Karan Singh recalls encounters with ‘remarkable women’ in book

New Delhi, March 10

Politician-scholar Karan Singh shared interesting anecdotes about his encounters with remarkable women as he discussed Meetings with Remarkable Women, his latest book launched here on Saturday. Among impressions he shared at the book launch at India International Centre, Singh mentioned how a brief meeting with Hellen Keller left a lifelong impression on him and remains etched in his mind even today.

Rich experience

I have had occasions in India and abroad to meet remarkable people. They have left an impression upon my mind. Karan Singh, politician-scholar

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His meeting with Eleanor Roosevelt, whom he called the first lady of the United Nations, happened when Singh was just 17 years old. These and more such encounters came alive when Singh dug into his memory to narrate fascinating nuggets about meetings with some of the world’s most influential women and some not so much in the public eye.

Singh’s book about these encounters, in Hindi edition and a new English edition, was released by the author himself. The English version, first published in 2014, has been updated with seven additions that include President Droupadi Murmu. Both the English and Hindi versions are the first publications of the newly formed Karan Singh Foundation in collaboration with Motilal Banarsidass Publishing House.

Speaking at length about the book, Singh said, “In the course of my multifarious and varied public life, which began some eight decades ago, I have had occasion in India and abroad to meet with a large number of remarkable people… and they have left an impression upon my mind.”

Those memories, Singh said, resided in the recesses of his mind till, on the prompting of Jyotsana, his daughter and chairperson of the Karan Singh Foundation, he decided to pen them down.

According to the author, “All the women he mentions shared a certain intangible quality which led him to include them in his book of reminiscences.”

The launch also witnessed a panel discussion between Singh, Mala Thapar, daughter of political commentator Romesh Thapar and Ameeta Mehra, daughter of late Major PK Mehra.