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Pearl by the River
The last king of Audh, Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Lucknow was exiled by the British to Metiabruz in Bengal, on the fringes of Calcutta. Despite being robbed of his rightful throne, the Nawab did not lose hope; instead, he set about establishing a new mini-kingdom on the banks of the River Hoogly. Little by little he brought in the Laknawi way of life to this area of Bengal, so much so that Metiabruz came to be called ‘Chota Lucknow’. Extensively researched and evocatively written, this book looks at a forgotten king and how he turned his exile into a victory of sorts.
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
300 pages, Paperback
Published January 2, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 20, 2017
So this weekend I spent my time with King Wajid Ali Shah. The name may not ring a bell to many but then, his story will give you a detailed insight into the time when Britishers were gaining quite a grip on India. The year 1857 was full of turmoils, with Indian Sepoys opening mutiny under Hazrat Mahal, Wajid Ali Shah's wife and without any intention of harm, the King of Awadh found himself in the center of this tornado.
Annexation of his kingdom, on the other hand, was the last nail in his coffin. But the story continues, with Wajid Ali Shah setting up his own small kingdom, a Pearl by the River Hooghly in Kolkata, known as Metiabruz. And what made this exile happen is the crux of this novel by Sudipta Mitra. Events become clear only when you peep deeper into the past and read a few more books regarding a subject. Gladly, I have read few books on Wajid Ali Shah, his mother Janab-i'Aliyyah and his first wife, Begum Hazrat Mahal who went down in the history of India as a hero who stood up against British during the revolt of 1857 (Sepoy Mutiny).
Pearl by the River begins when the Kingdom of Awadh which was long protected under the British Treaty for their own personal gain, was annexed on 11th February 1856. Under the treaty of 1801, the Britishers had already annexed most of the kingdom of Awadh using the techniques of demanding loans. Awadh was kept independent because the Britishers wanted a buffer between North and South, and also a Mughal hand in India so that people don't turn rogue.
The population of Awadh loved their king, but for Britishers, Awadh was a piggy bank they wanted to break. Resident Sleeman was sent to Awadh to make a case out of Wajid Ali Shah's rule in Awadh and came back with the required artillery to finish Awadh. His report provided a facade of benevolence the Britishers were looking for and provided them the official basis to annex Awadh. He reported that The King was busy with his concubines while the kingdom was facing a downhill when it comes to commerce and upkeep of general public.
Devastated as much as he was on such accusations by Sleeman, Wajid Ali Shah was asked to exile to Garden Reach in Metiabruz, which at that time was a suburb of Calcutta near river Hooghly. He decided to go to England to plead his case in front of the Queen, but due to his ill health was advised not to travel. Instead, Queen Janab-i'Aliyyah, his heir and his brother traveled via foreign waters to get back what they own. They were warmly received, and then brutally ignored when the First War of Independence reached Lucknow, and the sepoys installed one of Wajid Ali Shah's son to the throne of Awadh, backed by his Queen Hazrat Mahal.
At one hand, his mother was trying to coax the Queen of England to give them back their life and glory, and on the other hand, sepoy mutiny was burning his Awadh to the ground. In the end, Wajid Ali Shah was imprisoned in Fort William for 25 months with the charges that he might become a rallying figure for the sepoys. This small spark of fire also burned Wajid Ali Shah's last attempt to return to Lucknow.
After his release from Fort William, he was allotted the area of Metiabruz to reside. However, heartbroken from leaving Lucknow, he carried his native place in his heart and decided to convert a small part Metiabruz area just like Lucknow. He even carried his musical taste and recreated musical environments of his beloved Kaisarbagh Baradari.
But, the Pearl by the River was not just the structure, it was Wajid Ali Shah's deepest feelings towards the game plan of Britishers in which he got stuck. The politics and blame game that engulfed him makes up for a brilliant read in this book. I especially loved the part where I was surprised to read how desperate Lord Dalhousie was to remove Wajid Ali Shah from Awadh and confine him to a single area where he can perish. Also, the melancholic desperation of Queen Janab-i'Aliyyah, where she pleads Wajid Ali Shah's case to Queen Victoria is another brilliant angle to this book. Pearl by the River filled up the gaps of information that previous books created, and I truly enjoyed it.
Also, Pearl by the River had many other incidents that a reader may not be aware of, and that acts like a plus point for this book. I loved the way the overall book has been populated, beginning from Wajid Ali Shah's exile and running parallel to it Hazrat Mahal's story, Lord Dalhousie's desperation and the creation of Pearl by the River, Metiabruz.
