From the Pages of History

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

From the Pages of History FROM THE PAGES OF HISTORY BY PANDIT JANKI NATH KACHROO FROM THE PAGES OF HISTORY BY PANDIT JANKI NATH KACHROO SOURCE : MILCHAR , KPA, MUMBAI , INDIA EDITOR : MAHARAJ K. RAINA Copyright © 2011 by Milchar, a Kashmiri Pandit Association (KPA), Mumbai publication (http://iKashmir.net/milchar) All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of Kashmir News Network. For permission regarding publication, send an e-mail to [email protected] TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 BRIBE DISCOVERED .................................................................................... 1 2.0 AFGHAN RULE IN KASHMIR ........................................................................ 3 3.0 SELECTING A SUCCESSOR ......................................................................... 10 4.0 KASHMIR - JUNE 1947 TO OCTOBER 1947 ................................................ 12 4.1 THE STATE AS ON 15 TH AUGUST 1947 ........................................................... 12 4.2 EVENTS JUNE 1947 ONWARDS ..................................................................... 12 5.0 GARDEN TRADITION AND THE MUGHAL CONTRIBUTION .......................... 16 5.1 SHALIMAR GARDEN ................................................................................... 16 6.0 FANATICISM NOT HEREDITARY ................................................................ 18 6.1 LIBERALISM OF QUTUB -UD -DIN .................................................................... 18 6.2 ZAIN -UL -ABDIN 'S JUSTICE .......................................................................... 18 6.3 INSTINCTIVE JUSTICE ................................................................................ 18 6.4 UNCOMMON JUDGMENT .............................................................................. 19 7.0 13TH JULY 1931 AND AFTER ..................................................................... 20 7.1 THE BACKGROUND ................................................................................... 20 7.2 FOLLOW UP ACTIONS ................................................................................. 21 7.3 GLANCY COMMISSION ............................................................................... 21 8.0 KASHMIRI LOSES HER INDEPENDENCE ..................................................... 22 9.0 KASHMIRI UNDER MUGHALS .................................................................... 25 9.1 AKBAR 'S VISIT ........................................................................................ 25 9.1.1 Healing touch ............................................................................... 26 9.1.2 Welfare and Relief Measures .......................................................... 26 9.1.3 Administrative Reform ................................................................... 27 9.2 JEHANGIR ............................................................................................ 27 9.2.1 First Visit ..................................................................................... 27 9.2.2 Gardens ...................................................................................... 27 9.2.3 Administration .............................................................................. 28 9.2.4 Plague and Fire ............................................................................ 28 9.2.5 Prosperity .................................................................................... 28 9.3 SHAH JEHAN : 1627-58 AD ........................................................................ 28 9.4 AURANGZEB : 1658-1707 AD ..................................................................... 29 9.5 SUCCESSORS OF AURANGZEB : 1707-1753 AD ................................................ 29 Kashmir News Network i http://ikashmir.net TABLE OF CONTENTS 10.0 BEYOND SYMBOLISM - OUR RITUALS ....................................................... 30 11.0 1947-48: INDO-PAK WAR ......................................................................... 33 11.1 POLICY /O BJECTIVES OF BRITAIN ................................................................... 33 11.2 SECURITY ARRANGEMENTS .......................................................................... 34 11.3 ROLE OF BRITISH OFFICERS DEFINED ............................................................. 35 12.0 INDO-PAK WAR - PART II ......................................................................... 36 12.1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 36 12.2 FATEFUL FORTIES AND KASHMIR ................................................................... 36 12.3 BARAMULLA EPISODE ................................................................................ 37 12.4 THE WINNER .......................................................................................... 37 12.5 QUIT KASHMIR MOVEMENT .......................................................................... 37 13.0 INDO-PAK WAR - PART III ....................................................................... 39 13.1 PLEBISCITE - ITS GENESIS AND CURRENT STATUS .............................................. 39 13.2 MAHARAJA HARISINGH ’S PROCRASTINATION ..................................................... 39 13.3 KASHMIR IGNORED ................................................................................... 40 13.4 WHAT DOES THIS ATTITUDE SUGGEST ? ........................................................... 