The subjugation of indigenous people—and the exploitation of their land and resources have a long and brutal history. No part of this globe of ours has been left untouched with this scourge. And none of the countries in this world portray this scourge as vividly as India with some of the vestiges of this phenomenon called as ‘Colonialism’ still casting its ominous shadows over the country, albeit in a myriad forms. The agenda of uprooting of colonialism came with its own baggage in the Indian context, with the unfinished part of this agenda getting reflected in places like Jammu & Kashmir that was further complicated by the princely presences of more than 562 princely states in India.
Though much of the country is aware of the role of ‘Iron man of India’ Sardar Patel’s role in getting the disparate princely states into a larger mosaic of independent India, still there were many more personalities who actually did the ground work oblivious to their hankering after the lime light which obviously followed such momentous decisions and actions. But for their presence during those fateful days and hours, the history & geography of India would have been quite different from what it looks today and being peddled from time to time in different quarters of the country.
Today on the eve of seventy seventh (77) anniversary of ‘Accession of Jammu & Kashmir” to the dominion of India, it would be worthwhile to lay focus on one such forgotten personality in the pages of our national history that has all the makings of hogging the lime light—‘Vapal Pangunni Menon’ aka VP Menon. This write up assumes all the more importance in the light of the recent utterances of Pakistan raking up the Kashmir issue at the UN for umpteenth times as also certain quarters of well-heeled Indians who try to offload the Kashmir imbroglio at the doorsteps of late Maharaja’s who isn’t alive to defend his actions.
The ‘main- points’ man of Sardar Patel, VP Menon’s rise from his humble beginnings in down south Kerala to the high pulpit of national resurgence that used to be occupied by the likes of Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru etc is nothing short of a miracle. But I would not waste much precious space of my column to drop pearls of wisdom on my readers taking them into the labyrinthine of his meteoric rise as stated above, rather would at the same time try to adduce many of his actions and statements that will help remove many of the misconceptions from the minds of even well-read Indians who attribute the present imbroglio of Kashmir over the late Maharaja’s dithering over the decision of his joining either of the dominions and the concomitant problems.
For no better person than VP Menon is the right individual for having recorded the events as they unfolded in front of him and put in so many words in his world class masterpiece —‘The integration of Indian states’. Though almost everybody is aware of the time line of India’s independence and the resultant actions that were as fallout of this momentous decision taken by the high & mighty of this sub-continent, the nuances that went in to craft and help the most contentious accession plan take wings i.e. of the largest princely state of Jammu and Kashmir is nothing short of pages taken out from the masterly ‘Sherlock Holmes novel ‘The hound of the Baskervilles’.
As in the world famous novel, a similar sort of eerie setting and mysterious atmosphere was created around the erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir with its heads of the state HH Maharaja Hari Singh caught in a typical pincer which had the newly formed dominion of Pakistan and that of India at its either ends of the pincer. That the Maharaja was actually wearing the proverbial ‘Crown of thorns’ has been very aptly put into words by the then Secretary to the state & constitutional adviser to the then Governor general Lord Louis Mountbatten, Mr VP Menon in his masterpiece book as mentioned by me earlier.
To be true to the doings and apt decisions of Mr VP Menon on those crucial days spanning from 25th October till 26th October 1947 hinges the entire narrative that has within itself the capability to spurn any filibuster against the Maharaja and his subsequent actions. As per VP Menon’s masterpiece book ‘Integration of Indian states’ page number 357 to 359, he was airborne in a BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation) aircraft accompanied by few army and air force officers and late DN Kachru to Srinagar to take a first-hand account of the evolving situation on the morning of 25th October 1947 as per the dictates of the DCC (Defence Committee of the Cabinet).
Mr Menon puts in a very blunt manner that the PM Of Jammu & Kashmir Meharchand Mahajan was at his wits end for the perilous situation caused by the tribal invasion when he met him at his PM’s residence. A quick thinker that he was, VP Menon immediately realized after meeting the Maharaja that the first thing to do was to get him along with his family out of Kashmir valley ASAP so as to prevent the ruler fall into the hands of the advancing marauders who were just knocking at the doors of Baramulla at that point of time. Now when this fact seen in the light of hundreds of books and other related material on the subject portrays that it was a scared ruler who left his subjects (read the ruling masses of J&K) in the lurch and fled for his own safety; needs to be rebutted in its entirety for the future generations to know their true history.
Further he says that but for few volunteers of the national conference party who were manning the streets of Srinagar, there was no sign of the state police as the guardians of state sovereignty. This only proves that one of the major instruments of state power was either sabotaged from within or had willfully left their duties to their fate. Even today such an atmosphere of subterfuge is seen and often heard after more than 77 years of J&K’s existence. It is these facts that ought to be taught to the masses and even children of the schools of J&K to set the record straight.
Our western adversary, Pakistan and even in some quarters in India too who are inimical to the national interests often peddle the dubious contention that the very airlift of Indian army in the wee hours of 27th October 1947 from ‘Wellington’ air field (now Safdurjung) in a classic case of foolproof military operation goes to prove that India had already pre-planned this action many months before is nothing short of a preposterous perfidy. Page number 361 of this masterpiece book by VP Menon lays bare the web of Chicanery by these forces that goes kaput when read in conjunction with the facts signed & stated by the then three service chiefs of Indian army, Air force and Navy who incidentally were all British and unequivocally said that quote—‘No plans were made for sending these Indian army forces, nor were such plans even considered, before 25th of October three days after the tribal invasion began’.—unquote.
Though there are numerous books, pamphlets, research papers, articles and such like assorted material on the erstwhile state’s accession to India under varied circumstances, nothing comes closer to the most authenticated version of the same as has been from the pen of the late VP Menon, India’s most trustworthy points-man during those fateful days of 1947. Coming as a first-hand eye witness to those tumultuous days , VP Menon has by his book undid that web of chicanery and perfidy which refuses to go even today after more than 77 years of J&K’s existence as an independent entity of these lies.
With the erstwhile state again back on the rails with the formation of a genuine government headed by a CM who has come to power driven by the people’s mandate, this accession day will be an apt moment to reflect back on our past doings and also switch gears to be in tune and speed of the governed lot i.e. the masses of Jammu and Kashmir. VP Menon and his book / memoirs is the right stuff who by its seminal efforts during those fateful days of communal orgy set course to sanity and substance in an otherwise gloomy world. Will it not be true ode to a personality this 77th accession day of Jammu and Kashmir to India, which a silent 21 gun salute (J&K was a 21 gun salute princely state) is accorded to this unsung hero?
(The writer is a retired army officer and a regular scribe of Rising Kashmir. He can be approached on his email: [email protected])