Although, at first a reader may tend to believe that the facts may be revolved around Fictional instances. I was one of those readers. The book is a truly a non-fiction one, full of facts and instances picked up carefully from our country's history. So for those who are looking for the story line, they might not find one in this book.
All in all, Pearl by the River makes up for a good read. So make sure you grab a copy if you are in the mood for some non-fiction historical dose.
Annexation of his kingdom, on the other hand, was the last nail in his coffin. But the story continues, with Wajid Ali Shah setting up his own small kingdom, a Pearl by the River Hooghly in Kolkata, known as Metiabruz. And what made this exile happen is the crux of this novel by Sudipta Mitra. Events become clear only when you peep deeper into the past and read a few more books regarding a subject. Gladly, I have read few books on Wajid Ali Shah, his mother Janab-i'Aliyyah and his first wife, Begum Hazrat Mahal who went down in the history of India as a hero who stood up against British during the revolt of 1857 (Sepoy Mutiny).
Pearl by the River begins when the Kingdom of Awadh which was long protected under the British Treaty for their own personal gain, was annexed on 11th February 1856. Under the treaty of 1801, the Britishers had already annexed most of the kingdom of Awadh using the techniques of demanding loans. Awadh was kept independent because the Britishers wanted a buffer between North and South, and also a Mughal hand in India so that people don't turn rogue.
The population of Awadh loved their king, but for Britishers, Awadh was a piggy bank they wanted to break. Resident Sleeman was sent to Awadh to make a case out of Wajid Ali Shah's rule in Awadh and came back with the required artillery to finish Awadh. His report provided a facade of benevolence the Britishers were looking for and provided them the official basis to annex Awadh. He reported that The King was busy with his concubines while the kingdom was facing a downhill when it comes to commerce and upkeep of general public.
Devastated as much as he was on such accusations by Sleeman, Wajid Ali Shah was asked to exile to Garden Reach in Metiabruz, which at that time was a suburb of Calcutta near river Hooghly. He decided to go to England to plead his case in front of the Queen, but due to his ill health was advised not to travel. Instead, Queen Janab-i'Aliyyah, his heir and his brother traveled via foreign waters to get back what they own. They were warmly received, and then brutally ignored when the First War of Independence reached Lucknow, and the sepoys installed one of Wajid Ali Shah's son to the throne of Awadh, backed by his Queen Hazrat Mahal.
At one hand, his mother was trying to coax the Queen of England to give them back their life and glory, and on the other hand, sepoy mutiny was burning his Awadh to the ground. In the end, Wajid Ali Shah was imprisoned in Fort William for 25 months with the charges that he might become a rallying figure for the sepoys. This small spark of fire also burned Wajid Ali Shah's last attempt to return to Lucknow.
After his release from Fort William, he was allotted the area of Metiabruz to reside. However, heartbroken from leaving Lucknow, he carried his native place in his heart and decided to convert a small part Metiabruz area just like Lucknow. He even carried his musical taste and recreated musical environments of his beloved Kaisarbagh Baradari.
But, the Pearl by the River was not just the structure, it was Wajid Ali Shah's deepest feelings towards the game plan of Britishers in which he got stuck. The politics and blame game that engulfed him makes up for a brilliant read in this book. I especially loved the part where I was surprised to read how desperate Lord Dalhousie was to remove Wajid Ali Shah from Awadh and confine him to a single area where he can perish. Also, the melancholic desperation of Queen Janab-i'Aliyyah, where she pleads Wajid Ali Shah's case to Queen Victoria is another brilliant angle to this book. Pearl by the River filled up the gaps of information that previous books created, and I truly enjoyed it.
Also, Pearl by the River had many other incidents that a reader may not be aware of, and that acts like a plus point for this book. I loved the way the overall book has been populated, beginning from Wajid Ali Shah's exile and running parallel to it Hazrat Mahal's story, Lord Dalhousie's desperation and the creation of Pearl by the River, Metiabruz.
Although, at first a reader may tend to believe that the facts may be revolved around Fictional instances. I was one of those readers. The book is a truly a non-fiction one, full of facts and instances picked up carefully from our country's history. So for those who are looking for the story line, they might not find one in this book.
All in all, Pearl by the River makes up for a good read. So make sure you grab a copy if you are in the mood for some non-fiction historical dose.
July 14, 2017
Interesting account of Wajid Ali Shah, the King of Awadh. He was exiled by the British to Calcutta, and ended up revolutionizing its cultural landscape.
February 18, 2017
It seems extraordinary that a character as colourful as Wajd Ali Shah would vanish completely from Bengali consciousness. That is the first sentence in the forward passage of the book – Pearls by the River essentially signifying the forgotten effect of Wajid Ali Shah of Awadh had on Bengali cultural & aesthetic revolution. Whether the author does well to lead us down the road of remembering the deposed King of Awadh as the primary architect of Bengali arts & culture is another thing. The book has many pluses which makes it an engaging read – fast paced, easy & fictionalized way of writing, and chronical in its order. However, the book takes a long time to warm up to the actual topic of the King building a mini-Lucknow on the banks of Hoogly. The book quickly gathers pace in the second half when the King reaches Calcutta, and brings his cultural tastes of thumri, kathaks & symphony to the foreground. The author very well exhibits the architectural delights of Metiyaburj. It leads to more of an encapsulated effect of the Shah on the Bengali culture. The brief paragraph on gastronomical benefit & passages on paan that the Shah introduced had a pleasant underlining. There are a few passages on “The Oudh Commission” which, though engaging, leads to a meandering effect to the storyline. The King’s private relationships– his wives & concubines is presented in bits & pieces throughout the book. The book overall presents a composite picture of Wajid Ali Shah, but there a few dark spots that makes you underwhelmed.
August 10, 2022
If you love history written like a fiction it's a great book indeed. The beauty of this book is it will hold your attention till the last page. Today i will give some spoiler in brief rather than writing a Conventional review so that this underrated book can attract some readers.
At first i came to know about wazid ali shah in prothom alo by sunil Gangopadhyay. A deposed king of audh lived an extravagant life with a lot of muta wifes ; courtesans; musicians at the bank of hoogly in kolkata and became known as 'king of metiyaburuj'... So i try to find out some books about the life of king and this one changes my perspective about the judgement of the last king of the audh..
Wazir ali shah was a connoisseur of classical audhi music ; drama; art. During his days in Lucknow ; he patronized a lot of prominent musicians ; artists and personally he was also a trailblazers of some of these music and art. After his annexation he was sent in exile at metiyaburuj with a monthly pension of 1 lakh rupees and he spent all of the money is patronizing artists ; Building mini lucknow at the outskirts of kolkata and brought a Renaissance in the history of bengali culture ; cuisine ; etiquette by mixing Bengali culture with Lucknowi's. The history of his annexation and set up at the bank of hoogly is quite poignant. This book illustrates all of these with deep sense.
The queen mother( mother of king wazid ali shah) malka kishwar went to london at 1856 crossing kalapani to appeal to british government against the conspiracy. She met queen Victoria to appeal against the annexation of his son and to reinstate the kingdom. 'An indigenous broken queen sitting in the same chair like queen victoria and appealing to her' these scenarios are depicted beautifully in this book. At that time the first Liberation war of 1857 broke out at india( from british perspective 1857 mutiny) and all of the effort of malka kishwar became abortive. She died in france with a broken heart and was interred in a cemetery at france with great procession by french; iranian and turkish dignitaries. A monument was erected inscribing ' In memory of malka kishwar; queen of Kingdom of audh'..
During 1857 mutiny ; wazid ali shah was incarcerated in fort william for long 25 month and one of his wife hazrat mahal fought bravely at Lucknow against the british to reinstate the kingdom. A muslim queen came out of the curtain and lead the army riding elephant and horse at that medieval period of time; can't imagine. She didn't surrender to the british and lived at nepal till her last breath.
After the war; wazid ali was released with a monthly pension of 1 lakh rupees ans set up mini Lucknow in desolated land of metiyaburuj. Many of his confidants from Lucknow came to metiyaburuj and the number became more than fourty thousands at that mini Lucknow. One of the news from newyork times at that time illustratesd the enrichment of the captivating menagerie of the king at metiyaburuj and called it one of the best in the world. Charles darwin was also enthralled by his majesty's menagerie. And the modern version of sarod and different musical instruments were deveoped by genius of his darbaar.. His chef used potatoes in biriyani first; used different ingredients and procedure for cooking different types of biriyani; pulaos and kebab. like this many different fascinating story about the culinary of the the king is portrayed in this book. After the king's death at 1857 all his properties at metiyaburuj was auctioned off and many edifices were annihilated by the british to swept away all the royal sign . And now there's remaining only the shrine of the king and some dilapidated pillars and the rest is history. Afterall this was a captivating journey to go through this book and wazid ali shah.
At first i came to know about wazid ali shah in prothom alo by sunil Gangopadhyay. A deposed king of audh lived an extravagant life with a lot of muta wifes ; courtesans; musicians at the bank of hoogly in kolkata and became known as 'king of metiyaburuj'... So i try to find out some books about the life of king and this one changes my perspective about the judgement of the last king of the audh..
