Master Tara Singh in Indian History

This is the first comprehensive study of Master Tara Singh (1885–1967), placed in the wider context of Indian history. It is based on a large volume and variety of source materials in English and Punjabi, revealing many new facts, ideas, and perspectives, and questioning several assumptions. The book is divided into two parts, the first dealing with Master Tara Singh’s activity in colonial India with special reference to his patriotism and anti-British attitude, and the second part dealing with Master Tara Singh’s pursuit of a unilingual Punjab state, called the Punjabi Suba. What lends unity to the two parts is Master Tara Singh’s politics based on Sikh identity. It was a source of inspiration as well as confrontation with the colonial state and the Congress leadership, particularly Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. Master Tara Singh played a key role in the partition of British Punjab and formation of a Punjabi-speaking state which were essentially in consonance with his view of Sikh interests. His vision of the Indian national state was fundamentally different from that of Jawaharlal Nehru and the Congress. Master Tara Singh stood firmly for a large measure of pluralism in free India. This book throws fresh light also on the freedom struggle, the Akali Movement, and the politics of partition.