Though Tibet’s system of governance had serious lacunas, the Land of Snows was free and independent. In October 1950, Mao’s regime decided to ‘liberate’ it. ‘Liberate’ from what, was the question everybody asked.
Though some in Delhi did not realise it, it would soon be a tragedy for India too, as it had to suddenly live with a new neighbor, whose ideology was the opposite of Buddhist values.
The narrative starts soon after Independence and ends with the signing of the 17-Point Agreement in Beijing in May 1951 when Tibet lost its Independence …and India, a gentle neighbour.
Using never-accessed-before Indian archival material, this book is the first of a series of four books on the India-Tibet Relations (1947-62).
The next volumes will respectively cover the periods 1952-1954, 1954-1957 and 1957-1962.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Claude Arpi
Born in Angouleme (France) Claude Arpi's real quest started thirty-three years ago with a journey to the Indian Himalayas. Since then he has been an enthusiastic student of the history of Tibet, China and the subcontinent. After graduating from Bordeaux University in 1974, he decided to live in India and settled in the South where he is still staying with his Indian wife and young daughter. He is the author of "The Fate of Tibet" (Har-Anand Publications, 1999), "Tibet, le pays sacrifie" (Calmann-Levy, Paris, 2000), "La politique francaise de Nehru: 1947-1954"(Pavilions Series, Auroville, 2001), "Cachemire: le paradis perdu" (Editions Philippe Picquier, France, 2004) and "Born in Sin: The panchshed Agreement" (Mittal Publications, New Delhi, 2004). He writes regularly on Tibet, China, India and Indo-French relations.
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