Jammu and Kashmir 1949-64: Select Correspondence Between Jawaharlal Nehru and Karan Singh

In 1949, Karan Singh had just turned eighteen when he was appointed regent to Jammu and Kashmir, two years after his father Maharaja Hari Singh signed the instrument of accession merging the then independent state with India. For the next eighteen years Dr. Singh remained at the helm of affairs, successively as regent, Sadar-i-Riyasat and governor of the state. As Dr Singh’s political mentor, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was a source of great strength for a young man who had shouldered large responsibilities. Jammu and Kashmir 1949-64 is a selection of over two hundred letters from the correspondence between Dr Singh and Pandit Nehru, compiled and edited by Dr Jawaid Alam. The teething problems of a fledgling country and a newly grafted state, the emerging conflicts between Pakistan and India and the Chinese aggression of 1962 are some of the events and issues these letters span. They afford an unmatched ringside view of the momentous events in Kashmir and the rest of India that unfolded after Independence, events that continue to have relevance and impact on our lives to this day. Apart from insights into the political situation of the period, these letters also provide rare glimpses into the personal lives and thoughts of Pandit Nehru and Dr Singh and reflect the deep regard and affection that the two had for each other. The inevitable disruption that the transfer from one form of government to another entails is reflected in the memorandum submitted by Maharaja Hari Singh to President Rajendra Prasad in August 1952. The memorandum, published in its entirety for the first time, is reproduced at the end of this book and adds an invaluable perspective on the way the identity and future of Kashmir was shaped. The biographical and explanatory footnotes that Dr Alam has provided impose a narrative on the collection of letters and enrich the text, making it accessible to scholars and curious readers alike.