[Letter to Miss Rati Cooper]

Summary

This two-page correspondence from March 1971 consists of a typed letter by M. R. Masani to Rati Cooper and Cooper’s handwritten reply on Rajkumar College, Rajkot, letterhead. Masani acknowledges Cooper’s note of 11 March and describes recent events as “all very sad,” expressing concern that the wider population will have to pay for its mistakes. He calls for an agonising reassessment in which wishful thinking must be set aside, and closes by asking Cooper to inform him when she comes to Bombay and sending his regards to Rogerson.

Cooper’s reply, dated 11 March, conveys intense shame and distress over the political circumstances to which the exchange refers. She writes that she has never felt more ashamed of being an Indian, while affirming that Masani is in the thoughts of many others. The pages do not identify the specific events under discussion, so the letter is best read as a fragment of a broader contemporary crisis rather than as a self-contained political argument.

Key points

• Masani’s typed letter is dated 16 March 1971 and addressed to Rati Cooper.
• Masani describes recent events as very sad and fears that the wider population will bear the consequences of its mistakes.
• He calls for a painful reassessment and rejects wishful thinking.
• Masani invites Cooper to contact him when she visits Bombay and mentions Rogerson.
• Cooper’s handwritten reply is dated 11 March and expresses profound shame and sorrow about the situation.
• Cooper says that many others share thoughts of solidarity with Masani.
• The correspondence does not specify the events or political circumstances being discussed.