The princely states of India numbered about 540 and were constituted of Hindu rulers, Muslim rulers, Hindu rulers with primarily Muslim populations, and Muslim rulers with primarily Hindu populations. All factors considered, this was a daunting task, but throughout 1946-1947, we see that India actually does come together as a state, amidst the odds. Key players in this task were Jawaharlal Nehru (the president of the All India States Peoples Conference), who appointed Vallabhbhai Patel as the administrator to pull the princely states together. (Note: Maharaja = Prince, Diwan = Chief Minsiter) Patel also appointed a secretary, V.P. Menon as his intelligent aid. Menon had worked his way up through the ranks and was fiercely intelligent. Menon had also served under Lord Mountbatten. Through Menon’s reasoning and Mountbatten’s grandeur and influence, virtually every princely state was won. Mountbatten’s talks to the Chamber of Princes is regarded as one of the most significant facts in Indian history. Apples in the Basket refers to a discussion between Patel and the viceroy Mountbatten indicating that Patel wanted all of the princely states, not just some.There were several states that gave them any trouble. The first was Travancore. The defiant diwan, Aiyar, wanted a treaty, not an accession. However, after his talks with Menon and Mountbatten, he was knifed in the face and on the body by a Kerala Socialist. Shortly after, Aiyar advised the maharaja to compromise, and Travancore acceded. The second was Bhopal in central India. (Note: nawab is the ruler of a state) After much convincing,  by his “second-best friend”, the viceroy, and Menon, Bhopal acceded also to “ward off the commnist danger” and because of the good reports of his fellow princes. An old, large state of Jodhpur was also considering defecting to Pakistan, but in the end, acceded to the Indian State to avoid conflicts. If riots broke out, he would take the side of India. Another state worth mentioning was Junagadh, on the peninsula of Kathiawar in western India. They actually acceded to Pakistan, but then later rescinded the decision due to pressure from Sir Shah Nawaz’s subjects. Finally, Hyderabad, the last of the states to accede put up quite a fight. In power was Mir Usman Ali, who was the seventh nizam who ascended the throne as far back as 1911. He hired the best legal counsel from Britain to represent him in his case. Unmoved by any offerings of power, as Hyderabad was very prosperous already, the princely state had to be occupied militarily by the Indian State in a “Hitlerite” method (as stated by the nizam). In this way, the state was brought into the Union. The states besides Pakistan were in one Union, but future chapters will tell whether all the apples will still be in the basket.