When ‘Red Rose’ Indira Gandhi Returned Triumphantly …. 108th Birth Anniversary of the ex-Prime Minister falls on November 19, 2025: Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao

 When ‘Red Rose’ Indira Gandhi Returned Triumphantly ….

(As Predicted by Senior Journalist S Venkat Narayan)

108^th Birth Anniversary of the 

Ex-Prime Minister falls on November 19, 2025

Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao   

The Hans India (16-11-2025)

{Indira Gandhi on reading the article written by Venkat Narayan thanked him through his close aid, an MP then, and a prominent leader of Indian National Congress, Yashpal Kapoor. Immediately after She became Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi offered Venkat Narayan the coveted position of her ‘Information Advisor’ which he politely rejected and conveyed the same through Yashpal Kapoor}- Editor’s Synoptic Note

S Venkat Narayan, an independent multi-media journalist, born in a remote village Kamalapur, in present Telangana State, who had the privilege of interviewing several nations’ Presidents, Prime Ministers, Kings and other dignitaries, including Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, and who travelled number of countries across Globe, told a group of friends that included me that, he predicted Indira Gandhi’s Massive Victory in 1980, and wrote the same in India Today.

He wrote: ‘In less than three years after she was unseated from power, Mrs Gandhi appears all set for a decent victory. Churchill had to wait for six years to return to power, Napoleon for seven and De Gaulle for 12 years. If Mrs Gandhi returns to power next month, it will certainly be the quickest come-back in recent political history and a victory for ‘Gritty Determination and Stamina over an ageing and effete opposition which is in total disarray.’

Indira Gandhi on reading the article written by Venkat Narayan thanked him through his close aid, an MP then, and a prominent leader of Indian National Congress, Yashpal Kapoor. Immediately after She became Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi offered Venkat Narayan the coveted position of her ‘Information Advisor’ which he politely rejected and conveyed the same through Yashpal Kapoor. Venkat Narayan on invitation from Indira Gandhi, also interviewed her after she became Prime Minister.

Probably very few people knew, that, Venkat Narayan, an active journalist since 1968, politely but firmly rejected that prestigious offer, to be the ‘Information Advisor to the Prime Minister.’ Revealing this, he said that, he took this conscious decision, notwithstanding the advice from several well-wishers to accept. The reason he mentioned was his wife suggested him to be in the mainstream journalism rather leave it for a different assignment, and he readily obliged her.  

Hyderabad based Veteran Journalists’ Association Secretary K Lakshmana Rao, in an unexpected gesture, extended an invitation to me to attend two books release program on November 16, 2025, at Bashir Bagh Deshodharak Bhavan. One book was authored by Late G Krishna (Then and Now) and the other is collection of ‘Experiences and Memoirs’ of Senior Journalists.

Venkat Narayan, author of ‘NTR: A Biography, and ‘CBN: Story of an Audacious Dreamer (Chandrababu Naidu’s Biography)’ besides being one among the journalists sharing experiences and memoirs in the book, is also the Honored Guest at the program. Chief Guest is former Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu.

Venkat Narayan, for more than five decades, whenever he visited Hyderabad, stayed only in Abids Taj Mahal Hotel’s Heritage Building Room. Invariably he invited his friends whomever he could get in touch during the visit, and normally quite in advance, sometimes from Delhi before leaving, for a simple social get together, and for lively discussion on current affairs.  I generally participated. Evey meeting was knowledge sprinkled and wisdom spilled. In one such meetings in March 2024, to the inquisitive questions from some of us, Venkat Narayan recounted few interesting anecdotes, mainly about Indira Gandhi, as learning points from a Journalist.  

It was Venkat Narayan who was instrumental in remodeling to suit Indian needs, and then encouraging the psephology or the statistical study of elections and trends in voting, designed by specialist psephologist Prannoy Lal Roy, in the elections that brought back Indira Gandhi to power second time defeating Janata Party.

The collaboration of Prannoy Roy, Oxford political scientist David Butler and Indian economist Ashok Lahiri predicted exactly the result as published in India Today magazine, where Venkat Narayan worked as Executive and Senior Editor then. Venkat Narayan’s article on election tour of Indira Gandhi in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Goa was also published in the same issue. 

Venkat Narayan with a highly jovial mood, on our request, recollected and narrated precisely, and comprehensively several interesting things of his career, mainly, his accompanying and covering Indira Gandhi’s Election Tour in 1979, when she contested and won with a big majority from Medak Constituency. He then travelled 5000 kilometers with her and attended over 50 meetings addressed by her, before returning to Delhi to file his story.

Beginning his journalistic career in ‘The Times of India’ as a reporter in Ahmedabad in Gujarat in 1968, Venkat Narayan worked in ‘The Sunday Times, London,’ as a Summer Scholar in 1975 and as a guest writer at ‘The Boston Globe’ in Boston in the US in 1978. Later he joined India Today as Executive Editor. As a prolific independent and freelance journalist, he now writes for a number of national and international publications, and currently engaged in the finishing stages of his latest book, a Biography of Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister Andhra Pradesh.

He is the President of the ‘Foreign Correspondents’ Club (FCC)’ of South Asia, established in 1958. FCC is a club of foreign and Indian journalists who are based in Delhi and cover South Asia as well as Tibet for the world’s leading newspapers, magazines, radio, and television networks. Venkat Narayan is the first Indian to head the FCC in 1999. He played a significant role in raising the profile of the FCC by inviting newsmakers to speak at the club at regular intervals besides organizing interactive events for journalists.

An interesting narrative of Venkat Narayan, reflecting a journalist’s keen observation, was description of the simple luggage of Indira Gandhi on her election tour, consisting of two suitcases, eight simple but elegant saris and as many full sleeve blouses, two large flasks (one for cold milk and the other for boiled water), two pillows, some dry fruits, and apples, and one orange colored Japanese-made portable tube light, accompanied by one PA and three security men.

‘Indira Gandhi after attending eleven-hour Parliamentary Board meeting to finalize candidates, reached her residence at early hours (3AM, December 7) to have a snack, take bath, meet several visitors, all in a short span of time, and reached Delhi Airport for the election tour. She had her sleep, that too for an hour or so, only after she got in to the aircraft. That was Indira Gandhi,’ said Venkat Narayan. He described her as ‘Frail but Healthy, who determined to stage the most dramatic come-back in history.’

All speeches of Indira Gandhi said Venkat Narayan, were simple, appealing to voters to choose able candidates who can provide a stable and efficient government, and at the end showing Hand, the party election symbol. She was Travelling short distances in a Matador Van in which her staff and three pressmen including Venkat Narayan would be there. Another interesting narration of Venkat was that, Indira Gandhi was holding the Japanese-Make portable tube light in her left hand to illuminate her face so that the people were able to see her in the darkness.

Venkat Narayan said that, Indira Gandhi was speaking in Hindi in Telangana Area and in English in Andhra Area, translated by N Janardhan Reddy. She always spoke in simple language and made her points clear said Venkat Narayan. He also said that, Indira Gandhi, though not a great orator like Krishna Menon or Churchill, was a great crowd puller who charmed her audiences with the simplicity of her style and expression.

Recalling what he wrote in the India Today, Venkat Narayan said that, Indira Gandhi realized the value of direct contact with people in a country where large number are illiterate. He said that Indira Gandhi knew that her strength lies not in discussing issues or defending her past record but in displaying her ‘Charisma.’

Whenever Venkat Narayan spent his quality and precious time at Abids Taj Mahal Heritage Room, with his friends from a cross section of Society, it was an ‘Experience Sharing Meet and a Joint Learning Workshop.’