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The Wire
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Wire
M.C. Davar's Behind-the-Scenes Role in Trying to Stop Partition
Excerpted with permission from He Almost Prevented Partition: The Life and Times of M.C. Davar (Speaking Tiger). Why the Shimla Conference failed is recorded by [then Viceroy Lord] Wavell: 'He (Jinnah ) refused even to discuss names unless he could be given the absolute right to select all Muslims and some guarantee that any decisions which the Muslims opposed in Council could only be passed by a two-thirds majority – in fact a communal veto. I said these conditions were entirely unacceptable.' Praveen Davar He Almost Prevented Partition: The Life and Times of M.C. Davar Speaking Tiger, 2025 Dr [M.C.] Davar, who was so passionately devoted to the prevention of Partition, made sure that he was present in Shimla for the entire duration of the Conference which lasted for almost 15 days in June-July 1945. While he was there, staying at the house of Sanjiva Roy, Chairman of the Federal Public Service Commission, one day at 11 PM, he got a telephone call from Mrs Rajen Nehru asking him to reach the Grand Hotel. When Dr Davar reached within less than twenty minutes, he found her hotel room packed: it was full of a dozen frontline leaders of the Muslim League – all members of the League Working Committee. They included Khaliq-ur-Rahman, Mohd. Ismail and Abdul Majid Sindhi. Rajen Nehru wanted Davar to convey to Pt Nehru that these Muslim League members were prepared to resign from the working committee of their party if Jinnah remains adamant on his condition of having only Muslims from the League. On being asked by Davar why she couldn't speak to Jawaharlal herself being a close relative, Rajen replied that 'your work in this field is well known and you will be able to convince Panditji.' So under tremendous pressure from Rajen Nehru, Davar after speaking to the League leaders left for Armsdale, where Nehru was staying. When he reached there at almost twenty minutes past midnight, he found Dharam Yash Dev, a local personal assistant of Nehru's, waiting for Panditji to return from dinner at Mashobra from where he was, as per his habit, walking back. It was thirty minutes past midnight when Panditji reached, he asked Dharam the purpose of being awake so late. Dharam replied pointing towards Davar that 'Doctor Sahib's business seems to be more important.' Panditji then said: 'Davar, come in' while entering the house. But he could not find the switch to put on the light. Then Dharam Yash Dev came to his rescue and found the switch at the bottom of a wall while Nehru and Davar were trying to locate the switch on the middle of the wall. Davar narrates: 'Now Panditji said, 'sit down Davar.' We sat down on the sofa, and he asked what brought me here to which I replied 12 League members are at Grand Hotel and want to meet you… 'What for do they want to meet me? ' asked Panditji. I said: 'Jinnah is pressing for 5 seats as Liaqat Ali got in writing from Bhulabhai Desai that League will get 5, Congress 5 and others 3. Now Maulana Azad is demanding one seat for Nationalist Muslims as also the Unionist Party of Khizar Hayat Khan. So Jinnah is adamant…he wants all five Muslim seats…that is why this Conference seems to fail and that is why they want to meet you.' Then Panditji asked why should they not meet Maulana? (Davar narrated to Panditji details of his meeting with Azad five years ago at Kolkata wherein Maulana after great persuasion had agreed to bless his efforts for Congress-League unity but now seemed to be backing out.) But Panditji, though partially convinced, kept insisting that they must Maulana and that 'I will not interfere in Maulana's work.' (Despite Davar telling Nehru that Muslims of India had more faith in him than any leader, and these 12 League leaders were ready to ditch Jinnah provided he 'holds their hand ', Nehru refused to listen). [Davar says,] 'When I told him that I was the original author of the Liaqat-Desai formula, which actually is Davar -Sultan formula, Panditji remarked: 'Oh, then you are the person who has put us in trouble.' After I left I rang up Dharam Yash as I had left my umbrella there. Dharam told me Panditji had guessed it was your umbrella which is lying safely, but your discussion with him created a deep impression on him, and he kept asking me about you, though he appeared to know about your homoeopathic and revolutionary background.' Deeply disappointed, Davar left Simla in the morning, but before doing so dropped a line at Wavell's house telling the Viceroy about his meeting with Pt Nehru who did not agree to his suggestion