Nepal Archives - Commonwealth Oral History Project

Interview with Surendra Nihal Singh

by rcraggs | Sep 27, 2013 | Burma, Canada, China, Cold War, Diplomacy, European Economic Community, Human Rights, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Queen, Rhodesia (see also Zimbabwe), Small States, Sri Lanka, USA

Download Interview Transcript. Biography: Surendra Nihal Singh is a columnist and journalist, and former editor of The Statesman. He was a foreign correspondent in Moscow, London, the United States, and Indonesia, and most of his assignments were for The Statesman. He...

Definitioner

Senate House

The Senate House, University of London, is home to the University’s Central Academic Bodies, the Vice-Chancellor’s Offices, and the various research institutes of the School of Advanced Study. The Institute of Commonwealth Studies has been based in Senate House since 2009.

Marlborough House

Marlborough House is a 17^th century mansion in the City of Westminster, central London, which has served as the headquarters of the Commonwealth Secretariat since 1953.

World Bank

The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. An international institution, founded in 1944, that funds development projects

Westminster system

A term used to describe parliamentary government on a British model, that was often used by formerly British controlled territories upon achieving self-government.

War with China

The month long border war between China and India that occurred in 1962.

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation. A United Nations agency founded in 1946.

Teesta dispute

A dispute between Bangladesh and India concerning the water of the Teesta River, that flows through both countries. Disputes over rivers have been a problem in Bangladeshi-Indian relations since the 1970s.

Tamil Nadu

A state of southern India.

Tamils

The Tamils are an ethnic group indigenous to parts of India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

Stalin

Joseph Stalin (1878-1953). Leader of the Soviet Union from 1928 to 1953.

Sri Lankan Civil War

A civil war between the government of Sri Lanka and Tamil insurgents, fought intermittently from 1983 to 2009.

Arnold Smith

Arnold Smith (1915 –1994). Canadian diplomat, the first Commonwealth Secretary-General (1965–1975).

Manmohan Singh

Manmohan Singh (b. 1932). Indian politician and economist, he served as Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014.

Shastri

Lal Bahadur Shastri (1904-1966). Indian politician, served as Prime Minister form 1964 to 1966.

Clyde Sanger

Clyde Sanger (b. 1928). Canadian writer and journalist.

Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan (1911-2004). President of USA (1981-1989).

Sonny Ramphal (Shridath Ramphal)

Shridath Surendranath 'Sonny' Ramphal (b. 1928). Guyanese politician, second Commonwealth Secretary-General (1975-1990).

Premadasa

Ranasinghe Premadasa (1924-1993). Sri Lankan politician, served as Prime Minister (1978-1989) and President (1989-1993).

Partition

The division of the territory of British-controlled India to form the self-governing states of India and Pakistan in 1947, which was accompanied by large scale migration and communal violence.

Old Commonwealth

An informal term describing the countries of the pre-1945 Commonwealth: Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa.

Non-aligned movement

An international organisation of countries that are not aligned with any manjor world power, founded in 1961.

Non-alignment

A national foreign policy position of avowed neutrality towards major powers.

Nehru (Jawaharlal Nehru)

Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964) was an Indian politician and prominent leader in the Indian National Congress-led movement for independence from colonial rule. He served as India's first Prime Minister from 1947 to his death in 1964. Nehru was also a key figure in the Non-Aligned Movement, present at its founding in Belgrade in 1961.

NATO

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. A military alliance formed in 1949, originally to defend Western Europe from the Soviet Union.

Nanda

Gulzarilal Nanda (1898-1998). Indian politician, briefly Prime Minister in 1964 and 1966.

Musharraf (Pervez Musharraf)

Pervez Musharraf – (1943-) Pakistani soldier and politician. He was the military ruler of Pakistan (1999-2001) and served as President (2001-2008).

Moni Malhoutra (Manmohan Malhoutra)

Manmohan Malhoutra (b. 1937). Indian diplomat, served in the Secretariat of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi from 1966 to 1973 then joined the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, in 1974, to run the International Affairs Division.

Dr Kwarteng

Kwasi Kwarteng (b. 1975). British politician and historian.

Kashmir issue

The long-running dispute between India and Pakistan over control of Kashmir, a region divided during the Partition of India in 1947.

Indian Secretary-General

The present Commonwealth Secretary-General (from 2008), Kamalesh Sharma.

Impeachment of the Chief Justice

Shirani Bandaranayake, the Chief Justice of Sri Lankai, was impeached by Parliament in 2013 in a process that has been criticised.

Rajiv Gandhi

Rajiv Gandhi (1944-1991). Indian politician, served as Prime Minister from 1984 to 1989.

Indira Gandhi

Indira Gandhi (1917-1984). Indian politician who served as Prime Minister from 1966 to 1977 and from 1980 to 1984.

De Gaulle

Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970). French politician and resistance leader, served as President from 1959 to 1969.

EEC

European Economic Community. An international organisation of European states, founded in 1957. Renamed the European Union in 1993.

The Discovery of India

A book written by Nehru while imprisoned from 1942 to 1946.

Creation of Bangladesh

Bangladesh became independent in 1971 following the defeat of Pakistani forces trying to retain the territory as part of Pakistan.

Commonwealth Secretariat

The Commonwealth Secretariat is the principal inter-governmental body of the Commonwealth, responsible for promoting cooperation between members. Founded in 1965.

Cold War

A period of ideological tension from around 1945 to 1991 between capitalist nations led by the USA and communist nations led by the USSR.

CHOGM

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. Every two years Commonwealth heads of government meet to discuss global and Commonwealth issues, with the aim of promoting common initiatives.

Prince Charles

Prince Charles (b. 1948). Heir to the throne of the UK and the other territories for which the British monarch is also Head of State.

Fidel Castro

Fidel Castro (b. 1926). Cuban revolutionary leader and politician, leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008.

Tony Blair

Tony Blair (b. 1953). British politician, served as Prime Minister from 1997 to 2007.

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (1928-1979). Pakistani politician, served in various positions including President (1971-1973) and Prime Minister (1973-1977).

Ali Bhutto

Ali Bhutto (1928-1979). Pakistani politician, served as President (1971-1973) and Prime Minister (1973-1977).

BBC

British Broadcasting Corporation. Broadcasting organisation semi-autonomous from the British government, originally founded in 1922.

Mamata Banerjee

Mamata Banerjee (b. 1960). Indian politician. She has served as Indian Railways Minister (2009-2011) and as Chief Minister of West Bengal (2011-).

Bandung

The 1955 conference in Bandung, Indonesia, was a major meeting of Asian and African nations that condemned colonialism.

Apartheid

A system of legally enforced racial segregation implemented and upheld by the National Party in South Africa from 1948 – 1994

All India Radio

Major Indian radio network, founded in 1930.

1962 border war

A month-long conflict between India and China, fought in the Himalayas.

Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher (1926-2013). British politician and Prime Minister (1979-1990).

Mrs Thatcher (Margaret Thatcher)

Margaret Thatcher (1926-2013). British politician and Prime Minister (1979-1990).

Interview with Surendra Nihal Singh

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