By Chander Gupta
It was on 18 April that I attended a book discussion on the authorised biography of Dr Karan Singh, penned by Harbans Singh, at Chandigarh. The book discussion was held under the aegis of Chandigarh Literary Society. The biography is titled ‘A Statesman and a Seeker: The Extraordinary Life and Legacy of Dr Karan Singh’.
The interlocutor for the book discussion with Dr Singh was well-known literary figure Aradhika Sharma. Unable to walk unaided, the physically frail 95-year-old Dr Singh trudged into the auditorium and climbed the stage with the support of his minions. He was wearing his trademark cap. Once seated on the chair facing the audience, his eyes beamed with youthfulness.
Lavishing rich praise while introducing and welcoming him, the chairperson of CLS Dr Sumita Misra quipped that Dr Karan Singh was the best President that India never had.
The biographer also spoke about the process of authoring the book before the conversation between Dr Singh and Aradhika Sharma commenced. In contrast to physical frailty, the mental agility of Dr Singh was conspicuously noticeable throughout the discussion. I judged him as witty, humorous, level-headed, coherent, candid, erudite, humble, compassionate, mature, eloquent, a man of integrity, and so on.
Here are some snippets from the conversation, which are still lurking in my mind, in random order.
When asked by the interlocutor if he had any regrets in his life, Dr Singh very candidly admitted that he had only one regret in his entire life. He regretted ditching Indira Gandhi in 1977 after she gathered dust at the hustings losing her own seat as Congress was routed in the Parliamentary polls. That was the only regret that he nursed till date. But he was quick to add that eventually he made up with Indira Gandhi after she bounced back in 1980.
A candid confession only a person of Dr Singh’s integrity can make.
At the beginning of the conversation, Dr Singh had already fondly recalled that he had joined Indira Gandhi’s Cabinet as the youngest minister at the age of 36. He held various portfolios, notably Health and Tourism, during 10 years as a Central minister. He even told proudly that he was mentored and groomed by no less than Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru.
While on the topic of Jammu and Kashmir’s accession to India, he again minced no words in admitting that the Kashmir imbroglio could have been averted had his father Hari Singh, the ruler of J&K, not fumbled in consenting for accession to India ab initio.
However, he defended his father saying that, as the partition of India was based on communal plank, the Maharaja dithered because of the particular demographic tilt of his state.
His wit and humour were also in full flow. While dodging a tricky question on thy Bhagwat Gita, he quipped cheekily that he was not Arjun but Karan.
Dr Singh is well-versed in Hindu scriptures and is an erudite scholar. Though steeped religiously in Hinduism, he believes in the secular ethos of India.
On a personal note, Dr Singh revealed that he got married at the age of 18, while his bride was only 13. He hastened to add that it was not illegal in pre-Independence Jammu & Kashmir which had its own laws.
Dr Singh also narrated a humorous tale about his meeting with the famous Hellen Keller, the deaf-blind American author. When they were first face to face with each other, Hellen Keller pronounced Dr Karan Singh as “handsome” after touching and caressing his face with her fingers to sense the look of the man.
No doubt you continue to be handsome and charming Dr Karan Singh.
The writer is a retired banker.