Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (ANK)

Mangaluru, Mar 11: Former governor of Rajasthan and Uttarakhand Margaret Alva on Saturday March 11 unveiled her autobiography 'Courage & Commitment', in a ceremony held under the auspices of the Catholic Association of South Kanara (CASK) and the Agnesian Alumnae Association (AAA) at St Agnes College here.

Richard Rodrigues, president of Catholic Association of South Kanara welcomed the gathering.

Addressing the gathering, Margaret Alva said, "It is a privilege to release my autobiography in my homeland, the place where I was born and did my schooling, and spent many years of memorable life. Questions were raised as to why this book? This book is the story about my life, when you come to the end of your journey you do feel the need to record your achievements, success, faliure, battles won and lost. It is not a political thesis, it is simply a life of a person who had a good, long innings both in private and public places. That is what 'Courage & Committment' is all about."

Briefing about the book, Alva said, "My mother was taken to hospital at Nandigudda on April 13, 1942. She was shifted to the labour room in the early hours of the morning. Just about then, there was a loud bang, followed by a total blackout. The Japanese had landed, and there was explosion in the port. Mangaluru was being bombed; 'run for shelter' were the cries all around, it was wartime, and panic spread, with doctors and nurses dissappearing into the dark. My mother was disappointed at the birth of another daughter and as usual, the birth of a girl was neglected but I survived, I lived and as a girl I proved myself by succeeding in my life.

"Two important events took place in 1974, one is the silver jubliee at Mount Carmel College where I was invited to speak as a former student and created an impression in programme in which the then governor was present. The second event was the conference at Bengaluru which was to focus on uplifting of the weaker sections. During the inaugural Indira Gandhi and Devraj Urs were present and I spoke about emphasising the importance of social justice. It was a 6 minute speech which changed my political career, as Indira Gandhi was impressed and Devraj Urs was pleased.

"A few months later, I was elected as the candidate for Rajya Sabha election and then I moved to Delhi where I entered a new world. As days passed, Rajiv Gandhi called me to the Rashtrapati Bhavan and later I realised I was in Rajiv Gandhi's cabinet and my political journey began.

"I have no regrets in my life as I have lived my life my way. I am very happy with my life and with the contribution that I have made," she added.

Principal of St Agnes College Sr Jeswina, vice-president of Agnesian Alumnae Association Usha Fernandes and secretary of Catholic Association of South Kanara Mario Saldanha were present.

The book release was followed by a panel discussion

About the Book

'Courage & Commitment' - Margaret Alva’s unflinchingly honest autobiography, details her 40-year career under four Prime Ministers - Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, P V Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh - and her eventual transition from politician to governor.

As the inheritor of a legacy, the Alvas have been associated with Indian Parliament for over half a century. Margaret Alva details her trials and triumphs and confronts the controversies that have rocked her career, her 1979 expulsion from the Congress party, her spats with Sanjay Gandhi, her role in framing Rajiv Gandhi’s last campaign tour, her denunciation of the manipulation of seats by her own party and the events leading to her resignation in 2008 from the post of the AICC general secretary in charge of eight states. At the same time, she offers rare insights into the lives of national and international political luminaries.

Spanning Mangaluru, Bengaluru, New Delhi and the world at large; shedding light on family, friends and foes and detailing politics and policies, manipulations and machinations, 'Courage & Commitment' is the story of a simple life made remarkable and is narrated with the author’s trademark candidness.

"Those who win today may lose tomorrow"

Prior to the release, when asked if the Assembly election results in the five states were a 'semi-final' of sorts, Margaret Alva said, "I am not an astrologer. Elections come and go, we win some and lose some. In Punjab it is Congress and in Uttar Pradesh BJP dominated due to caste and divided minorities votes. But we can say nothing is final, those who win today may lose tomorrow, so we cannot predict the future." 

To a question on the impact of the election results on Karnataka's Assembly polls next year, and whether BJP would dominate just as it did in UP and Uttarakhand, Alva said, "I do not think that will happen."

Asked to respond to Congress leader Digvijay Singh's statement that stringent action should be taken within the party after the election debacle, Margaret Alva said, "Digvijay is the general secretary so let him take action. When I was the general secretary I took decisions and implemented them."

On whether she favoured a change in the Congress leadership, Alva said, "I am not talking about change in leadership as the working commitee is in Delhi and am not part of it. After every election they say 'introspection, discussion and action'. Now we need to seriously deal with it. But it is not so bad, as we were able to win in Punjab and Manipur."

Asked about retirement from politics, she said, "I will not retire from my political career. Why should I leave the party? In case something goes wrong, I say so and I put it right. There was an instance where I did not agree to certain decisions and I had mentioned it in my resignation letter too. I expressed all my concerns."