The Shadow of the Great Game - Hardcover

Narendra Singh Sarila

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1845293703 ISBN 13: 9781845293703

Publisher: Constable, 2006

Synopsis

Historians and political analysts have not paid enough attention to the crucial link between Indias partition and British fears about the USSR gaining control of Central Asia. Realizing that Indian nationalists would not play the Great Game against the Soviet Union, the British settled for those willing to do so, using Islam as a political tool in pursuit of their objectives. How this operation was conceived and carried out forms the theme of this untold story of India's partition.Narendra Singh Sarila unearths top-secret documents which throw new light on several prominent political figures of the era, while bringing out little-known facts about the pressure that the US exerted on Britain to grant India her independence.The author also traces the roots of the present Kashmir imbroglio in this fascinating account.

About this title

About the Author:

Narendra Singh Sarila was heir to the princely state of Sarila in central India. An ADC to Lord Mountbatten, he later joined the IFS, where he worked from 1948 to 1985. He also served as Indias ambassador to Spain, Brazil, Libya, Switzerland and France.

From Booklist:

The 1947 partition of the British Raj led to the displacement and death of millions, three wars between India and Pakistan, and chronic instability in Pakistan. The consensus among historians is that the partition was a hastily done effort by a British government eager to divest itself of an imperial burden. Sarila, a former aide-de-camp to the last viceroy, Lord Mountbatten, has a different view. Utilizing a variety of sources, including previously classified documents, he asserts that the British government supported the creation of Pakistan with the understanding that British military bases there would provide easy access to the oil fields of the Middle East. Sarila cites numerous statements by British officials, particularly Churchill, to support his case. Unfortunately, he has cherry-picked the evidence, ignoring equally strong documentation that supports the conventional view. Still, this is a useful look at a tumultuous series of events. Sarila provides interesting perspectives on key historical figures. Gandhi, for example, is shown as infuriatingly naive and self-righteous. Sarila does not prove his case here, but this is a work likely to engender additional discussion and controversy. Jay Freeman
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About this edition

• Publisher: Constable
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1845293703
• ISBN 13: 9781845293703
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320