Indira: India’s Most Powerful Prime Minister
Author: Sagarika Ghose
Indira Gandhi is often remembered as a strong stateswoman and also as a dictator who imposed Emergency. She is often cited as the source of problems that affected Indian democracy. In this book, the author-journalist writes about how she was raised in a political environment yet experienced politics of a different sort at home. Despite the pressure of keeping up with father Jawaharlal Nehru’s expectations, she rose to be a strong leader, writes Ghose.
Indira Gandhi: A Biography
Author: Pupul Jayakar
In this book, the author looks beyond her political journey and focuses on the many personalities that one of the most prominent prime ministers of the country embodied.
Indira Gandhi: A Life in Nature
Author: Jairam Ramesh
This book is about something Indira Gandhi was passionate about — nature. Jairam writes how Indira’s views on the environment stayed firm despite changes in her political stances. The book talks about her decisions to preserve India’s biodiversity.
My Truth
Author: Indira Gandhi
Written by Indira herself, this book was first published in 1980. It has memories of her grandfather and days spent in Allahabad, heroes of her childhood, and the books she admired. She also recollects disturbing episodes of her life, which include the death of her mother Kamala Nehru, and the imprisonment of her father. Her education at Oxford, marriage to Feroze, and controversies she courted are other highlights of the book.
Indira: The Life of Indira Nehru Gandhi
Author: Katherine Frank
This non-partisan biography traces the journey of Indira’s life, from her birth in 1917 to the Partition of India in 1947, and ends with her assassination in 1984. The page-turner focuses on her as a leader in a chauvinistic, complex, and politicised culture.