V. P. Menon remains to be an unsung hero for the events leading to independence of India, where the cloud of appreciation is ruled by M. K. Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Louis Mountbatten. Along with the leaders like Sardar Patel, Baldev Singh, V.P never recieved the due credit and recognization for those notable efforts which they made. Menon served as Constitutional Advisor to last three Viceroys. He perhaps  was the only Indian to be part of Mountbatten's inner team and eventually Menon's plan for the partition India into two states (India and Pakistan) was adopted. He was too prompt to realise the need of Princely States to accede to India, pre independence. Later on, when the communal voilence began to realise the demand needs to be fulfilled, Menon asked Mountbatten to take charge which resulted in divide of Indian into two nations. Menon and Sardar Patel following the events successfully performed the full integration of India accompained by the Princely States.

Menon was so proficient while his service to the last three viceroy's that they always took his advice into account and valued it. He would have been privy to all high-level policy discussions between the Viceroy and the Indian Office in London. Following the circumstances in the context of that particular time, he was uniquely prepared to judge their actions and motives behind. He being the only Indian to have been well acquainted with the facts on both the ends, which further made him write a thorough description highlighting the events that took place. He cover those detailed accounts in two of his book 'Transfer of Power in India' and 'The Integration of States' which are qouted widely. However other of his works entitled 'An Outline of Indian Constitutional History' has been seldom referenced.

Early life, Childhood and Youth :

Vappala Pangunni Menon (V.P. Menon) was born on 30th September, 1893 in Ottapalam, Kerala. He was son of school headmaster Chunangad Shankara Menon. At a very tender age he ran out of home to save the cost of his education, to that he worked in a gold mine in Mysore, railway stoker, clerk in tobacoo company and later on as English Teacher. In the year 1914, he began to work for the government as an assiatant in the Home Department, further recruited into Reforms Department where he expedited his rank as Deputy to Hawthorne Lewis in 1936 by projecting his sheer brilliance and hardwork. He had an encyclopaedic knowledge of utmost everthing that has to do with Indian Constitution. He was also offered to be part of Indian Round Table Conference which he attended.

“Sardar told me that because of the abnormal situation in the country, people like me should not think in terms of rest or retirement.”  

Integrating Indian States 

Hyderabad :

Kashmir :

Junagad :

Jodhpur :

Jinnah and the Muslim League leaders held a series of meetings with Maharaj Hanwant Singh of Jodhpur. At the last of these interviews, Hanwant Singh had taken along the then Maharaj Kumar of Jaisalmer to accompany him. Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Bikaner were three States geographically in close proximity to Pakistan. V.P Menon was informed that Jinnah had signed a blank sheet of paper.

He gave it to Maharaj Hanwant Singh along with his own fountain pen, and said as qouted by V.P Menon in his book -

"You can fill in all your conditions."

Hanwant Singh was almost prepared to merge with Pakistan. He then turned to the Maharajkumar of Jaisalmer and asked him whether he would follow suit. The Maharajkumar said he would do so' on one condition: If there was any trouble between the Hindus and Muslims, he would not side with the Muslims against the Hindus. This was a bombshell and took Maharajah Hanwant Singh completely by surprise. Sir Mohammad Zafrullah however made light of the whole affair and pressed Maharajah Hanwant Singh to sign the instrument. But the Maharajah now felt unable to take a decision. He suggested to Jinnah that he would go to Jodhpur and return the next day. The Maharajah remained at Jodhpur for three days. The atmosphere in the State was hostile to the idea that Jodhpur should cast its lot with Pakistan; the Jagirdars and nobles were decidedly opposed to it. The Maharajah began to waver. When he returned to Delhi after three days I was informed that, unless I handled the Maharajah quickly, the chances were that he might accede to Pakistan. I went to the Hotel Imperial and told the Maharajah that Lord Mountbatten wanted to see him. We then drove to Government House and I kept the Maharajah in the visitors' room while I went in and explained the situation to Lord Mountbatten. The Maharajah was then called in. Lord Mountbatten made it clear that from a purely legal standpoint there was no objection to the ruler of Jodhpur acceding to Pakistan; but the Maharajah should, he stressed, consider seriously the consequences of his doing so, having regard to the fact that he himself was a Hindu; that his State was populated predominantly by Hindus and that the same applied to the States surrounding Jodhpur. In the light of these considerations, if the Maharajah were to accede to Pakistan, his action would surely be in conflict with the principle underlying the partition of India on the basis of Muslim and non-Muslim majority areas; and serious communal trouble inside the State would be the inevitable consequence of such affiliation.

