Fractured Himalaya

<p>A deep dive into understanding India-China relations <p/> Why did India and China go to war in 1962? What propelled Jawaharlal Nehru's 'vision' of China? Why is it necessary to understand the trans-Himalayan power play of India and China in the formative period <br> of their nationhoods? The past shadows the present in this relationship and shapes current policy options strongly influencing public debate in India to this day. <br> Nirupama Rao a former Foreign Secretary of India unknots this intensely complex saga of the early years of the India-China relationship. As a diplomat-practitioner Rao's telling is based not only on archival material from India China Britain and the United States but also on a deep personal knowledge of China where she served as India's Ambassador. In addition she brings a practitioner's keen eye to the labyrinth of negotiations and official interactions that took place between the two countries from 1949 to 1962. <br> The Fractured Himalaya looks at the inflection points when the trajectory of diplomacy between these two nations could have course-corrected but did not. Importantly it dwells on the strategic dilemma posed by Tibet in relations between India and China-a dilemma that is far from being resolved. The question of Tibet is closely interwoven into the fabric of this history. It also turns the searchlight on the key personalities involved-Jawaharlal Nehru Mao Zedong Zhou Enlai and the 14th Dalai Lama-and their interactions as the tournament of those years was played out moving step by closer step to the conflict of 1962.</p>