By Shrabani Basu
Penguin Random House, 2017, Nonfiction. 334 p.
During Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, she arranged for some men from India to be hired to work as servants in her household. One of the men was Abdul Karim, a 25-year-old office clerk from Agra. Something clicked between Karim and the Queen, and soon she asked him to give her Urdu lessons. Karim didn't know much English, but as they learned each other's languages, they became dear friends. The other members of court were worried about the closeness of the Queen and this dark Indian man of low birth and did everything they could to discredit him in the Queen's eyes, but she stayed faithful to him to the end. He, in turn, helped her understand India, the land that she ruled but that she would never be able to see.
If you are a history buff, this is the book for you. Basu's account is based entirely on historical documents including letters, journals and newspaper articles that give a 360 degree look at the inside of Queen Victoria's life and household. Basu is very careful not to add to much from her own imagination. and lets the reader make their own judgement on the most fascinating questions, such as what was Karim really like? Was he a opportunist, playing on the sympathies of an old and lonely woman as the court thought, or was he an enlightened and wise companion that helped Victoria understand the people over whom she ruled as the Queen herself thought? This is an intriguing story and a glimpse into real life history on a very human level.
No comments:
Post a Comment
We welcome your comments, but reserve the right to choose which ones are posted.