The “hardy annual”: A history of India’s first UN resolution

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article traces the history of India’s first resolution at the United Nations (UN). Introduced in 1946, “Treatment of Indians in the Union of South Africa” became an annual item on the UN agenda until 1962 when it was merged with another India-sponsored item on “apartheid.” For seventeen years, in a fast polarizing world, Indian diplomats used this item to strategically galvanize global opinion against racism. Against all odds, Indian representatives utilized every diplomatic means available to keep the “hardy annual” alive. A thick, archival biography of this item also allows us to interrogate India’s diplomatic practice in the Nehru years.