In this exchange of letters, dating from an extremely turbulent period in their lives, Nayantara Sahgal and E.N. Mangat Rai, two very public figures who have remained at the same time intensely private, break their self-imposed silence. The letters speak of a growing and passionate involvement, of the authors' joy and pain at discovering an intellectual companionship while at the same time being forced to face the realities of their own lives and positions. They reflect on the dilemmas and compulsions that bind men and women into particular relationships, and of the exigencies of public life and its implications for the private sphere. These letters provide a mirror of the times when a kind of idealism and commitment still seemed possible. They give the reader an insight into the life and thoughts of one of India's most successful writers, and one of the most distinguished civil servants of his generation.
