This Unquiet Land
by Barkha Dutt (Aleph)
The title line says `Stories from India’s fault lines,` and
indeed this autobiography from arguably one of the country`s best TV news-journalists,
is just that: a klieg light shone on the
disquieting things we would rather not dwell too much upon.
Dutt touches on the dismal condition of women; the Kargil
conflict and other flashpoints; terrorism; Kashmir, our involvement in the age
of social media, and of course politics and politicians. The writing is honest,
direct, free of any frills, with some small amount of pontificating. These are topics that she is on sure ground
with, and it shows.
The truth and lies of Jammu and Kashmir’s reality, Dutt says,
is reminiscent of Kurosawa`s Rashomon;
each take is contradictory, yet plausible. On Priyanka Vadra, the author states that she is charismatic, photogenic, stylish but also makes
a telling comment, that she has felt Priyanka`s spontaneity is marked by `inner
turmoil and unvoiced angst, ` make what the reader will of it. As for Rahul, Dutt
finds him well- read, respectful of academic expertise and keen to mine
specialists` minds. She puts it succinctly when she says RG`s problem is his statistical approach to a profession that is
about instinct and human connections, as
well as an intrinsic inability to cope with what Dutt calls the surround sound
of inflammatory politics.
Dutt`s personal story is one of ambition realised, and she deals with her many haters with quiet good humour. The
flashlight she wields is selective but that is her prerogative as an author. However, there is nothing new for the regular NDTV
watcher, the regular reader of Dutt`s columns. It’s a commentary on the state
of our nation and our own state of being, from an articulate commentator. Nothing
salacious or gossipy but no new insights either. Definitely worth a read,
though.