I. K. Gujral

Matters of Discretion

1. IDEA 1

   Partition shaped his whole outlook

   Gujral describes growing up in Jhelum in undivided Punjab, joining the freedom movement as a student and losing his home at Partition. That uprooting left him with a lifelong wish for friendlier relations between India and its neighbours.

2. IDEA 2

   He said no during the Emergency

   As Information and Broadcasting minister in 1975, Gujral recalls resisting pressure from Sanjay Gandhi to control the media and radio. He was soon moved out of the ministry, and he presents the episode as a lesson in where loyalty should end.

3. IDEA 3

   Moscow taught him diplomacy

   Gujral describes his years as India's ambassador to the Soviet Union, when the two countries were close partners. He writes about how personal trust with Soviet leaders mattered, and how he watched Indian politics change from far away.

All 8 ideas from Matters of Discretion →