of meeting the Muslim League members. He therefore concluded that the Simla Conference would fail. That it failed was not only due to Jinnah's intransigence, equally it was because of Wavell's lack of firmness. HV Hodson, who was the Reforms Commissioner in 1941-42, wrote in his memoirs, The Great Divide : 'Lord Wavell had in effect capitulated to Jinnah… Mr Jinnah's control of the Muslim League was at that time far from complete. The Unionist Party was still strong, and Mr Liaqat Ali Khan favoured a settlement. There were still many uncommitted Muslims in the country. It is arguable that if the Viceroy had been as adamant as Mr Jinnah, the latter would have been obliged to give in; that the destruction of the Unionist Party, which paved the way for partition of Punjab,would have averted.' But probably Wavell also could not forget so soon that it was the Congress which had challenged the Empire with the Quit India Movement during the period when he, as the Commander-in-Chief himself, had to bear the brunt, and hence he let Jinnah sabotage the Conference which would also please Churchill who was, naturally, in sympathy towards the 'enemy's enemy'. But within two weeks, Churchill's Conservative Party lost elections, displaying the maturity of the British electorate that victory in war was no passport to better governance in peace times. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
Time of India
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Jubin Nautiyal on collaborating with Pt Ajoy Chakrabarty for Kesari 2, Akshay Kumar's performance, re-imagining Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's classic in 'Raid 2' and more
Jubin Nautiyal discusses his collaboration with Pt Ajoy Chakrabarty on 'Parwardigara' for Kesari 2, highlighting the legendary artist's impact and Shashwat Sachdev role in making the collaboration happen. He also shares his experience recreating Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's 'Tumhe Dillagi' for Raid 2, emphasizing the importance of approaching recreations with a fresh perspective and acknowledging the original's iconic status. With chart-topping hits across Bollywood, indie, devotional, and regional music, Jubin Nautiyal has carved a unique space in the Indian music industry. In an exclusive interview with ETimes, he recently opened up about his powerful collaboration with Pt Ajoy Chakrabarty for Kesari 2's soulful track Parwardigara, Akshay Kumar 's stellar performance in the film and his experience recreating Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan 's iconic Tumhe Dillagi for Raid 2. Excerpts... Your collaboration with Pt Ajoy Chakrabarty for Kesari 2 on the song 'Parwardigara' is a beautiful showcase of your versatility. What was the experience like working with such a legendary figure? The experience was scintillating for me. Being on the same record with Panditji was absolutely one of the top things a musician can want in India. It was such an overwhelming experience to listen to Panditji on record. The moment his voice comes in, it feels like God's voice in the song, and I get goosebumps when Panditji enters. When Shashwat was recording Panditji, I had the honor of speaking with him. Whatever little time I got to speak with him, I could only tell him, "Sir, Charan Sparsh, I hope I could be there, and I'm really looking forward to meeting you soon." So, I'm kind of excited to meet him whenever that happens, and it will be an absolute honor to be in the same room as him. Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty is not only a great artist and a great human being, but he is also a very important pillar of music. He is a jewel of our country. As artists, we would feel overwhelmed just by meeting such brilliant artists. Getting to work with him was very special for me. I would like to give credit for this collaboration to Shashwat, because Shashwat Sachdev himself is a musical prodigy. We share a very special bond over music. We had heard Panditji together many times and discussed how brilliant an artist he is. So, when I think Shashwat got the right opportunity to create a song where I, Shashwat, and Panditji could work together, he really stood by it and made it happen. I am truly thankful to him for making me a part of such a powerful song. At the same time, I would like to thank Panditji for agreeing to sing for a film because I have been told he doesn't easily sing for films. I am sure he felt so much love for the song, for Shashwat, Garvit, me, Ishaad Kamil sahib, and the whole subject of the film, which is why he agreed to sing this song. I am forever grateful for this. