An Officer and His Holiness

In 1959, the Dalai Lama escaped from Tibet to India, where he was granted refuge. To track his position and escort him to safety was a carefully calibrated operation that few know about. This book tells the story of how an Indian officer in the North East Frontier Agency (NEFA) at the time, successfully managed with limited resources, against a treacherous terrain and many external threats. The officer kept careful diary entries of the time, which have been reproduced for the first time in this book. His niece and renowned journalist, Rani Singh, painstakingly documents what happened between the Dalai Lama and her uncle through extensive research, travel and interviews with the Dalai Lama, his brother Tenzin Choegyal and the Indian officer. Her own experience of retracing the officer's journey also provides a comprehensive overview of the situation today. Rare pictures and valuable inputs from experts bring alive this thrilling operation that forever changed relations among India, China and Tibet. See more