Menon’s story also brings to light the Nehru-Patel rivalry and the first prime minister’s insecurity with his deputy and his not-so-favourable treatment of Patel post-independence. He worked behind the scenes in the integration of states like Hyderabad, Junagadh and other smaller ones. It was his plan that was eventually used to partition the country when the option of retaining a united country ran out. Such was his utility, brilliance and efficiency that he went on to head the reforms department and later the states ministry. Menon worked with several viceroys and even though some ignored him initially, he made a mark and proved his indispensability eventually. His partner, Kanakam, was five years older than him and had a daughter. He entered into a live-in relationship with the widowed wife of his senior in service after his marriage failed and his wife disappeared, leaving two sons. Though Menon comes across as a boring person, obsessed only with his work and how to move up the ladder, his personal life has interesting aspects considering the times he lived in.

The story of Menon is interspersed with the story of India’s independence and the period after it, as also the stories of Nehru, Patel, Mountbatten, etc. Basu deals with this challenge very well. Writing biographies of popular, multi-faceted personalities isn’t much of a challenge, but to write the life story of a bureaucrat who led a life mostly buried in files and drafts can be challenging. You can change these settings by clicking “Ad Choices / Do not sell my info” in the footer at any time.Meet Princess Esra Birgen, wife of the late Mukarram Jah Know about her life, assets, and more Please note that you will still see advertising, but it will not be personalised to you. You can choose not to receive personalised ads by clicking “Reject data collection and continue” below. Read more about how we personalise ads in the BBC and our advertising partners. When you consent to data collection on AMP pages you are consenting to allow us to display personalised ads that are relevant to you when you are outside of the UK. We use local storage to store your consent preferences on your device. Read more about the essential information we store on your device to make our web pages work.

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Vp menon narayani basu