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Google Brain Co-Founder Andrew Ng, Recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo What kind of reactions have you been getting for the song? The response for Parwardigara has been very massive and special. People have heard me in many ways and in many styles. People have heard me doing non-film music, film music, recreational music, devotional music, and regional music. When a pop artist like me is heard in so many styles, and then gets to do one more song that breaks some boundaries for me, I think I've been captured beautifully in the song. My voice sounds so fresh to me because I get to live with my voice the most. If I'm finding it fresh, I'm sure my fans will find it fresh too. And Kesari 2 is such a special film. It's a courtroom drama, and India hasn't seen much of courtroom dramas. Courtroom dramas rely a lot on conversations and punchlines. Akshay Kumar brings all the conviction of his character. It's so beautiful to see him perform and fight. He speaks for India out there, and it's so nice. The song comes as a big resolve in the film. It plays at a point when the conflict is fading away, and it's a song you'll walk out of the hall humming. So, Parwardigara is definitely a very special song. I would also like to mention Irshad Kamil sahib, who wrote the song beautifully. I've been a big admirer of his writing. I sang Shahid, which was written with him back in Love Aaj Kal 2, and now I'm getting to do a song like Parwardigara. In Raid 2, you reimagined Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's classic 'Tumhe Dillagi'—a challenging task given the original's iconic status. How do you approach recreating such masterpieces? I can proudly say that I have been one of the artists who has really done a lot of justified recreations—many successful recreations. I was kind of taking a break from recreations, and this one is one of the old ones that me and Rochak Kohli had done. This song was recorded a long time ago, and we worked on it, and even when we worked on it, it sounded so nice at that time. Now, after a while, you know, it was overwhelming to hear myself sing a recreation after a good break of a year and a half or so. One thing I have always learned about recreations is that whenever I think I am going to work on a great song and do something better, I never manage to crack the recording. I only manage to do it when I see it from a completely different perspective. I see it like a new song, I see it like a fresh song, I see it like a song I've never heard before. How would I approach the song if I've never heard it before? And whenever I sing it like myself, I try to sing it with honesty, and it has always worked for me. I was a little unsure about whether we should do something like this, but again, the conviction of T-Series and Bhushan Kumar always brings me and Rochak to a place where we end up questioning whether we should work on a recreation or a new song, and it always raises a big question in our lives. Because whenever we get together with Bhushanji to make a recreation, that recreation performs really well, and it resonates with the whole nation. People love it, listen to it, dance to it, cry to it. I think it also has something to do with Raid 2, which is a period drama, and they wanted a classic song. Yeah, I think that's how Raid 2 happened. Nusrat Sahab has been a life source. His style, individuality, music, composition, writing—everything he did just shows how much power his music had. Even after so many artists have repeatedly made a song like Tumhe Dillagi, there are hundreds, even thousands, of versions of this song on the internet, all being consumed. And on those thousand versions, we do another version of the song, and it works. Suddenly, people want to listen to it back-to-back; that's just the magic of Nusrat Sahab. I think we are very happy and privileged that people are enjoying the song we've done, and that it brings a little smile to their faces because it's a romantic and cute song. So, Tumhe Dillagi is definitely going to be ruling the charts. Last night, when I was playing at Chandigarh University, I sang 2-3 lines of it, and the massive response I got was overwhelming. I just want to give big love to Rochak Bhaji, Nusrat Sahab, Bhushanji, and Manoj Muntashirji, who wrote it beautifully. Manojji, whenever he writes romance, it's so special. Me and Manojji have done some great songs together—be it devotional, patriotic, or sad songs—but something about when he writes romance, I just love how he expresses it. That's what he's done in Tumhe Dillagi. "Yeshk nahi aasa, bas itna samajh lena, yaad nahi bhujni"—just things we all know but still want to hear again and again.
