To write about this letter is important because it came across to me as aprescient summary of a man we later came to realise as erudite yet humble;powerful yet humane; incorruptible and self-effacing information advisor tothree Indian prime ministers. This letter, I believe, reflects the roots of hiscalm self-awareness, natural restraint and moral conviction.
Sharada Prasad (HYS), who is 'Shouri' to his family and close friends, wrotethis letter in his mother tongue, Kannada, from a Mysore prison on the day heturned 19 (April 18, 1943). He was arrested for participating in the 1942 QuitIndia movement. He was then studying for a BA degree and was also the secretaryof the Maharaja's College Students' Union. He was kept in confinement for over ayear. HYS's father Yoganarasimham, the addressee of this letter, was himself aGandhian nationalist, Sanskrit scholar and composer. Some of his compositionshave been rendered by legendary Carnatic vocalist M S Subbulakshmi.
Here are some excerpted and translated paragraphs from the letter: