At a time when the entire subcontinent was reeling from the shock and violence of Partition, the Maharaja had to decide which dominion-India or Pakistan-the State would join. How was he to choose where to put his trust, especially after Pakistan-backed Pashtun tribals invaded the State and India refused to offer military help? Was any decision possible that would appease all-the Muslim majority of Kashmir, the Hindu majority of Jammu and the Buddhist majority of Ladakh?

Those tumultuous times and opposition by Sheikh Abdullah took a toll on Hari Singh during the final years of his reign. Accession to India was not as easy as he had hoped, and pressurised by Nehru and Sardar Patel, the Maharaja was forced to choose exile in 1949 and spent the rest of his days in Bombay.

Harbans Singh's A Modern History of Jammu and Kashmir, Volume One: The Troubled Years of Mabaraja Hari Singh (1925-1949) offers a more rounded history of the State than most available scholarship and brings both Hari Singh and the soldiers of the Jammu and Kashmir State Forces (JAK), who fought during the tribal invasion, into focus. The first volume in a trilogy, this book offers a strong and nuanced defence of the last ruler of Jammu and Kashmir and is a valuable document in understanding the evolving history of Jammu and Kashmir.