Author: Harbhagwan Singh, Editor: Randeep Wadehra
Publisher: Ukay Publishing Co.
Pages: 246. Price: Rs. 445/-
Also available on Amazon.Com & Amazon.in
Ebook version available on Kindle
This volume, Law, Lawyers & Lawmakers, seamlessly weaves in the personal, professional and political lives of Harbhagwan Singh with the country’s political events – especially of the Indian National Congress in the Punjab & Haryana region. Written in lucid style, the book traces the author’s ancestry to a nobleman in Rajasthan’s kingdom of Jaisalmer. The nobleman had to move to Safidon after a court intrigue. The successive generations of his family were involved in public life. His father was a stalwart of freedom struggle in Safidon and surrounding areas. He belonged to that rare specie of politicians who quit politics when India became an independent, sovereign republic.
This volume, Law, Lawyers & Lawmakers, seamlessly weaves in the personal, professional and political lives of Harbhagwan Singh with the country’s political events – especially of the Indian National Congress in the Punjab & Haryana region. Written in lucid style, the book traces the author’s ancestry to a nobleman in Rajasthan’s kingdom of Jaisalmer. The nobleman had to move to Safidon after a court intrigue. The successive generations of his family were involved in public life. His father was a stalwart of freedom struggle in Safidon and surrounding areas. He belonged to that rare specie of politicians who quit politics when India became an independent, sovereign republic.
This narrative provides us with rare
historical nuggets; some of these had not been narrated before. For example, no
history book tells us about Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s exact place of birth. He
was such an important historical figure, yet there has been vagueness about his
birthplace. This volume pinpoints his birthplace, perhaps, for the first time.
Then there are other accounts of conflicts among various chieftains and kings
in the region that now comprises Punjab and Haryana. These conflicts,
especially the one between Maharaja Ranjit Singh and his maternal uncle
benefitted the British immensely, as they were presented Ludhiana on a platter,
just because the uncle wouldn’t accede to the Maharaja’s desire to repossess
the town. This interplay of egos and intrigues makes for fascinating reading.
About
the more recent times, Harbhagwan Singh’s narrative provides us insights into
the working of minds of such politicians as the late Mrs. Indira Gandhi, Giani
Zail Singh, Partap Singh Kairon, Devi Lal, Bansi Lal and many others. One
remains riveted to the book thanks to the true depiction of the interplay of
the noble & the sublime with the crass and the ridiculous; and selfless
gestures with self-serving intrigues and perfidies of various politicians. The
narrative also looks at the factors that contributed towards the Indian
National Congress’s slow decay, from being a mighty people’s movement that
overthrew a powerful colonial power to becoming a stage for petty politicking.
The
author gives ringside view of several landmark happenings in India’s political
and social spheres. The notorious Emergency, the Punjab Terrorism, the Sahajdhari
Sikhs issue and the interstate water disputes between Punjab and Haryana make
for riveting reading. Whether it is his confrontation with the Kotwal at
Jind during the freedom struggle days or the unmasking of politicians’
hypocrisies Harbhagwan Singh depicts it all without being rude or crude;
especially the politicians who would beseech him for help when caught in a
legal/political bind and change colours immediately after being rescued.
Law, Lawyers & Lawmakers
also provides glimpses in to working of courts and bars along with the history
of Punjab & Haryana High Court and the Bar Association. Such information
should be of interest to students of the region’s legal history, apart from
research scholars.
Law,
Lawyers & Lawmakers is indeed a book that people from different walks
of life would love to read.
About
the Author
Harbhagwan
Singh is a senior advocate who holds the distinction of being Advocate General
of two states, Haryana and Punjab, on more than one occasion. He practices in
the Supreme Court of India as well as the Punjab & Haryana High Court. He
has represented, and been associated with, several high profile cases involving
politicians and interstate disputes, among other issues. Some of these are the
Satluj Yamuna Link Canal dispute between Haryana and Punjab, and the Sahajdhari
Sikhs case. He was also instrumental in saving several Congress politicians
from persecution at the hands of the Janata Party/Akali Dal regime, after the
lifting of the infamous Emergency (this is one story that has not been touched
by anybody else of note). During the time of Partap Singh Kairon and Jawaharlal
Nehru, he was associated with land reforms too.
He
was active in the country’s politics too. As youth, he was associated with the
Students Congress (later renamed as Youth Congress) and Praja Mandal – a
political movement in the Princely States of India. Later on, he played an active role in the
formation of Haryana State. He also holds the distinction of being a Poll
Returning Officer of four Pradesh Congress Committees, viz., PEPSU, Punjab, Haryana
and Chandigarh.
His
family belongs to old nobility/aristocracy with roots in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan.
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