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The One Way Ships
"Was my life really like Black Beauty’s? A series of masters, no real choices, just making do with whatever came my way?"
Asha was a child like any other. Cherished by her doting father, she grew up poor but happy in the shaded embrace of the Shimla hills during the British Raj. He kept her isolated from the dynamics between the locals and the goras who had claimed the city for their own, until one day, his passing left Asha alone. As her childhood fell away overnight, Asha realised that there were some questions she would now need to answer for herself …
Set in pre-independence India, The One-Way Ships follows Asha’s unusual life as she struggles with questions about the meaning of home and the perils and rewards of self-determination. She finds herself not only getting back on her feet but also saving someone she never imagined needed saving. Inspired by the real-life accounts of a generation of lost, unsung victims of the colonial machinery, the baby ayahs who played an indispensable role in the households of the Raj as doting mother-surrogates, but too often found that they themselves were very much dispensable.
Asha was a child like any other. Cherished by her doting father, she grew up poor but happy in the shaded embrace of the Shimla hills during the British Raj. He kept her isolated from the dynamics between the locals and the goras who had claimed the city for their own, until one day, his passing left Asha alone. As her childhood fell away overnight, Asha realised that there were some questions she would now need to answer for herself …
Set in pre-independence India, The One-Way Ships follows Asha’s unusual life as she struggles with questions about the meaning of home and the perils and rewards of self-determination. She finds herself not only getting back on her feet but also saving someone she never imagined needed saving. Inspired by the real-life accounts of a generation of lost, unsung victims of the colonial machinery, the baby ayahs who played an indispensable role in the households of the Raj as doting mother-surrogates, but too often found that they themselves were very much dispensable.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 15, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 27, 2025
I found a reference to this book on the gram and had to read it.
Its a historical fiction set in pre-independence Shimla, the summer Capital of British India.
The book follows the story of a young girl Asha, from Shimla to England.
The death of her father leaves her orphaned and alone. Not wanting to be a burden on the neighbours, she decides to sort out some work. When the opportunity comes to work as an Ayah for a English family she grabs it hesitantly, not expecting much but food and shelter. The only positive side for Asha, was that her father got her educated, in an era when it was looked down.
Two years go by and the family moves, leaving Asha, jobless once again but destiny knocks again and she agrees to accompany another Family to England with the promise of a ticket back home after the journey is complete. That never happens, left alone in a foreign land stranded, from there begins Asha's journey to the Ayah Home and forward.
I did read something about the Ayaha's home in London a while back, but of course I never took a deep dive.
It is a well researched book, keeps you engaged and all the characters are well written.
I love fiction and this unique story is definitely a good read. How little we know about the past of the women and men of that time, the circumstances they were in - their journey. I hope to read more later on this topic.
Do pick up if you like reading Historical Fiction.
Its a historical fiction set in pre-independence Shimla, the summer Capital of British India.
The book follows the story of a young girl Asha, from Shimla to England.
The death of her father leaves her orphaned and alone. Not wanting to be a burden on the neighbours, she decides to sort out some work. When the opportunity comes to work as an Ayah for a English family she grabs it hesitantly, not expecting much but food and shelter. The only positive side for Asha, was that her father got her educated, in an era when it was looked down.
Two years go by and the family moves, leaving Asha, jobless once again but destiny knocks again and she agrees to accompany another Family to England with the promise of a ticket back home after the journey is complete. That never happens, left alone in a foreign land stranded, from there begins Asha's journey to the Ayah Home and forward.
I did read something about the Ayaha's home in London a while back, but of course I never took a deep dive.
It is a well researched book, keeps you engaged and all the characters are well written.
I love fiction and this unique story is definitely a good read. How little we know about the past of the women and men of that time, the circumstances they were in - their journey. I hope to read more later on this topic.
Do pick up if you like reading Historical Fiction.
July 23, 2025
"The One Way Ships" tick marks all the boxes a book should have .
An interesting and unique subject - you don't often find books talking about lives of "ayahs" during the British Raj, its something no one talks about or rather is unaware about it.
Strong Characters - All the characters in the book have their own significance and are very well written.
Fast paced - like we all like these days , the ship sails at a good pace , and you don't feel bored at any time.
Plot : The plot is very well thought after while the twists are very well timed and keep you hooked on to the book.
Conclusion : "The One Way Ships" is an engaging read which leads the reader to the lives of few whom we have never thought about. And the end leaves you seeking for what more did the lives of characters entailed.
An interesting and unique subject - you don't often find books talking about lives of "ayahs" during the British Raj, its something no one talks about or rather is unaware about it.
Strong Characters - All the characters in the book have their own significance and are very well written.
Fast paced - like we all like these days , the ship sails at a good pace , and you don't feel bored at any time.
Plot : The plot is very well thought after while the twists are very well timed and keep you hooked on to the book.
Conclusion : "The One Way Ships" is an engaging read which leads the reader to the lives of few whom we have never thought about. And the end leaves you seeking for what more did the lives of characters entailed.
June 28, 2025
She left home to serve a family ..but when they returned to comfort ,she was left behind...forgotten and unwanted....
Asha, a teenage girl is in the grief of losing her father.Detemined and spirited,she becomes an ayah-a caregiver to a British children.Once she had to cross the ocean for the same,but was abandoned when her service was no longer needed.It unveils she being shaped by her circumstances.
Uma Lohray,the author wonderfully described Asha ,not as a victim but as a resilient one...
The writing is rich with imagery and emotion.
This is a moving and necessary read..where fiction gives voice to the unheard.
Asha, a teenage girl is in the grief of losing her father.Detemined and spirited,she becomes an ayah-a caregiver to a British children.Once she had to cross the ocean for the same,but was abandoned when her service was no longer needed.It unveils she being shaped by her circumstances.
Uma Lohray,the author wonderfully described Asha ,not as a victim but as a resilient one...
The writing is rich with imagery and emotion.
This is a moving and necessary read..where fiction gives voice to the unheard.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews