A Tale of Two Countries: Chronicles of a Columnist 2004-2008

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This book is a collection of Rajinder Puriâ€™s published newspaper-column articles related to a single theme: Indo-Pakistan relations. The articles deal with different aspects of the problem â€“the international pressures that influence the relationship, the legacy of history that bedevils it, and the changing international context that suggests a way ahead. At the heart of the Indo-Pakistan discord is, of course, the dispute over Kashmir and the attendant terrorism it has unleashed. N attempt is made to take a holistic view of these problems, and ways are suggested to overcome them. The ensuing criticism of leaders both in India and Pakistan is unsparing. The solution to Indo-Pakistan problems is repeatedly presented as the setting up of an overall South Asian community of nations modeled on the European union. This solution is derived from the authorâ€™s view of Indiaâ€™s partition in an earlier book, recovery of India, published in 1991. The Partition is described there as being artificial and avoidable, and having been manipulated by imperialist powers. The articles in this collection, therefore, carry forward, in a sense, the thesis of Recovery of India to its logical conclusion. The views expressed in this book are controversial. But they are based on inferences derived from established facts. Accepted or not, they do merit serious attention.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Rajinder Puri

Rajinder Puri is a columnist, cartoonist and political activist. He was on the staff of Hindustan Times and The Statesman as a cartoonist and writer. Earlier he was in London and drew cartoons briefly for The Guardian, and later The Glasgow Herald. For over two decades he has been a freelance journalist and his work has appeared regularly in all the leading dailies and weeklies of India. He has authored four earlier books on politics. He was for some time underground during the Emergency. He became a founder general secretary of the Janata party in 1977, and was the campaign publicity in charge during the general election. Later he became a founder general secretary of Lok Dal, and a member of the national executive in BJP. In 1985 he became founder president of Ekta Party, which later dissolved and merged with Janmorcha. Since 1990 he has not been attached with any political party. At present he works from Delhi and writes a weekly column for Outlook weekly.