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Writer Mod Date & Time
PARTITION: tape 9 255MODEM 255MODEM Nov 16 09:29
TAPE 9
Side A
Gopal Das KHOSLA interviewed Delhi, 15/11/95: no - 683 1601)
- born Lahore, 15/12/01; written many books, including an
autobiography, a book on partition ('Stern Reckoning') and one on
Netaji; educated at Cambridge and Lincoln's Inn; a judge, and then
Chief Justicen [DIED 10th June 1996]
BIRTH/LAHORE/PARTITION
17 - born in g/mother's house in Lahore's old city; 'I
never went to it afterwards and I don't even know
where it was'
23 - father in [IA] service, posted to various places in
Punjab, went wherever he went
40 - 'I only went back [to L] once after partition ...
that was to collect my stuff. Because we were living
in L, I was a High Ct judge there, and I hadn't even
locked up my house, I'd left my servants, when I heard
that someone had broken into my house and some of my
goods were looted; I asked the govt, they gave me
some military escort, and I went along with two trucks
and brought back whatever I cd'
INDEPENDENCE AND NEHRU'S SPEECH
50 - [in 47] 'the High Ct [in L] had closed down, and I'd gone
up to Mussoorie, and 15th August I was in M having my
sort of vacation'
56 - 'I came down on the 14th August and I went to the Parlt
Ho, my brother-in-law ... had arranged for us to go
there, and I rememebr it was really quite an impressive
sight ... and I must say I was greatly moved by the
speeches made, particularly Nehru's speech, the
famous one, about "tryst with destiny"; I was there'
66 - 'the next day there was a garden party at which the
Mountbattens came and they were almost mobbed, but
they didn't mind, they loved it; they drew up in a
carriage and four to Indian Gate lawns, and it was
hardly a party, cos everybody rushed to congratulate
them and be near them and so on'
75 - [re Nehru's speech] 'I still remember that; I was really
moved as an Indian that we were becoming independent'
LAHORE AND PARTITION
80 - 'well I didn't like leaving it [L] at all, because I
had a lot of property there, which I was going to
lose, I had bought this for my residence, two acres
of land I had on my own, in a prime area; and we had
friends, Muslims as well as Hindus ... there was no
question of Hindus hating Muslims or anything like
that; it was more political than social; I can remember
that we had more Muslim friends than Hindu friends ...'
102 - 'one of my friends said as we were travelling around
in the car [when collecting stuff], keep you head
down, because being a High Ct judge you'll be known
to people, and I wouldn't like anything to happen; I
was surprised that in Nov, this friend had to warn me
riding in his car to keep me head down' |
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