Maharaj Hanwant Singh demanded for some impossible concessions.

To this Menon told him -

"If you want to sign on false hopes, I will agree to your demands", adding that most of the demands could not be conceded.

Hanwant Singh informed Menon about Jinnah's offer, to which Menon cautioned him to not to be swayed by false promises. After great discussion, Menon accepted a few of his demands in a letter presented to the Maharaj. Maharaj Hanwant Singh then signed the Instrument of Accession, merging Jodhpur with the union of India.

Maharaj Hanwant Singh Threatens Menon : 

Soon after the Maharaj signed the instrument of accession, Lord Mountbatten went out of the room they were seated in. Suddenly, the impulsive Maharaj whipped out a revolver and levelled it at menon.

He asserted at Menon - "I refuse to accept your dictation.'"

Menon warned that Maharaj of the serious mistake he was about to commit. Menon outrightly told him that killing or threatening to kill him won't get him to have the accession abrogated or reversed.

"Don't indulge in juvenile theatricals" , said Menon while he admonished him.

In short time, Lord Mountbatten returned and wa told about the incident that occurred by Menon himslef. He made light of the episode and turned it to jest. Presently the Maharajah returned to normal and we departed in company. After leaving him at his residence, I returned to office. 

Books

Sardar Patel had asked V. P Menon write 2 books.

• One, narrating the events leading to the transfer of power in India
• Other, dealing with the Integration of Indian States

Menon fulfilled his promise as desired by Sardar by writing 2 books - The Story of the Integration of the Indian States in 1956 and The Transfer of Power in India 1957. [ref]

The Story of the Integration of the Indian States

Completed and published in 1956, the first four chapters of this book provide the background to the problem of the Indian States. It describes how the British built up the framework of princely India. It traces the events right up to the announcement of the June 3rd plan declaring the lapse of paramountcy, whereby the Indian States comprising two-fifths of the country would return to a state of political isolation. Chapter V describes how this was circumvented by the accession of the States on three subjects. The next chapter deals with Junagadh State which, had acceded to Pakistan. The ten subsequent chapters deal with the consolidation of the States on a regional basis. Hyderabad, which had remained aloof, has been dealt with at length in three chapters. Kashmir follows and the Baroda interlude comes next. Then four chapters are devoted to a survey of the administrative, financial and constitutional changes and to the cost of integration. In the last chapter, entitled 'Retrospect and Prospect', the policy of integration has been summed up and personal views of Menon have been expressed on some aspects of the problem. [ref]

The Transfer of Power in India

Completed and published in 1957, V. P Menon presents an authoritative first-hand account of how the actual transfer of state power from the British to the Indian Government took place in the years preceding Indian Independence in 1947, specifically from the outbreak of World War II in September 1939 to the independence of India on 15 August 1947.

The book deals with the August offer of 1940, the Cripps negotiations, the 'Quit India' resolutions of 1942, the Shimla Conference, the Cabinet Mission, the formation of the Interim Government and the Union Constituent Assembly. Lord Mountbatten's efforts to find a solution acceptable to both the Congress and the Muslim League are described in detail. The book ends with the communal violence which followed the partition. [ref]

This book is indispensable for any student of modern Indian History.