Author: M N Das
Publisher: Standard Publishers
Year: 2004
Language: English
Pages: 492
ISBN/UPC (if available): 8187471166
Description
1947 saw the demise of the British Indian empire and the emergence of India as an independent country. It also witnessed dubious endeavour on part of the departing rulers in partitioning a sub-continent into India and Pakistan. Side by side, their deliberate game to balkanise India by keeping some princely States independent was too obvious.
The year was full of fateful events since the surgery of separation was an unusual phenomenon, causing immense blood letting. Compressed between the natural demand for national unity and an artificially engineered two-nation theory, the desperate British went in for a comprehensive conspiracy to take advantage of the continuing communal civil war for achieving their sinister design of Divine and Quit.
This book, constructed form original source-material including confidential documents of some of the British Viceroys and officers as well as some letters of Winston Charchill to Muhammad Ali Jinnah deals with the intricacies of the problems which over-whelmed the greatest men of India like inexorable forces of Time.
Everybody played his role and played it well against internal and external forces to preserve the unity of a great nation and an ancient county. But, Time was against India's formidable patriots who had to suffer the agony of seeing their life's hopes disappear in disappointment.
1947 will ever remain a turning point of history as the year of triumph and tragedies to be remembered by generation to come. This book will be of immense use to students, scholars and general readers because it provides a detailed insight into the happenings of that eventful years.
Contents
PREFACE
ABBREVIATIONS
CHAPTER I
Post-Mortem on an Alien Empire
CHAPTER II
Dramatis Personae
CHAPTER III
Notion of Division: Genesis to Fruition
CHAPTER IV
Disintegration of Bengal
CHAPTER V
Blood-Bath in the Land of Five Rivers
CHAPTER VI
Betrayal of the Frontier Province
CHAPTER VII
Disappearance of Myriad Princes
CHAPTER VIII
Commonwealth Compulsions
CHAPTER IX
Some Fantastic Hopes and Joyous Games
Epilogue
APPENDIX I
Proposal for the Immediate Transfer of Power, 3 June 1947
APPENDIX II
The Indian Independence Act, July 18, 1947
APPENDIX III
Memorandum on States Treaties and Paramountcy