565 – The Dramatic Story of Unifying India
About the Book
In 1947, nearly half of the Indian subcontinent comprised princely states ruled by rajas and nawabs, under treaties they’d signed with the British crown. When Britain decided to leave India, these states were given three options – join India, join Pakistan, or remain free. There were nearly 600 princely states, scattered from Kashmir to Kanyakumari – some larger than European nations, others ruled by the world’s richest.
Encouraged by Conrad Corfield, the Viceroy’s Political Advisor, some declared that from 15th August, 1947, they would become independent countries.
Plotting alongside was Mohammad Ali Jinnah, who unhappy with what he called a ‘moth-eaten Pakistan’ was trying his best to woo many rulers to join Pakistan – even Hindu-majority ones situated right inside the heart of India like Rampur and Bhopal (Jinnah even tried getting a land-corridor cutting across India to connect east and west Pakistan!) One princely state in Gujarat actually went ahead and joined Pakistan. Still others tried to form a third front – to carve out a third nation known as Princestan out of India.
565 : The Dramatic Story of Unifying India, published by Hachette, narrates the gripping events of the accession of princely states – a significant chapter of Indian history, which for some reason, is hardly spoken about. From school text books to popular history books – much is written and said about the movement for independence, and about partition; yet nothing at all, about the story of accession. But for the efforts of the leaders involved (Sardar Patel and VP Menon in principle, but a whole host of others as well), India may well have had pockets of other nations within her borders, and even parts of Pakistan inside it!
How was that disaster averted? How did India come together as a united nation in 1947? 565 tells that dramatic story.
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