Fifty Years with the British

This is a remarkable document derived from meticulously kept diaries by S K Kirpalani, ICS, the second Sindhi to become collector(his brother was the first). The author presents a compelling portrait, beautifully written, of his life and administrative career-an account that spans the first half of the twentieth century. The early chapters vividly recapture his childhood in Sind at the beginning of the 1900's-a way of life that vanished not only because of time but because of the loss of the Sindhi homeland due to the partition of India. His description of his years at Oxford brings to life an era of golden innocence and striking personalities. As a civil servant, Kirpalani's forte lay in his ability to administer large, complex tasks and bring order to the mass movement of people in millions.