Shashi Tharoor, who described the book as a series of "frank interviews and candid admissions".

"The book offers compelling insights into a wide range of topics from questions of dynastic politics, anecdotes of personal tragedy and stories of challenges overcome, and, ultimately an engaging account of what drives the next-generation leaders who will make India tick tomorrow," he said. The book will be out for sale in the second week of August.