{"product_id":"in-the-service-of-free-india-memoir-of-a-civil-servant-9789354471582","title":"In the Service of Free India Memoir of a Civil Servant","description":"\u003cp\u003eDescription\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the decades following 1947, as the tallest national leaders were building a\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003enew India, they were supported by a band of idealistic civil servants fiercely\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ecommitted to the country's Constitution and its people. Among these remarkable\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eofficers was Bhairab Datt Pande, a young man from the Himalayan district of\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKumaon, who joined the Indian Civil Service in 1939. Over almost forty years as\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ecivil servant, and later as governor, he played an important role in the country's\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eadministration, and interacted with leaders like Indira Gandhi (as cabinet\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003esecretary during the Emergency), Morarji Desai and Jyoti Basu. His memoir-\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ewhich, respecting his wish, is being published posthumously-is a fascinating\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003erecord of his own life and that of India in the half century after Independence.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePande chronicles several landmark events and initiatives that he either\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eparticipated in or witnessed. He helped increase food-grain allotment to the\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003estate as food commissioner of Bihar in the early 1950s and drew up a new\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003efamine code as land reforms commissioner. His work in the Community\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDevelopment programme some years later still has important lessons for today's\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePanchayati Raj institutions. After retirement, he was governor of West Bengal\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eduring the resurgence of Naxalism in the early 1980s, and of Punjab in 1983-\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e84-a tragic and turbulent year in the history of the state and the nation. Pande\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003echose to resign as governor rather than carry out unconstitutional orders. His\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ecompelling narration of the behind-the-scenes events and negotiations leading\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eup to the Anandpur Sahib Resolution and Operation Bluestar is of great value.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEngaging and inspiring in equal measure, this memoir is both a fascinating record\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eof an extraordinary life and an important and revealing historical document.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Speaking Tiger Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50645812904210,"sku":"9789354471582","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_443abbbd-7bb7-465a-b601-c5a953bb32e8.jpg?v=1733162665","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/in-the-service-of-free-india-memoir-of-a-civil-servant-9789354471582","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}