Archives of Contemporary India
Supported by HDFC LTD.
The papers of Chandrashekhar Dasgupta (1940-2023) have been donated by his wife Mrs. Devika Dasgupta. The collection contains handwritten notes, articles, addresses, press clippings on Indo-China relations, history of Panchsheel, Indo-Pak war (1965), Kashmir, South Asia and NATO. There are offprints of articles by various scholars on climate change and Rio conference. Besides his notes, there are photocopies of a lot of material collected from various research libraries/archives in India and abroad for his two highly acclaimed books, India and Bangladesh Liberation War and War and Diplomacy in Kashmir, 1947-48.
The papers of Roderick L. MacFarquhar (1930-2019) contain rare research material on 20th century Chinese history in English and Mandarin. This ranges from the history of the Chinese Communist party, its party documents, the Cultural Revolution to Mao Zedong, Lin Piao, China’s relations with other countries, etc. The collection contains pamphlets, booklets, studies, reports, correspondence and MacFarquhar’s writings including reprints of his articles published in the China Quarterly.
The papers of K.S. Bajpai (1928-2020) have been donated by his wife Mrs. Meera Bajpai. The collection comprises notes, letters, booklets, articles and press clippings on Indo-Pak talks, Tashkent Summit (1966), and Sikkim (1970s). There are papers related to his tenure as High Commissioner to Pakistan (1976-1980), Ambassador to China (1980-1982) and to the US (1984-1986). Correspondence with national and international dignitaries forms a part of the collection. There are also post retirement papers: his stint at the University of California, Berkeley as a Visiting Faculty; as an Advisor at Merrill Lynch, New York; and notes/articles on Delhi Policy Group. There is a plethora of his writings, both handwritten and published on India's foreign policy. The collection is particulary informative for the research community interested in the history of international relations, diplomacy & security studies.
Sachidanand Hiranand Vatsyayan, ‘Agyaye’ Papers (1931-1987)
Hindi writer, poet and journalist
The Archives had the privilege to receive a large collection of the private papers of the famous Hindi writer, poet and journalist, Sachidanand Hiranand Vatsyayan, ‘Agyaye’ (1911-1987) from Vatsal Nidhi. The collection contains correspondence with family and friends, contemporary writers and poets, journalists, publishers and political figures. There are diaries, notebooks, drafts, manuscripts, press clippings, pamphlets/booklets, photographs and drawings. One of the free thinkers of the Hindi literary world, his papers are most significant for the study and research of trends in modern Hindi literature in the twentieth century.
Anil Dharker Papers (1989-2002)
Writer, editor and columnist
