PANAJI
Historian and biographer Narayani Basu will deliver a talk at the International Centre Goa (ICG) on December 13 at 6 pm, highlighting the lives and contributions of three pivotal but lesser-known figures in India’s modern history: V P Menon, K M Panikkar and C B Muthamma. Drawing from her published works, Basu will explore how these individuals shaped India’s diplomatic and administrative foundations during and after Independence. Basu notes that India’s freedom movement is often remembered through its most celebrated leaders, yet many crucial contributors worked outside the public eye. Her research led her to figures like Menon, the civil servant who drafted the Indian Independence Act and played a decisive role in integrating over 500 princely states. Despite working closely with Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Menon remained largely unrecognised in mainstream narratives. She will also examine the career of K M Panikkar, independent India’s first ambassador to China, whose early diplomatic efforts were shaped by his shared vision of decolonisation with Jawaharlal Nehru, as well as the missteps that later marked his tenure. Basu will further discuss C B Muthamma, India’s first female diplomat.
