[Letter to Mr Minoo Masani]

Summary

This is a brief handwritten postcard from P. M. Shah, sent from E/C-6, Navmonica, Vidyanagar P.O., Bombay-98, and addressed to Minoo Masani at his Bombay office on Mahatma Gandhi Road. Dated by its content to 29 July 1977, it is a short reply to a letter Masani had written to Shah on 18 July 1977.

The body consists of a single practical acknowledgement: Shah thanks Masani for the letter and confirms that he will come over to the Party office on 29/7/77 at 6 p.m. to take part in the discussions. There is no substantive political or ideological content on the card — its interest is documentary, as a small piece of correspondence in Masani’s post-Emergency working life, when the Janata coalition was in power in Delhi and Masani was active in Bombay liberal circles. The reverse carries the printed ‘POST CARD / जबाबी / केवल पता’ rubric of an Indian 15-paise reply postcard, the Bombay postmark, and the address ‘Shri M. R. Masani, 3rd Floor, Army & Navy Bldg, 148 Mahatma Gandhi Rd, Bombay 400 023’.

Key points

• Handwritten reply postcard from P. M. Shah of E/C-6, Navmonica, Vidyanagar P.O., Bombay-98, addressed to Minoo Masani.
• Answers a letter Masani sent to Shah dated 18 July 1977.
• Confirms Shah will come to the Party office on 29/7/77 at 6 p.m. to participate in the discussions.
• Reverse addresses the card to ‘Shri M. R. Masani, 3rd Floor, Army & Navy Bldg, 148 Mahatma Gandhi Rd, Bombay 400 023’ — Masani’s working address in South Bombay.
• Written on an Indian 15-paise reply postcard, cancelled by a Bombay postmark; carries the archive number 1134 in the top-centre.
• Contains no substantive political argument; its value is as a scheduling artefact in Masani’s late-1970s correspondence.