Click to play videoNew Delhi: When it comes to Kashmir, almost everything remotely political is relevant. The latest historical correspondence to hit the market is a book Jammu & Kashmir 1949-64, which is a compilation of over 200 letters written by Former J&K Governor Dr Karan Singh to Jawaharlal Nehru between year 1949 to 1964.
At the formal launch of this compilation in Delhi on Saturday, UN Under Secretary Shashi Tharoor and veteran actor Roshan Seth read out some of the letters to the audience.
"Hearing my own letters, read out by the two very fine speakers Shashi and Roshan, was quite an experience for me. My own letters came alive again. I think that readers will find these letters of considerable interest – both political as well as personal," Dr Karan Singh said.
The letters are a reminiscence of history as they brings alive the life and times of Jawaharlal Nehru as the first Prime Minister of our country. Jammu & Kashmir 1949-64 has more than just a little nostalgia on offer.
The compilation also includes a letter written by a young 21-year-old Karan Singh to Nehru on passing his BA exam.
"It was utterly fascinating to read these letters. I had the privilege of reading Karan singh writing to the PM as a 21 year-old. He speaks about the generation gap, the idealism that was gone, the vain youth; corruption and so on that had started to creep in the country. It could have been written by my generation or by my children's generation. In some ways it's sad too," said Shashi Tharoor.
Both Shashi and Roshan agreed that reading the letters was like a journey backward in time.
"The letters start in 1949 and go on till 1964, the year Nehru died. In fact Dr Karan Singh's last meeting with Nehru was on the May 10, 1964 and by the end of May, Nehru had died. You can clearly see the Prime Minister getting progressively tired, fed up, frustrated, and defeated much like I suppose all old men feel, including my self," Roshan Seth said.
Apart from issues that are still relevant in the country today, there's also that other dimension, the historical import of a troubled region. The book is definitely one for the collection.
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