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Sahibs’ India: Vignettes From the Raj
STEP BACK TO GLIMPSE
A BYGONE TIME…
Mahlee, dhobie, cook, horsekeeper,
Each were to the chokee sent,
Last of all the wretched sweeper-
Still the Colonel’s liquor went.
‘Devlish odd this!’ said the Colonel
‘What a land to soldier in!
Aboo, this is most infernal –
Who the blazes drinks my gin?’
Sahib’s India’s is a panoramic look at the lives of the British in colonial India. Culled from Raj literature, it reveals little-known aspects of their lives and their dealings with their Indian subjects. Drawing from contemporary journals, plays and poems, the author provides wonderful descriptions of British homes and servants, their tastes and fashions, cultural idiosyncrasies, profligacy, sports, hunts and shoots, giving us, with the relaxed familiarity of the after-dinner raconteur, a flavour of the period. The book is peppered with a host of characters—astrologers, jugglers, magicians, grass widows, the ‘fishing fleet’, missionaries, nautch girls, mavericks and eccentrics—who made India their home as the British turned from traders to empire-builders, and is interspersed with period photographs, paintings and sketches. This is a delightful evocation of a vanished world.
A BYGONE TIME…
Mahlee, dhobie, cook, horsekeeper,
Each were to the chokee sent,
Last of all the wretched sweeper-
Still the Colonel’s liquor went.
‘Devlish odd this!’ said the Colonel
‘What a land to soldier in!
Aboo, this is most infernal –
Who the blazes drinks my gin?’
Sahib’s India’s is a panoramic look at the lives of the British in colonial India. Culled from Raj literature, it reveals little-known aspects of their lives and their dealings with their Indian subjects. Drawing from contemporary journals, plays and poems, the author provides wonderful descriptions of British homes and servants, their tastes and fashions, cultural idiosyncrasies, profligacy, sports, hunts and shoots, giving us, with the relaxed familiarity of the after-dinner raconteur, a flavour of the period. The book is peppered with a host of characters—astrologers, jugglers, magicians, grass widows, the ‘fishing fleet’, missionaries, nautch girls, mavericks and eccentrics—who made India their home as the British turned from traders to empire-builders, and is interspersed with period photographs, paintings and sketches. This is a delightful evocation of a vanished world.
256 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2010
4 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
Pran Nevile
16 books10 followersPran Nevile is an Indian author of Indian Art, Indian Culture & Indian History best known for the 1992 book, Lahore - A Sentimental Journey.
His fascination with the performing arts inspired him to spend nearly seven years researching in the libraries and museums of England and the U.S.A. to enable him produce the sumptuously illustrated 'Nautch Girls of India' in 1996. Highly acclaimed by the media it was considered to be a pioneering work on the subject of dance and music as well as their practitioners through the centuries.
Nevile has written extensively for Indian newspapers and journals. He is the author of other well known books such as 'Lahore - A Sentimental Journey', 'Love Stories from the Raj', 'Rare Glimpses of the Raj', 'Beyond the Veil - Indian Women in the Raj', 'Stories form the Raj - Sahibs,' Memsahibs and others', K.L. Saigal - Immortal singer and superstar and lastly 'Marvels of Indian Painting - Rise and Demise of Company School'.
Nevile has been invited by several institutions in India and also universities in England and U.S.A. to speak on themes related to Indian art and culture. He has also acted as a consultant for two BBC documentaries on the Raj viz. 'Ruling Passions' and 'The Land of Kamasutra'.
His fascination with the performing arts inspired him to spend nearly seven years researching in the libraries and museums of England and the U.S.A. to enable him produce the sumptuously illustrated 'Nautch Girls of India' in 1996. Highly acclaimed by the media it was considered to be a pioneering work on the subject of dance and music as well as their practitioners through the centuries.
Nevile has written extensively for Indian newspapers and journals. He is the author of other well known books such as 'Lahore - A Sentimental Journey', 'Love Stories from the Raj', 'Rare Glimpses of the Raj', 'Beyond the Veil - Indian Women in the Raj', 'Stories form the Raj - Sahibs,' Memsahibs and others', K.L. Saigal - Immortal singer and superstar and lastly 'Marvels of Indian Painting - Rise and Demise of Company School'.
