Impressions – White Mughals by William Dalrymple
My bright, young friend Imaduddin (left) has written this excellent, terse review of the engaging book White Mughals.
Yesterday when he emailed me this text, I was intrigued by his views as well as envious of his ability to say a lot in so few words. I enjoyed the book for the era it evoked with such craftsmanship and tenderness. However, Imaduddin says it all:
Quick and dirty impressions of White Mughals by William Dalrymple
Beautiful prose with a significant point brought out: that the British DID integrate in India prior to their discriminatory laws against mixed race progeny of the 1780s, the policy that East India Company servants would be older when they arrived in India, the arrival of white memsahibs and the arrival of condescending, colonial attitudes. Dalrymple finds that a third of Company servant wills bequeathed property to native wives, concubines and children until the afore mentioned advents, after which wills including native family dropped to almost none.
Vivid depictions of the court life and society of perhaps India’s most cultured city, Hyderabad, are brought out in this book, as are the enlightened, seeking attitudes of early British Company servants who integrated beautifully into Mughal society, as had the Portugese into Indian society earlier – as had every other foreigner invader into India, an India which had turned rugged Mughal warriors into artsy Rennaisance men.
The love story of Khair un Nissa, cousin to an ambitious minister in the Nizam’s court, and James Kirkpatrick, the Company’s Resident in Hyderabad, is the thread that brings all these themes together, but is unnecessarily long. If I were Dalyrymple’s editor, I’d have cut this 500 page book by a fifth – there is much repitition.
If you don’t have time to read love stories and are interested in historical commentary on India, read the first 57 pages. That will be enough.
i felt bad about never finishing this one. am glad someone else too thinks that it was long and got repititious
Hey Raza! Thank you for your kind words!
Imaduddin has talent., but that must be honed. I havent read Dalrymple’s book.. but i have seen this palace (The British Residency – presently University College for Women – Sultan Bazar… popularly known as “Kothi”). Walked around its gardens.. its gul-mohar (fire-of-the-forest) trees., its Darbar Hall.. and the Begum’s Gardens… the small hillock called “Love-Hill” ! I knew this story as a kid. Of course minus the details… for instance the fact that the name of the Princess was “Khair-un-nisa”. Residents of Hyderabad (AP, India) knew it for ages, but it needed a Dalrymple to put it on paper. Why dont we write books ? Because we cant write well. Because we cant research well. Because we are dead-sure that the end product would be garbage ! We have to regain the CULTURE of reading and writing and start consuming “Alphabet Juice” once again. Those who have the talent must go into Humanities. Dont force a subject on yourself., just because it pays well. That way, one never excels. Humanities are KEY. Dalrymple has also written on Bahadur Shah Zafar., i have read some excerpts. That is another moving tale. There are hundreds of tales lying around… why dont we pick up ? When someone does and produces a master-piece, we try to find faults. Of course, it may not be perfect… but atleast he made an attempt. Dalrymple is a great guy. He left England and lives in Delhi. What daring.. what a spirit of adventure.. what a broad vision to spend a lifetime on alien culture and civilisations. It is this spirit of “adventure” that made England, Great Britiain. American Spirit is the same. Absorbing the finest. The ideal is sound… but unfortunately Dick Cheney, Ashcroft & Crusader Bush dented that. Coming back to the point.. buying books.. reading and writing.. .visiting libraries… we must get back to our old life-style.. Each home having a LIBRARY. It must start with the elite.. then that culture trickles down (trickling-down-effect). Books not Gold… must be the motto of our life-style. Muslims must get back to Books.. Languages.. Cultures.. Scholarship.. once again. I have faith in the seed of Adam. Cheers.
On “Company servants who integrated beautifully into Mughal society, as had the Portugese into Indian society earlier – as had every other foreigner invader into India…”, I can’t resist posting a couplet that I have posted earlier, as well, on this blog.
Sar-zameen-e-Hind pe awaam-e-aalam ke ‘Firaq’
Qaafilay bastay gaye, Hindustan bantaa gayaa
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