Global Event: Afternoons with an Author “Turmoil in Punjab: Before and After Blue Star”

The July edition of Afternoons with an Author will revolve around a tell-tale account of Punjab during the early 1980s, entitled ‘Turmoil In Punjab: Before and After Blue Star: An Insider’s Account,’ by Ramesh Inder Singh.

The book is seen as a valuable contribution to the history of the ‘Land of Five rivers’ which went through a turbulent period between 1978 – 1994. From the rift between Sikhs and Nirankaris, fuelled by Operations Blue Star, Woodrose, Black Thunder I and II, the book relives it all.

This comprehensive historical perspective is an eyewitness account by Ramesh Inder Singh the then District Magistrate of Amritsar, and later the Chief Secretary of Punjab. The book sheds light on terrorist violence in the State, the response to the military operations, death of innocent citizens, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination and its subsequent repercussions that set in motion a devastating ethno-national movement in Punjab.

Ramesh Inder Singh will be in conversation with lead discussant Manraj Grewal Sharma, resident editor of The Indian Express at Chandigarh. Author of a book on Punjab militancy called “Dreams after Darkness.”

The session will be moderated by Sanjeev Chopra, Festival Director of Valley of Words