Publisher's Synopsis
On 15th August 1947, India attained her independence from British rule; however, it was a fissured independence as India was partitioned into two States, India and Pakistan. On that day, Sri Aurobindo gave a message in which he spoke of the five dreams that had been the basis of his whole life. He wrote: "Indeed, on this day I can watch almost all the world-movements which I hoped to see fulfilled in my lifetime, though then they looked like impracticable dreams, arriving at fruition or on their way to achievement. In all these movements free India may well play a large part and take a leading position." The first of these dreams was the freedom and the unity of India. However, India got freedom but not unity. Sri Aurobindo wrote in the same message: "But the old communal division into Hindus and Muslims seems now to have hardened into a permanent political division of the country. It is to be hoped that this settled fact will not be accepted as settled for ever or as anything more than a temporary expedient. For if it lasts, India may be seriously weakened, even crippled: civil strife may remain always possible, possible even a new invasion and foreign conquest. India's internal development and prosperity may be impeded, her position among the nations weakened, her destiny impaired or even frustrated. This must not be; the partition must go. Let us hope that this may come about naturally, by an increasing recognition of the necessity not only of peace and concord but of common action, by the practice of common action and the creation of means for that purpose. In this way unity may finally come about under whatever form - the exact form may have a pragmatic but not a fundamental importance. But by whatever means, in whatever way, the division must go; unity must and will be achieved, for it is necessary for the greatness of India's future." Sri Aurobindo and the Mother have been since that day working silently and in their own spiritual way to bring about this unity of India that will inevitably come about in the near future. It is this conviction and assurance that has inspired me to write this book. This book is an attempt to trace the political history of India from the ancient times to the modern day. I have tried to analyze the repeated attempts in the past to bring about a political unity, the partial success and the failure that has attended this attempt. I have tried to analyze the reasons for the failure and made some suggestions, which may lead to the final solution of the problem of political unity of the subcontinent of India. In this effort, I have been guided throughout by the vision of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. The book therefore contains copious references from the writings of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. However, I take full responsibility for the views expressed in the book. The book is divided into two sections. The first section has two parts, one dealing with the history of India before Independence and the second dealing with the history after Independence. In the first part, the political history of ancient India is traced and the success and failure to bring about political unity is analyzed. Next, the political situation after the advent of the Muslims is discussed in some detail. Later, the political situation after the British conquest of India and its policy of divide and rule has been discussed. Ultimately, India got its freedom but was partitioned and divided into two. In the second part, there is a detailed discussion and analysis of the political situation after the partition of India till the modern times. In the second section of the book, I have tried to show that Pakistan as a nation will inevitably disintegrate. This is based on my study of Political Science in the light of Sri Aurobindo. I have tried to show that Pakistan is an artificial unit and will therefore inevitably disappear.
