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| A PRINCE POLITICIAN: IN PURSUIT OF AMBITIONS | | | Col J P Singh
J&K Prince’s journey of life started all the way in France as back as 89 years ago on 9th of March 1931 and continues to traverse the globe spiritually nonstop. When he was born, Mahatma Gandhi led independence movement was challenging the British authority in India. Seeing independence in the offing, the Maharaja and Maharani groomed him for a democratic role in independent India which the Prince pursued diligently, firstly as a Regent till 1952 and later as elected head of the state till 1967 when Indira Gandhi shifted him to more important political role in the central govt. While in Delhi, he continued pursuing his political ambitions while gaining and spreading knowledge and spiritualism. A remarkable aspect of his life is his spiritual evolution while still involved in the tumultuous events of contemporary Indian history. The prince turned politician of a Indian Republic indeed had qualities that made him an extraordinary politician to make one wonder how he strayed into this world of politics really from a feudal dynasty. I think political turmoil in the sub-continent at the time of partition forced him into politics. Had that not happened, he would have ruled Jammu and Kashmir as an autocratic ruler like his forefathers till today. But the destiny had some other plans for him to which he adjusted remarkably in pursuit of his political ambitions. To be an ambitious and pursuing ambitions is common to every human being. But stretching them too far is to err. To that extent the Prince was no exception that too when he had big doors open for him elsewhere also. Dr Karan Singh has revealed on many occasions that he wished to be Prime Minister/President of India for which he had positioned himself easily. But that was not destined. He has himself said, “when Indira Gandhi brought her son Sanjay Gandhi in politics, I realised that I stand no chance now”. Hence he fell part from Indira Gandhi when she clamped emergency in India. Even after Sanjay Gandhi lost his life in a fatal accident, his chances remained dim. An opportunity did come his way during the first UPA term. He was all set to be nominated for the top constitutional post at the behest of Dr. Manmohan Singh but the Left Parties grounded his chances because of his feudal inheritance and study/work on Hinduism. He is a renowned Hindu scholar but secular to the core. Being Hindu, he never ever made any public exhibition of Hinduism. Yet he paid the price for being a Hindu scholar. It wasn’t a small price to pay. Being Hindu in secular India is still considered a taboo. Dr. Karan Singh could not be an exception. Though a loser in political field, he is a big winner in spiritual field. Searching for enlightenment, he rarely seems to have missed an opportunity of engaging with the enlightened people. His views on Hinduism unshackles him from the narrow and rigid definition of religion and truth. His conversations with Japanese thinker Daisaku Ikeda of Nichiren Buddhism Sect and Dalai Lama, spiritual and political head of Tibet are given in his book, ‘an Examined Life’. It is an educating and invigorating compendium. His intellect and influence has always fallen upon the world like that of the gentle dew, unheard and scarcely marked, yet bringing into blossom the fairest of the world.
A nation that has no history of own has nothing in the world to offer. Dr. Karan Singh is a unique instant of the last representative of the old order becoming, by the will of people, the first representative of the new order. Out of the past is built future. We have to look back to see what is behind us. Look forward, march forward and make our future brighter, greater and higher than it ever was should be our ambition. Our ancestors were great. Dr. Karan Singh is one such great personality. We must recall him more often and enlighten ourselves by his knowledge. The more we study his past, more glorious will be our knowledge of the past. And whoever tries to bring the past to the doors of everyone is the greatest benefactor to the society and the nation. To that extent Dr. Karan Singh has been very successful to us. He sought less favours and perhaps gave even lesser. In that sense he is a living rarity. History judges everyone just and right. I am sure history will judge him as a real legend, not to the large status he inherited but the path on which he trampled on.
Right from very young age Dr. Karan Singh was secular in his outlook. He was convinced that Jammu will remain discriminated under the existing political structure favouring Kashmir. Hence he remained firm that problems of Jammu and Kashmir will persist till the aspirations of people of Jammu are accommodated justly. Hence he repeatedly advocated dialogue with Dogras with Pt Nehru knowing fully well that it was not easy to stand up to Pt Nehru’s bias against Dogras. But he did it most consciously retreating and submitting when the occasion so demanded. Ironically while Dr Karan Singh tried to convince Nehru of discrimination of Jammu by Sheikh Abdullah, Nehru saw him as a conspirator to derail democracy and secularism in the state. The warnings and the solutions offered by Dr Karan Singh, on numerous occasions, first to Pt. Nehru and later to Indira Gandhi were ignored and what was asked by Kashmir leaders was conceded. Nehru’s letter to Dr. Karan Singh of 9 September 1952 in connection with Jammu grievances suggests that problems of Jammu are not political but communal.
Views of Dr Karan Singh are worth knowing when J&K was bifurcated. Reacting to the bifurcation of the state into two Union Territories, former Sadar-i-Riyasat said, “all empires invariably come to an end and this, in case of J&K, was no exception”.
In an exclusive statement issued to Daily Excelsior, Dr Karan Singh said: “It will be useful to recall how it (the undivided State of Jammu and Kashmir) was created and what a significant role it played in our strategic and geo-political history since the last two centuries”.
“State of Jammu and Kashmir came into being on 9 March 1946 by a curious coincidence 9 March happens to be my birthday, with the signing of the Treaty of Amritsar by Maharaja Gulab Singh with the British”, the former Sadar-i-Riyasat said. “this multi-regional, multi-cultural, multi-linguistic and multi-religious empire continued until 26th October 1947 when my father signed the Instrument of Accession to India”.
“It was an empire ruled for 101 years by the Dogras and then for 72 years by the Kashmiris. Half of the empire was lost when we signed the ceasefire agreement with Pakistan. This left huge area of Gilgit-Baltistan and the Western Muzaffarabad-Mirpur strip under Pakistan control, involving roughly half the geographical area of the original State and a third of its population,”.
He noted that the attenuated empire carried on for next seven decades and came to an end on 31st October 2019 with the original State having finally been bifurcated into two Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu-Kashmir.
“It is not generally appreciated that the original State of Jammu and Kashmir covering 84,000 square miles, the largest princely State in British India, was in fact a Dogra empire built up at great efforts and sacrifices by my ancestors Maharaja Gulab Singh and Maharaja Ranbir Singh, who extended the frontiers of India to the borders of Tibet and Central Asia,” Dr Karan Singh said.
This involved sustained military endeavours by the Dogra army led by legendary Generals like Zorawar Singh, who conquered Ladakh, General Baj Singh and Mehta Basti Ram, who conquered Gilgit.
“The Dogras thus substantially extended the Northern frontiers of India which otherwise may not have gone beyond the Banihal range. This is a feat for which the Dogras have not received the credit that they deserve in our history books and in our general imagination,” Dr Karan Singh said. Till that is done, Dr. Sahib’s regrets will persist. |
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