LOVE, EXILE, REDEMPTION: THE SAGA OF KASHMIR’S LAST PANDIT PRIME MINISTER AND HIS ENGLISH WIFE

by Siddharth Kak, Lila Kak Bhan

  • Category Non-Fiction
  • Format Hardback
  • Imprint Rupa
  • Price 695
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  1. ISBN: 978-93-5702-492-1
  2. Pages: 336 pages
  3. Date: 5th August 2023

ABOUT THIS BOOK

Ram Chandra Kak, the Kashmiri Pandit prime minister of Jammu and Kashmir, was ousted by
Maharaja Hari Singh, and put behind bars on the eve of India and Pakistan’s independence. Over
the decades, the blame for Maharaja Hari Singh’s indecision regarding Kashmir’s position is laid at
the feet of the previous Prime Minister.
For the first time in history, witness the truth of Ram Chandra Kak’s career and life. Consisting of
letters and diary entries by his wife Margaret Kak, as well as sections from Kak’s unpublished memoir
that looks at his career in state administration, this book reveals a side to the family and Kashmir
that has never been seen before. Written by their grandson Siddhartha Kak and their daughter Lila
Kak Bhan, this book is a glimpse of a couple that was present at the precipice of history, facing all
obstacles thrown their way with grace and courage.

AUTHOR OF THE BOOK

Siddharth Kak is a well-known television personality, commentator, foodie and author. One of the
pioneers of Indian television, he is knowledge partner of Vitasta-The Festival of Kashmir hosted
by the Ministry of Culture and member governing board of the Surajkund Mela Authority. His TV
series Surabhi became a cult show of Indian culture and identity airing on national primetime from
1991 to 2001. Siddharth Kak’s television company, Cinema Vision India, has won several major
television awards and three national awards. It has produced more than 100 documentaries and
several long-running television series for leading television channels in India.
Lila Kak Bhan has devoted half a century to a career in teaching. She started working, straight after
completing her TTC and BA in 1963. She worked in India for almost two decades, which included
leading, as Headmistress, the Progressive Education School in Indore, MP, known for its student-
centered, holistic approach to learning. Lila also taught in the US for 30 years and retired from the
Fessenden School in West Newton in 2020.
She now lives with her husband Krishen in Sudbury, the US, with both her children and their
families also settled there.

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