40 13.5 RELEASE OF ABDULLAH - TIME LOST .............................................................. 41 13.6 ACCESSION TO INDIA ................................................................................ 41 13.7 WHY CONDITIONAL ? ................................................................................. 42 13.8 INDIA ’S EFFORTS AND PAKISTAN ’S REACTION .................................................... 43 13.9 UNITED NATIONS EFFORTS .......................................................................... 43 14.0 INDO-PAK WAR - PART IV ........................................................................ 45 14.1 IMPLICATIONS ......................................................................................... 45 14.2 SUPPLEMENTARY PROPOSAL ......................................................................... 45 14.3 NEHRU ’S LIBERAL OFFER ............................................................................ 46 14.4 RATIFICATION OF ACCESSION ...................................................................... 46 14.5 PAKISTAN ’S PRIORITY ................................................................................ 47 14.6 CONCLUSION .......................................................................................... 47 14.7 REFERENCES .......................................................................................... 47 Kashmir News Network ii http://ikashmir.net TABLE OF CONTENTS 15.0 INDO-PAK WAR 1947-48 .......................................................................... 49 15.1 FACTS : LESS KNOWN BUT REVEALING ............................................................. 49 15.2 26 TH OCTOBER 1947 ............................................................................... 49 15.3 PEOPLE ’S EFFORTS ................................................................................... 50 15.4 AIR FIELD ESCAPES ASSAULT ....................................................................... 50 15.5 BATTLE OF SHALLATENG - UNPLANNED VITAL HELP .............................................. 51 16.0 AGENDA FOR SOCIAL REFORM AND ITS SOME FORE-RUNNERS ................ 53 16.1 AT HOME ............................................................................................ 53 16.2 IN EXILE ............................................................................................ 53 17.0 BUS 2005 .................................................................................................. 56 18.0 A COMMUNITY IN EXILE ........................................................................... 58 18.1 PRE -1949 SAGA ..................................................................................... 58 18.2 SOCIAL CONTROL AND REFORMS ................................................................... 59 18.3 KASHMIRI PANDIT EXILEES NEVER FORGET THEIR MOTHERLAND ............................... 60 18.4 CHALLENGES .......................................................................................... 60 19.0 PROFILE ................................................................................................... 63 Kashmir News Network iii http://ikashmir.net From The Pages of History Pandit Janki Nath Kachroo 1.0 BRIBE DISCOVERED In olden times sovereigns were the fountain heads of justice in their lands with no codified laws at hand, no works of Jurisprudence to guide and no prescribed procedures to follow. The dispenser of justice had to rely on his intelligence, observation, wit and integrity to give impartial judgments. History is replete with examples how fair judgments have been delivered time and again. One such episode belongs to the reign of the King, Yasaskara (939- 948 AD). There lived a wealthy citizen (name not known) during Yasaskara's reign. Somehow bad luck struck him and he became a pauper. To pay off his debts, he sold off all his property including his mansion but excluding a well with a
Recommended publications
  • Configurations of the Indic States System
    Comparative Civilizations Review Volume 34 Number 34 Spring 1996 Article 6 4-1-1996 Configurations of the Indic States System David Wilkinson University of California, Los Angeles Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/ccr Recommended Citation Wilkinson, David (1996) "Configurations of the Indic States System," Comparative Civilizations Review: Vol. 34 : No. 34 , Article 6. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/ccr/vol34/iss34/6 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Comparative Civilizations Review by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Wilkinson: Configurations of the Indic States System 63 CONFIGURATIONS OF THE INDIC STATES SYSTEM David Wilkinson In his essay "De systematibus civitatum," Martin Wight sought to clari- fy Pufendorfs concept of states-systems, and in doing so "to formulate some of the questions or propositions which a comparative study of states-systems would examine." (1977:22) "States system" is variously defined, with variation especially as to the degrees of common purpose, unity of action, and mutually recognized legitima- cy thought to be properly entailed by that concept. As cited by Wight (1977:21-23), Heeren's concept is federal, Pufendorfs confederal, Wight's own one rather of mutuality of recognized legitimate independence. Montague Bernard's minimal definition—"a group of states having relations more or less permanent with one another"—begs no questions, and is adopted in this article. Wight's essay poses a rich menu of questions for the comparative study of states systems.
    [Show full text]
  • The Kashmir Series
    The Kashmir Series Compiled by: Sunil Fotedar For KASHMIR NEWS NETWORK (KNN) ( http://iKashmir.org ) PDF created with FinePrint pdfFactory trial version http://www.fineprint.com The Kashmir Series Page Intentionally Left Blank ii KASHMIR NEWS NETWORK (KNN). PDF created with FinePrint pdfFactory trial version http://www.fineprint.com Kashmiri Paintings TThhee KKaasshhmmiirr SSeerriieess KKaasshhmmiirrii PPaaiinnttiinnggss Kashmiri Pandit Artists Compiled by: Sunil Fotedar Allen, Texas, USA August 2002 e-mail: [email protected] URL: http://SunilFotedar.com for KASHMIR NEWS NETWORK (KNN) ( http://iKashmir.org ) First Edition, August 2002 Copyright © 2000-2010 by Kashmir News Network (KNN) (http://iKashmir.org) All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of Kashmir News Network. For permission regarding publication, send an e-mail to [email protected] KASHMIR NEWS NETWORK (KNN) iii PDF created with FinePrint pdfFactory trial version http://www.fineprint.com The Kashmir Series iv KASHMIR NEWS NETWORK (KNN). PDF created with FinePrint pdfFactory trial version http://www.fineprint.com The Kashmir Series Contents page Contents .......................................................................................................................................... v Foreword......................................................................................................................................1-1
    [Show full text]
  • The Decline of Buddhism in India
    The Decline of Buddhism in India It is almost impossible to provide a continuous account of the near disappearance of Buddhism from the plains of India. This is primarily so because of the dearth of archaeological material and the stunning silence of the indigenous literature on this subject. Interestingly, the subject itself has remained one of the most neglected topics in the history of India. In this book apart from the history of the decline of Buddhism in India, various issues relating to this decline have been critically examined. Following this methodology, an attempt has been made at a region-wise survey of the decline in Sind, Kashmir, northwestern India, central India, the Deccan, western India, Bengal, Orissa, and Assam, followed by a detailed analysis of the different hypotheses that propose to explain this decline. This is followed by author’s proposed model of decline of Buddhism in India. K.T.S. Sarao is currently Professor and Head of the Department of Buddhist Studies at the University of Delhi. He holds doctoral degrees from the universities of Delhi and Cambridge and an honorary doctorate from the P.S.R. Buddhist University, Phnom Penh. The Decline of Buddhism in India A Fresh Perspective K.T.S. Sarao Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd. ISBN 978-81-215-1241-1 First published 2012 © 2012, Sarao, K.T.S. All rights reserved including those of translation into other languages. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.
    [Show full text]
  • The Borderlands and Borders of the Indian Subcontinent, New Delhi: Aryan Books International, 2018, Pp 232
    Book Discussion Dilip K Chakrabarti: The Borderlands and Borders of the Indian Subcontinent, New Delhi: Aryan Books International, 2018, pp 232 Understanding Indian Borderlands Dilip K Chakrabarti he Indian subcontinent shares borders with Iran, Afghanistan, the plateau of Tibet Tand Myanmar. The sub-continent’s influence extends beyond these borders, creating distinct ‘borderlands’ which are basically geographical, political, economic and religious interaction zones. It is these ‘borderlands’ which historically constitute the subcontinent’s ‘area of influence’ and underlines its civilizational role in the Asian landmass. A clear understanding of this civilizational role may be useful in strengthening India’s perception of her own geo-strategic position. Iran One may begin with Iran at the western limit of these borderland. There are two main mountain ranges in Iran : the Zagros which separates Iran from Iraq and has to its south the plain of Khuzestan giving access to south Iraq ; and the Elburz which separates the inland Iran from the Caspian belt, Turkmenistan and (to a limited extent , Azerbaijan). The Caspian shores form a well-wooded verdant belt which poses a strong contrast to the dry Iranian plateau. There are two deserts inside the Iranian plateau -- dasht-i-lut and dasht-i-kevir, which do not encourage human habitation. The population concentration of Iran is along the margins of the mountain belt and also in Khuzestan. The following facts are noteworthy. The eastern rim of Iran carries an imprint of the subcontinent. There is a ready access to Iranian Baluchistan through the Kej valley in Pakistani Baluchistan. At its eastern edge this valley leads both to lower Sindh and Kalat.
    [Show full text]
  • Conclusion: Afterword---A Clarion Call
    Conclusion: Afterword---A Clarion Call Tahir Abbas In the shadows of the Himalayas stands the forgotten struggle of Jammu and Kashmir (Kashmir for short), whose plight remains precarious as India tightens its grip, placing the future of the territory in even more uncertainty and insecurity. The region of Kashmir is one of the most contested in the world. However, the vast majority of commentators, analysts, and social thinkers in the West routinely omit a careful anal- ysis while those in the region face immense pressures on their freedom to report and write on the issue. For too many, the matter is a bilat- eral question between India and Pakistan when the reality is an urgent and necessary need for the self-determination of the people of Kashmir. In presenting some closing arguments to this vital collection of scholarly input on the topic of social and political life in Jammu and Kashmir, I outline some distinct sociological concerns. I also take this opportunity to issue a clarion call to activists, scholars, and thinkers to place the needs and wants of Kashmir first and foremost, even if either neighbor—India or Pakistan—remains somewhat limited in its perspectives, whether this is by design or an accident of history. T. Abbas Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands e-mail: [email protected] © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive 299 license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021 S. Hussain (ed.), Society and Politics of Jammu and Kashmir, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56481-0 300 T.
    [Show full text]
  • Arrest of Arnab
    6 Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. — Nelson Mandela EDITORIAL z Tuesday z November 10, 2020 ARREST OF ARNAB For Nehru they were 'raiders', for Sherwani & Motivation with better ntolerance over the criticisms of political parties and learning necessary for Ithe policies and programmes of government by the Mehjoor 'cannibals' media has been reaching its crescendo. Arnab Goswami, IIT JEE the Editor-in-Chief, Republic TV Channel and a senior AHMED ALI FAYYAZ in Srinagar as also on celluloid in several villages", the nightingales. They threw stones at crystal VIJAY GARG and respected journalist, started to be in the eye of mong all Kashmiris, the historic failure of Taing told STATE TIMES. shops. Had you been armed they wouldn't have t's will be a 100% correct statement to say storm of the government since the time he became vocif- Pakistan's 'Operation Gulmarg' is attrib- Taing has served as Secretary J&K Academy dared to attack. Ithat, Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) is erous at the assassination of Sadhus in Palghar. The Auted to the National Conference (NC) of Art, Culture and Languages, Director General In another poem titled 'Ahad-o-Paiman-e- one of the toughest exams for getting admission protagonists of media freedom have been maintaining activist Maqbool Sherwani of Baramulla. Seized of Information, Archives and Museums, a mem- Hazratbal', Mehjoor crafts a poetic version of into the top engineering institute of India- the loud silence despite physical attack in April and now and punished for 'treason' by the Pakistani tribal ber of J&K State Public Service Commission and Sheikh Abdullah's address to a huge gathering on Indian Institute of Technology(IIT).
    [Show full text]
  • GENDER and MILITARISATION in KASHMIR By
    BETWEEN DEMOCRACY AND NATION: GENDER AND MILITARISATION IN KASHMIR By Seema Kazi A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of PhD London School of Economics and Political Science The Gender Institute 2007 UMI Number: U501665 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Dissertation Publishing UMI U501665 Published by ProQuest LLC 2014. Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Abstract This thesis focuses on the militarisation of a secessionist movement involving Kashmiri militants and Indian military forces in the north Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. The term militarisation in this thesis connotes the militarised state and, more primarily, the growing influence of the military within the state that has profound implications for state and society. In contrast to conventional approaches that distinguish between inter and intra-state military conflict, this thesis analyses India’s external and domestic crises of militarisation within a single analytic frame to argue that both dimensions are not mutually exclusive but have common political origins. Kashmir, this thesis further argues, exemplifies the intersection between militarisation’s external and domestic dimensions.
    [Show full text]
  • DECLINE and FALL of BUDDHISM (A Tragedy in Ancient India) Author's Preface
    1 | DECLINE AND FALL OF BUDDHISM (A tragedy in Ancient India) Author's Preface DECLINE AND FALL OF BUDDHISM (A tragedy in Ancient India) Dr. K. Jamanadas 2 | DECLINE AND FALL OF BUDDHISM (A tragedy in Ancient India) Author's Preface “In every country there are two catogories of peoples one ‘EXPLOITER’ who is winner hence rule that country and other one are ‘EXPLOITED’ or defeated oppressed commoners.If you want to know true history of any country then listen to oppressed commoners. In most of cases they just know only what exploiter wants to listen from them, but there always remains some philosophers, historians and leaders among them who know true history.They do not tell edited version of history like Exploiters because they have nothing to gain from those Editions.”…. SAMAYBUDDHA DECLINE AND FALL OF BUDDHISM (A tragedy in Ancient India) By Dr. K. Jamanadas e- Publish by SAMAYBUDDHA MISHAN, Delhi DECLINE AND FALL OF BUDDHISM A tragedy in Ancient India By Dr. K. Jamanadas Published by BLUEMOON BOOKS S 201, Essel Mansion, 2286 87, Arya Samaj Road, Karol Baug, New Delhi 110 005 Rs. 400/ 3 | DECLINE AND FALL OF BUDDHISM (A tragedy in Ancient India) Author's Preface Table of Contents 00 Author's Preface 01 Introduction: Various aspects of decline of Buddhism and its ultimate fall, are discussed in details, specially the Effects rather than Causes, from the "massical" view rather than "classical" view. 02 Techniques: of brahminic control of masses to impose Brahminism over the Buddhist masses. 03 Foreign Invasions: How decline of Buddhism caused the various foreign Invasions is explained right from Alexander to Md.
    [Show full text]
  • Rekindle Kashmir's Lost and Real Connect
    Rekindle Kashmir’s lost and real connect 05 August, 2020 | GS-I | Modern History | GS PAPER 1 | MODERN INDIA | J&K ISSUE Rekindle Kashmir’s lost and real connect By, Amitabh Mattoo is Professor, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University Context This article talks about the contributions of various Kashmiris who aspired for a united nation with J&K as an integral part of India due to ot shared cultural and social values. Foiling ‘Operation Gibraltar’ It was on August 5, 1965 that two Kashmiri Gujjars helped to thwart one of Pakistan’s most devious conspiracies in the Valley. Mohammed Din, and Wazir Mohammed at Galuthi in the Mendhar sector, reported the Pakistani infiltration (to, respectively, the Thana at Tangmarg and the headquarters of the infantry brigade at Poonch) that was intended to spark an uprising in Kashmir, as part of its insidious ‘Operation Gibraltar’ relying on a ready-to-rebel fifth column within the Valley. In short, ‘Operation Gibraltar’ failed, as did every other attempt by Pakistan because of the fundamental belief of Kashmiris in the goodness and greatness of India. Baramullah’s Maqbool Sherwani Consider, for instance, the story of Baramullah’s Maqbool Sherwani. It was Sherwani, in 1947, who helped delay the Pakistan-backed tribal invaders march to Srinagar from Baramulla before the arrival of the Indian armed forces. The tribal invaders eventually found him out; tortured him, shot him and crucified him, but not, as I wrote once earlier, before he cried out one last time, “Muslim Sikh Etihad, Zindabad (Victory for the unity of Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims).
    [Show full text]
  • Archaeology As a Source of Shared History: a Case Study of Ancient Kashmir
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Knowledge Repository Open Network Archaeology as a Source of Shared History: A Case Study of Ancient Kashmir THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF KASHMIR FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY (M.Phil) IN HISTORY By SHAJER US SHAFIQ JAN UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF Prof. PARVEEZ AHMAD P.G. DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY, UNIVERSITY OF KASHMIR, HAZRATBAL SRINAGAR, 190006. 2012 Introduction Archaeology does not only constitute the sole source of the 99% of the total time of man on this planet and an important supplementary source of the period that followed invention of writing, but, more than that, it helps us to write a unitary history of mankind by throwing light on the origin, growth, diffusion and transmission of humans and their culture. Deeply pained by the disastrous consequences of perverted nationalism, which resulted into two heinous world wars, A. J. Toynbee embarked on the ambitious project of demolishing the Euro-centric view of history, employed by the colonial historians as an instrument to justify imperialism. And in this great human cause he was supported by archaeology. A meaningful universal view of history was possible only by bringing to focus the contributions made by different western and non-western cultures to the human civilization. Archaeology poured out profusely in favour of plural sources of human civilization which emboldened Toynbee to sail against the tide—a fact which he acknowledges radiantly. It has been empirically proven that cultures have evolved and grown owing to plural causative factors having their origins both within and outside their local geographical borders.
    [Show full text]
  • Indian Serpent Lore Or the Nagas in Hindu Legend And
    D.G.A. 79 9 INDIAN SERPENT-LOEE OR THE NAGAS IN HINDU LEGEND AND ART INDIAN SERPENT-LORE OR THE NAGAS IN HINDU LEGEND AND ART BY J. PH. A'OGEL, Ph.D., Profetsor of Sanskrit and Indian Archirology in /he Unircrsity of Leyden, Holland, ARTHUR PROBSTHAIN 41 GREAT RUSSELL STREET, LONDON, W.C. 1926 cr," 1<A{. '. ,u -.Aw i f\0 <r/ 1^ . ^ S cf! .D.I2^09S< C- w ^ PRINTED BY STEPHEN AUSTIN & SONS, LTD., FORE STREET, HERTFORD. f V 0 TO MY FRIEND AND TEACHER, C. C. UHLENBECK, THIS VOLUME IS DEDICATED. PEEFACE TT is with grateful acknowledgment that I dedicate this volume to my friend and colleague. Professor C. C. Uhlenbeck, Ph.D., who, as my guru at the University of Amsterdam, was the first to introduce me to a knowledge of the mysterious Naga world as revealed in the archaic prose of the Paushyaparvan. In the summer of the year 1901 a visit to the Kulu valley brought me face to face with people who still pay reverence to those very serpent-demons known from early Indian literature. In the course of my subsequent wanderings through the Western Himalayas, which in their remote valleys have preserved so many ancient beliefs and customs, I had ample opportunity for collecting information regarding the worship of the Nagas, as it survives up to the present day. Other nations have known or still practise this form of animal worship. But it would be difficult to quote another instance in which it takes such a prominent place in literature folk-lore, and art, as it does in India.
    [Show full text]
  • A Novelist, Short Story Writer As Well As an Art Critic, Mulk Raj Anand (1905
    A novelist, short story writer as well as an art critic, Mulk Raj Anand (1905-2004) was among the first few Indian writers in English who gained international recognition early in his life. His novels Untouchable (1935) and Coolie (1936) impressively articulate the abuses of an exploited class. A dynamic personality, impeccably dressed Anand befriended great writers like E.M. Forster, Herbert Read and George Orwell. Till 1947, he spent half his time in London and half in India. It was therefore inevitable for him to be drawn to India’s struggle for independence. The most important influence upon Anand was that of Gandhi who shaped his social conscience. With success, Anand came to firmly believe that a writer’s work is an illustration of a ‘fiery voice of those people who through his own torments...transmutes in art all feeling...thus becoming the seer of new vision...’ Anand was proactively associated with the Progressive Writers’ movement of India and was one of the moving spirits behind the drafting of its first manifesto. Equally noteworthy was his passion for the arts whose best expression were the issues of Marg which he founded and edited for a quarter century. Even after he withdrew from its editorship, it continued to be the leading art journal of India. This book is the first ever attempt to put together the biography of such a vibrant personality who left no stone unturned to realise his dreams. With Raja Rao and R.K. Narayan, Anand is regarded as one of the founding fathers of the Indian English novel.
    [Show full text]