I was going through my late father’s old collection of LPs when I came across this rare, haunting gem—a long play vinyl from All India Radio. It features recorded speeches from the 1965 India-Pakistan war by President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Vice President Zakir Hussain and Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri. The title on the sleeve stopped me in my tracks: “A battle not of our seeking.”
Those words, spoken then with such clarity and sorrow, echo eerily even today. Almost six decades later, we hear the same sentiment—this time from National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and so many others in the Indian government. Different voices, same anguish. So many years, so many wars… and still, Pakistan refuses to change.
I suspect my father, who worked with the government’s information ministry, might have played a part in the making of this LP. Perhaps that’s how it ended up in our home. Holding it now feels like holding a piece of history—and a piece of him.
Some things change. Most things move on. But in some places, the needle just keeps skipping on the same scratch.
Check out what these leaders said:
Dr. Zakir Hussain (Vice-President):
“This war, in which we are engaged to-day, is none of our seeking. It has been forced upon us. We have done as much as any people could to stand by our national commitment to peace. We have desired peace with all our heart and worked for it with all our strength…”
Dr. S. Radhakrishnan (President):
“We are fighting to-day not for a piece of territory but for fundamental principles. Victory in our struggle for the maintenance of India’s freedom and Federal Union, which includes Jammu and Kashmir, is vital to the saving of free institutions…”
“Most wars are caused by misunderstandings, resentments, frustrations and nationalist emotions. These we have to subdue if we wish to behave like human beings…”
Lal Bahadur Shastri (Prime Minister):
“…our quarrel is not with the people of Pakistan. We wish them well, we want them to prosper and we want to live in peace and friendship with them.”
“What we are up against is a regime which does not believe in freedom, democracy and peace as we do…”
—
Sixty years on—and the record still plays the same tune.
While sorting through my late father’s vinyl collection, I discovered something extraordinary: a long play record from All India Radio, likely produced during the 1965 India-Pakistan war. The sleeve reads, “A battle not of our seeking.” That phrase, spoken by President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Vice President Zakir Hussain, and Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, resonated deeply—and chillingly.
Nearly six decades later, those very words are echoed by today’s Indian leadership—Ajit Doval, S. Jaishankar, and others. Different era, same grief. The needle may have aged, but it still falls on the same scratch: Pakistan, it seems, refuses to evolve.
My father, who worked in the government’s information ministry at the time, might have been involved in producing this LP. Perhaps that’s how this piece of history ended up in our home—and why holding it today feels like holding a part of him.
What struck me most was how powerfully relevant the messages still are:
🔹 Dr Zakir Hussain:
“This war… is none of our seeking. It has been forced upon us… We have desired peace with all our heart and worked for it with all our strength.”
🔹 Dr S. Radhakrishnan:
“We are fighting to-day not for a piece of territory but for fundamental principles… Most wars are caused by misunderstandings, resentments, frustrations and nationalist emotions…”
🔹 Lal Bahadur Shastri:
“…Our quarrel is not with the people of Pakistan… What we are up against is a regime which does not believe in freedom, democracy and peace as we do.”
Some lessons from history are painful. Some, sadly, are on repeat.
#Leadership #IndiaPakistan #HistoryRepeats #Geopolitics #Diplomacy #PublicService #Throwback #ForeignPolicy
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