In The Tryst Betrayed, former Indian foreign secretary Jagat Singh Mehta looks back on an eventful career which began on the day after India’s independence. In his lucid and informative style, Mehta sheds light on Nehru’s prophetic assertion of ideological agnosticism (named ‘Non-Alignment’ in 1946) and its distortion by the accidental overlap of decolonization with the Cold War. Mehta argues that Nehru was naïve on China, wishful on the Soviet Union and prejudiced against America. The civil servants were hypnotized by what he refers to as the ‘Panditji knows best’ syndrome. He illustrates that Nehru’s bark was no doubt frightening but his bite not vicious.

Recollections and reminiscences of the author revealing his life and experiences during the service as an IPS officer.

Splintered Waters: Tryst with Destiny is an epic tale of struggle for independence, a soul-touching love story, and taboos of caste and forbidden affairs. It is a captivating saga of unshakable friendship, World War II, and the healing power of love. Destiny takes two friends, Lal Singh and Hakam, on very different paths. Compelled by circumstances, Lal Singh returns to his ancestral village where life-changing events await. Hakam continues the fight for freedom from the British but is captured and tortured. In an ironic twist of fate, Hakam’s son, Baldev, joins the British and fights on the knife-edged mountain peaks of Burma in WWII. Independence from the British results in mass migration, ripping apart long-established communities. Newly married Baldev must keep a promise he made on the battlefield to a dying friend and desperately tries to rejoin his own family. Would he be able to?

When the great clans of Scotland shed blood for honor, Kathlyn surrendered to a dangerous love! She was the daughter of a powerful laird; a proud, wild beauty. The one man who could turn her fiery eyes as soft as the Highland mist was Alex Lindsay, a fierce warrior, passionate lover, and sworn enemy of her clan. His strength, as she ran into his arms, gave her the courage to defy her family. Before she again voiced her concern, he silenced her with a fierce and hungry kiss. “Come Lass,” he whispered. “The night is nearly done, and I fear we both tempt fate too often with our meeting.” Pausing, Kathlyn turned to him with one last question. “How much do you love me, Alex?” His look was one of many emotions. “I would give my life for you, Kathlyn, if you remain true. If you do not,” he said, holding her shoulders in his hands and looking deep within her soul, “If you do not I think I would take your life…”