Recently, I happened to fulfill one of my wishes of watching "Lord Mountbatten: The Last Viceroy", ITV's six-part portrayal (telecast in 1986) of Lord Mountbatten's term in India. Though I did see parts of this great series before, I never really had an opportunity to see it in full. Thanks to a certain "MrConradian" - who posted the entire mini-series - I ended up watching the whole sequence in one go. Having seen this, I can't but wonder how much the personalities of Lord Mountbatten, Gandhiji, Nehru, Sardar Patel, Jinnah and Lady Mountbatten overpower the other and yet so very important people - who were behind this gargantuan task of transferring power to two new sovereign nations, torn by religious strife and mutual suspicion. Among them, people who really stood out to me were:
1. V.P. Menon:
Vappala Pangunni Menon, as portrayed in this series and on further reading, makes one to relate to him as the ideal Indian bureaucrat. In more ways than one, VP makes the definitive move towards making the "Two-Nation Theory" a reality. In a meeting where Lord Mountbatten, VP and the members of the Cabinet Mission confabulate on how to draft the road map for independence, Lord Mountbatten expresses his growing disappointment on the talks with Muslim League (read as Jinnah) and says partition is inevitable if independence is to be granted. But, he is not sure how to make the Congress agree to partition. But, VP guides him to a Congress resolution moved by Sardar Patel which agrees for political subdivision-ing of Punjab and Bengal. I see in this, a penultimate and definitive turning point on the whole idea of partitioning British India. As Mountbatten gets his team to work on a draft plan for political divisions along the Two-Nation theory, he visits NWFP and Tribal areas, where he encounters an imposing and massive crowd of Pathans - all heavily armed - wanting a separate state in Pakistan. His green attire and the ensuing wave of hand, were the final shots in Gandhiji's dream of an undivided India.
VP in concert with Sardar Patel achieved a lot which we in India should really be grateful for. Their ability in influencing (and at times coercing) the princely states to merge into the Indian Union, VP's speedy work - as envoy of the Union of India to the Maharaja of Kashmir - in obtaining its accession to India, forcing Mountbatten come to Delhi immediately when the city was in the midst of serious rioting are stuff the legends are made of. No wonder he had such a great rapport with Sardar Patel and together they formed a great team - the first and probably the best - ever had in the North Block where the Ministry of Home Affairs functions.
2. Sir Claude Auchinleck:
Field Marshall Sir Claude Auchinleck, an impressive and tough commander of the Indian Army, finds it totally discomforting to split a fine army into two for India and Pakistan. His stubbornness to accept Mountbatten's orders to this effect and then yielding to it as Mountbatten gets him to do so, bring the professional characteristics in both of them and the institutions they represent. His briefing on the blood-shed in the Punjab province post partition drove home the actual ground-level scenario and got the leaders get more hands on with the refugee situation on both sides of the border. Sir Auchinleck's another great highlight was his relationship with Jinnah. When the Pathan tribesmen rode over to Kashmir and got till Baramulla, Mountbatten - now the Governor General of India - wants Auchinleck to use his influence and speak to Jinnah. However, this meeting yields nothing and the rest is history.
More men behind the independence follow in the next post(s)......