Wazir ali shah was a connoisseur of classical audhi music ; drama; art. During his days in Lucknow ; he patronized a lot of prominent musicians ; artists and personally he was also a trailblazers of some of these music and art. After his annexation he was sent in exile at metiyaburuj with a monthly pension of 1 lakh rupees and he spent all of the money is patronizing artists ; Building mini lucknow at the outskirts of kolkata and brought a Renaissance in the history of bengali culture ; cuisine ; etiquette by mixing Bengali culture with Lucknowi's. The history of his annexation and set up at the bank of hoogly is quite poignant. This book illustrates all of these with deep sense.
The queen mother( mother of king wazid ali shah) malka kishwar went to london at 1856 crossing kalapani to appeal to british government against the conspiracy. She met queen Victoria to appeal against the annexation of his son and to reinstate the kingdom. 'An indigenous broken queen sitting in the same chair like queen victoria and appealing to her' these scenarios are depicted beautifully in this book. At that time the first Liberation war of 1857 broke out at india( from british perspective 1857 mutiny) and all of the effort of malka kishwar became abortive. She died in france with a broken heart and was interred in a cemetery at france with great procession by french; iranian and turkish dignitaries. A monument was erected inscribing ' In memory of malka kishwar; queen of Kingdom of audh'..
During 1857 mutiny ; wazid ali shah was incarcerated in fort william for long 25 month and one of his wife hazrat mahal fought bravely at Lucknow against the british to reinstate the kingdom. A muslim queen came out of the curtain and lead the army riding elephant and horse at that medieval period of time; can't imagine. She didn't surrender to the british and lived at nepal till her last breath.
After the war; wazid ali was released with a monthly pension of 1 lakh rupees ans set up mini Lucknow in desolated land of metiyaburuj. Many of his confidants from Lucknow came to metiyaburuj and the number became more than fourty thousands at that mini Lucknow. One of the news from newyork times at that time illustratesd the enrichment of the captivating menagerie of the king at metiyaburuj and called it one of the best in the world. Charles darwin was also enthralled by his majesty's menagerie. And the modern version of sarod and different musical instruments were deveoped by genius of his darbaar.. His chef used potatoes in biriyani first; used different ingredients and procedure for cooking different types of biriyani; pulaos and kebab. like this many different fascinating story about the culinary of the the king is portrayed in this book. After the king's death at 1857 all his properties at metiyaburuj was auctioned off and many edifices were annihilated by the british to swept away all the royal sign . And now there's remaining only the shrine of the king and some dilapidated pillars and the rest is history. Afterall this was a captivating journey to go through this book and wazid ali shah.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 16, 2018
Very insightful. There has been a lot of research that has gone into this book and it's evident. Style of writing is quite nice. Can get slightly repetitive, but overall very worthwhile.
October 27, 2019
Good read of a bygone legend, a cultured king & an epicurean to the core. Also good references to the passage of Hindustani Classical music & dance.
March 15, 2017
A book that I had to literally drag myself to finish. It's actually an incoherent compilation of facts about Wajid Ali Shah. At the end, I didn't feel too strongly about the king or the injustice meted out to him. A pretty drab book.
March 13, 2017
Wonderfully written. Wajid Ali Shah was really an enigma. What he really was like is still unknown. The last Nawab of Awadh, he was unceremoniously deposed by Dalhousie and this certainly led to the 1857 Mutiny. How the Nawab financed his extravagant life in Calcutta, is another mystery! The author has presented both faces of the Nawab and tried to debunk some of the myths about him. Foremost being that he didn't dress in women clothes and dance, but just demonstrated the right way to do Kathak!
February 19, 2017
My review is over here : https://idiosyncraticidiots.wordpress...
February 13, 2018
Enjoyed reading this book. Also felt ashamed that we, the people born and brought up in Kolkata know so little about this enigmatic man,Nawab Wajid Ali Shah who had influenced every sphere of life in this city. Within the confines of his exile he tried to create his Utopia,his chhota Lucknow, reminiscent of his days of glory.The Babu culture of Bengal imbibed a lot from him, like the rich tradition of thumris and kathak practised by both ustads and courtesans. He enriched the gastronomy of the city by contributing the famous Kolkata version of Biriyani,to sum up his contributions is beyond the scope of this review. He might not be a very spirited man who could stand up to the British,may be he was mellowed down by the complacent Lucknavi culture, however,he could have fared better if circumstances had been kinder to him. The book is well researched, evocative of days that are gone with the wind.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews