Bøker av Harbans Singh

The martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadadur was an event which changed the course of history in northern India. He made the supreme sacrifice to uphold human dignity and freedom His life was a model of humanity and sanctity.

This third volume in Harbans Singh's important and insightful trilogy on modernJammu and Kashmir examines the period from 1975, when Sheikh Abdullahreturned to active politics, after the Indira-Sheikh Accord, to head a Congresssupportedgovernment, to the present day. The book discusses the emergence ofthe separatist movement, the mass exodus of Kashmiri Pandits in 1990, and thedrastic decision of the BJP Central government to abrogate Article 370 of theIndian Constitution-which granted special status to the state-and bifurcate thestate into two Union Territories-Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.Since the time of its creation, Jammu and Kashmir has always been fraught withconflict. But nothing can compare to the decades of aggressive militancy that thestate has seen since the 1980s, with Pakistan playing a central role in the violenceand chaos. Separatist groups like the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, amongothers, and terrorist organizations such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is backed byPakistan, have pursued a campaign of 'freeing' Jammu and Kashmir from what theydescribe as 'Indian rule'. India's security forces have maintained a heavy presence inthe state to counter these plans. These turbulent years-when thousands have diedand there have been protests across the state-have thrown Jammu and Kashmirinto a limbo. As political parties-the National Conference and the Congress, andthen the People's Democratic Party and the BJP-tried to wrest control of thestate from each other, it is the people who have suffered the terrible consequencesof the power struggle.As he concludes his monumental 3-volume study of Jammu and Kashmir-from thetime it was created as a political entity by the Dogras in the 19th century to its currentstatus-the author also looks to the future, warning of the possible consequences of theSupreme Court's verdict upholding the abrogation of Article 370.

The Modern History of Jammu and Kashmir, Volume Two: The Karan Singh Years (1949- 1967) examines the politics of the period that followed Maharaja Hari Singh's exile from the State in 1949. Focusing on Hari Singh's son, the book examines the history of Jammu and Kashmir through Yuvraj Karan Singh's journey from becoming the Regent at the young age of eighteen, then the Sadar-i-Riyasat and finally the Governor. During the challenging time when the Sheikh Abdullah-led National Conference and the Dogra-backed Praja Parishad were locked in a fierce tugof-war for control of the State, it was the Yuvraj who prevailed as the voice of reason. He strove to maintain equitable power sharing between the three major provinces-Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh-throughout the eighteen years of his career in Jammu and Kashmir. The major political changes during Karan Singh's time-the judicious use of the provisions of Article 370 and the further integration of Jammu and Kashmir with India, among others-also had a crucial effect of consolidating the future of the State with that of the country. A sense of mutual respect and cooperation was forged between Delhi and the Jammu and Kashmir leaders. Relying on both historical sources and the vast correspondence Karan Singh had with Jawaharlal Nehru and later Indira Gandhi, this second volume of Harbans Singh's magisterial trilogy is both a biography of a remarkable man as well as a fresh look at the history and politics behind the making of modernday Jammu and Kashmir.

Born of experience and maturity, this book is far more than the often rehearsed story. It is an examination of major events and influences which have made Sikhism what it now is.

The modern history of Jammu and Kashmir is often focused mainly on theKashmir valley, leaving out the other regions that make up the bulk of theerstwhile Princely State. A similar limitation marks most discussions of therule of the fourth-generation Dogra ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, MaharajaHari Singh. After his inheritance of the throne in 1925, Hari Singh introduceda number of progressive reforms-among them, programmes for girleducation, opening temple doors for Dalits and abolishing the exploitativebegar system of labour. However, contemporary historians look past thesereforms and focus only on the issue of the accession of the State to India.At a time when the entire subcontinent was reeling from the shock andviolence of Partition, the Maharaja had to decide which dominion-India orPakistan-the State would join. How was he to choose where to put his trust,especially after Pakistan-backed Pashtun tribals invaded the State and Indiarefused to offer military help? Was any decision possible that would appeaseall-the Muslim majority of Kashmir, the Hindu majority of Jammu and theBuddhist majority of Ladakh?Those tumultuous times took a toll on Hari Singh during the final years of hisreign. Accession to India was not as easy as he had hoped, and pressurised byNehru and Sardar Patel, the Maharaja was forced to choose exile in 1949 andspent the rest of his days in Bombay.Harbans Singh's A Modern History of Jammu and Kashmir,Volume One: The TroubledYears of Maharaja Hari Singh (1925-1949) offers a more rounded history of theState than most available scholarship. The first volume in a trilogy, this bookoffers a strong and nuanced defence of the last ruler of Jammu and Kashmirand is a valuable document in understanding its evolving history.

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