Kashmir and Beyond 1966-84: Select Correspondence between Indira Gandhi and Karan Singh

Description

Dr Karan Singh became a member of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's Cabinet as minister for tourism and civil aviation, and worked closely with Gandhi for almost the entire duration of her tenure. They held each other in high esteem, shared great rapport as Cabinet colleagues and had mutual regard on a personal level as well. Bringing together over 300 letters exchanged between Mrs Gandhi and Dr Singh, Kashmir and Beyond provides valuable insights into such historic events as the signing of the Tashkent Declaration, the Emergency and Operation Bluestar. Even as these letters map the important landmarks of recent Indian history, they also provide a fascinating glimpse into the inner workings of the government and the magnitude of the effort of running a country that houses 'one-seventh of the human race'. Kashmir and Beyond is an immensely important book for anyone who wants to make sense of the knotty issues that confront contemporary India.

Dr Karan Singh was born heir apparent to the state of Jammu and Kashmir and served successively as regent, Sadar-i-Riyasat and governor. A Padma Vibhushan, Dr Singh has held the portfolios for tourism and civil aviation, health and family planning, and education and culture in the Indian government, and served as ambassador to the United States. He has been chairman of the Committee on Ethics of the Rajya Sabha. As chancellor, he has been associated with the Jammu and Kashmir University, the Jawaharlal Nehru University and the Banaras Hindu University. He has chaired the Indian Board of Wildlife and the India International Centre. Presently, Dr Singh is chairman of the governing board of the Auroville Foundation and was India's representative on the UNESCO executive board for many years. Associated with several cultural and academic institutions, he composes and recites devotional songs in Dogri and is a connoisseur of Indian classical music. Dr Singh's published works include his Autobiography, Essays on Hinduism, An Examined Life, A Treasury of Indian Wisdom, as well as his extensive correspondence with Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in Jammu and Kashmir 1949-64. Dr Jawaid Alam teaches modern and contemporary Indian history at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. He was associated with the department of culture, Government of India, for ten years to edit the collected works of G.B. Pant and the selected works of Jawaharlal Nehru at the Teen Murti House. He worked as principal researcher and coordinator for collecting and scrutinizing relevant materials to create the high-profile museum at the Statue of Unity, Gujarat. He is the author of Government and Politics in Colonial Bihar 1921-1937 and Muslims in the Shaping of Modern India (forthcoming) and co-editor, with Mushirul Hasan, of Muslims and the Congress: Select Correspondence of Dr M.A. Ansari 1912-1936 (forthcoming).