Chandigarh, April 19 -- There is a quiet authority in the way Karan Singh speaks-measured, reflective, and deeply rooted in history. "I have seen this city coming up," he says, invoking memories of Le Corbusier, the visionary behind Chandigarh's design. For him, the city is not just an urban experiment but "a symbol, a response to the trauma of Partition, the first properly planned city of independent India." Singh was speaking during a discussion on his biography - A statesman and a seeker. Singh was just 18 and had barely recovered from a mysterious illness that left him bedridden for over a year when he was catapulted into political life in 1949. His father, the last Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir who signed the Instrument of Accession to India, appointed him Regent and left the State. Over the next 18 years, Karan Singh presided over J&K's difficult transition to a modern but troubled democracy-first as Regent, then as Head of State (Sadre-Riyasat) and finally as Governor. In 1967, he resigned as J&K governor and joined Indira Gandhi's Congress government, becoming the nation's youngest cabinet minister. One of the most striking parts of Singh's recollection is his nuanced distinction between himself and Sheikh Abdullah: "He saw himself as a Kashmiri who happened to be Indian. I saw myself as an Indian who happened to be from Kashmir," he said. Historically, Abdullah did emerge as the most influential mass leader in Kashmir and was installed as head of the emergency administration after accession in 1947, with the support of India's leadership. He acknowledged Sheikh Abdullah as a "great Kashmiri leader," while also describing his "anti-Dogra stance" and the circumstances that led to the exile of his parents. Historically, tensions between Abdullah, Hari Singh and the Indian leadership did lead to the Maharaja stepping aside in 1949, while Abdullah became the dominant political figure in the state . Singh recalled that after Partition, Maharaja Hari Singh initially attempted to remain independent before a tribal invasion from Pakistan-backed forces in October 1947. Hari Singh appealed to India for military assistance. India made its position clear that assistance would only follow accession. On October 26, 1947, the Maharaja signed the Instrument of Accession, formally integrating Jammu and Kashmir with India. In 1949, under political pressure, Hari Singh transferred power to his son. Singh became Prince Regent. By 1952, he was appointed the first Sadr-i-Riyasat (constitutional head of state), a unique position under Article 370. He would later become governor when the nomenclature changed in 1965. Regarding his relationship with Jawaharlal Nehru, Karan Singh said, "I grew up reading The Discovery of India and his autobiography. They shaped my thinking." From 1949 to 1964, Nehru acted as a mentor. Singh recalls breakfasts with Nehru and a young Indira Gandhi-moments that, in hindsight, brought him "face-to-face with three future prime ministers." But the most enduring lesson was, Singh said, "Whenever you look at a problem, look at it in a historical perspective." It is a principle that echoes through Singh's entire narrative. Moving beyond history, Singh touched on contemporary issues like women's empowerment....