Nevile has been invited by several institutions in India and also universities in England and U.S.A. to speak on themes related to Indian art and culture. He has also acted as a consultant for two BBC documentaries on the Raj viz. 'Ruling Passions' and 'The Land of Kamasutra'.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 20, 2011
Sahibs' India is a glimpse into the various aspects of life of the British Raj. A well-researched book full of intrigue and wonder, it may be divided in two parts - the first being an observation of their scandalous lives rife with debauchery as they reveled in the luxury (over a 100 servants to a British couple) that the Jewel in the Crown offered them, affluent, comfortable and hedonistic lifestyles that would never be tolerated back home. The second lays more stress on the different facets of life in India such as the stifling heat, local society and its fragments, detailed accounts of encounters with magicians with appalling tricks, sadhus, foreseeing brahmins amongst others.
With various paintings, a few dated photographs as well as several poems and quotes from colonial literature and journals to illustrate the text, Sahibs' India is a rich source of information and acts as an insightful guide into the lives of the oppressors we don't really know all that much of (the Divide and Conquer rule doesn't count). It takes us into the mind of the 'sahib', exposing his more humane side, bringing to light his admiration and awe of the mysticism of India, its rich cultural heritage and traditions now almost extinct (such as the nautch parties). The last chapter has a list of sahibs and a succinct biography of each - when they sailed to India and how successfully they adapted there, marrying Indian women and blending into society.
As an Indian and a product of my country's education system, I heartily wish I'd read something like this back in school to make the Indian history textbooks a little less dreary to study from.
With various paintings, a few dated photographs as well as several poems and quotes from colonial literature and journals to illustrate the text, Sahibs' India is a rich source of information and acts as an insightful guide into the lives of the oppressors we don't really know all that much of (the Divide and Conquer rule doesn't count). It takes us into the mind of the 'sahib', exposing his more humane side, bringing to light his admiration and awe of the mysticism of India, its rich cultural heritage and traditions now almost extinct (such as the nautch parties). The last chapter has a list of sahibs and a succinct biography of each - when they sailed to India and how successfully they adapted there, marrying Indian women and blending into society.
As an Indian and a product of my country's education system, I heartily wish I'd read something like this back in school to make the Indian history textbooks a little less dreary to study from.
May 4, 2022
Its a wonderful book filled with glimpses of the British raj in India from from mid 1700 to mid 1900. There are many curious tales of how the early britishers lived and adopted Indian upper class life. There are chapters on their smoking habits, the durbars or courts they held, their ways of dressing, the marriage market, the life in shimla, dacoits and thugees, juggling and magic and so on. If one goes through just this one intriguing book, they will get an idea of the life of westerners in india during the past 3 centuries. Some sour notes have been included as well. Imposition of western morals and seeing the nautch and devadasi traditions in a low light and banning the extensive erotic literature are some examples. Also its curious to know that some of the aloofness and racial superiority showcased by the later British in contrast to the early settlers was injected by white women who wanted to corner the marriage market and infact even formed societies to harass those who assimilated further into an Indian life. Things one does to get a husband eh?
July 17, 2022
A light read, an interesting collection of 'vignettes from the Raj'. Short, fascinating chapters on what life was like in the period in all its exotic splendour. Another era that has passed never to return- the author explores various aspects of European life in India from a rather Orientalist perspective- servants, durbars, nautch, shikar, hookahs, Simla and Calcutta, women, marriage, the blistering heat, palanquins, astrology, snakes, sadhus, jugglers and magicians, the attitude to caste, thugs etc. The last chapter has short biographies of some of the top names of the period, those who truly Indianized themselves before the dawn of racialism spelt the end of that synthesis: including Job Charnock, Skinner and Ochterlony.
May 21, 2019
The books depicts in a very simple way the lives from the bygone era. Small chapters make for an easy read. Travel back in time with this book (one may feel bad about the way natives were used in those times, and wish that such times would never come back again for any Nation)
April 22, 2021
Very interesting book, a must read for everyone interested in modern Indian history.
August 16, 2024
A lovely book giving information on the lifestyle of British Sahibs.
August 15, 2015
My second book written by the same author. Very well written. Nicely paced. The book takes you two hundred years back in time and you feel as if you're living the moment. For me it was a good read.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews