WHITEWASH OUR HEROINES?’
‘WHY SHOULD WE FEEL WE HAVE TO Author Chitra Divakaruni Banerjee charts the life of one of the greatest personalities of the Indian subcontinent in her latest work, The Last Queen WILLIAM DALRYMPLE
It is perhaps quite fascinating that when going through the pages of Chitra Divakaruni Banerjee’s seamless prose in her latest work, The Last Queen, one can’t help but draw odious parallels between attempts aimed to mar Rani Jindan Kaur’s personality in the 19th century, and their relevance in the modern world. For much like it is in today’s day and age, these very attempts to undermine her character are met with incendiary counters. But her story is much more than that. Jindan, born to a royal kennel keeper, charms the most powerful ruler in 19th century India — Maharaja Ranjit Singh — almost a mythical figure to her likes, and the ruler of the glorious Sikh empire. Widowed at the age of 21, what transpires after that makes for a gripping read, more so because it changes the fate of the entire subcontinent. Excerpts from an interview with the author:
Rani Jindan Kaur is a fascinating character in history. When did you come across her story?
I actually came across Maharani Jindan’s painting, which is now on the cover of The Last Queen, quite by chance at a literary festival when William Dalrymple was discussing his book Kohinoor. I learned a little of her tragic story — how she was wrongfully imprisoned by the British, and her little son, Maharajah Dalip, taken away from her, and how, after many years, mother and son managed to be reunited. Immediately, I was attracted to this largely forgotten queen.
You bring out the greys brilliantly in your prose. It could’ve been a proper whitewash. How did you make sure that the human side weighs in more than just her legacy?
I focused on the close relationships Maharani Jindan would have had — with her husband, Maharajah Ranjit Singh and with her son, Dalip, who is less than a year old when his father dies and she is determined to do whatever she must to protect him. I also wanted to focus on her interactions with the other queens in the zenana, most of whom would have been jealous of her, and she would have had to withstand their plots. Her women friends—Rani Guddan, Rani Pathani (wife of Wazir Dhian Singh) and her maid Mangla helped me to bring out her human side, with its joys and jokes. I didn’t want to hide her faults. Why should we feel we have to whitewash our heroines? Every human being is a mix of strength and weakness.
From the story it seems that maligning a woman’s
SHE REQUESTED THAT THE COURT GRANT HER A CIVIL HARASSMENT RESTRAINING ORDER AGAINST A CERTAIN JOHN MATTHEWS, A 23-YEAR-OLD MAN. SHE ALSO REQUESTED ADDITIONAL PROTECTIVE ORDERS FOR HER PARENTS, MAGGIE BAIRD AND PATRICK O’CONNELL.
character is certainly not a new concept. In the 21st century, to this day, it is as widespread as ever. Do you think about the commonality of these occurrences in the modern world? Maligning a woman’s moral character, or blaming her for things outside of her control, still sadly continues to happen in society. Strong women often become special targets for this kind of behaviour. Maharani Jindan, too, faced this issue. She was the victim of a terrible smear campaign fabricated by the British, who wanted to destroy her popularity. They portrayed her as lascivious and immoral and named her “Messalina of the Punjab”. But she fought against their lies bravely, even from the prison, smuggling out letters that were printed in the Punjabi newspapers of the time. I hope that she will inspire many readers, both male and female, so that we fight against such injustices.
One has to ask, what’s more interesting? Mythology or history?
I must confess I cannot choose! They are both powerful in their own way. Mythology brings us timeless, archetypal themes and characters; history reminds us of the great men and women who shaped our world. They both teach us crucial lessons about how to be human. (Left) Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni and (inset) her latest book The Last Queen
According to a report by The Guardian, French publisher Gallimard has announced that it will be releasing a never-before-published work by the great French writer: Les Soixante-quinze feuillets, or The Seventy-Five Pages as early as on 18 March.
The report mentions that the texts in The Seventy-Five Pages were written in 1908, around the time Proust began working on In Search of Lost Time, which was published between 1913 and 1927.
The papers were part of a collection of documents held by the late publisher Bernard de Fallois, who died in 2018.
During his lifetime, De Fallois oversaw the posthumous publication of several Proust works including Jean Santeuil, Proust’s abandoned first novel from the 1890s.
De Fallois first revealed the existence of the texts in The Seventy-Five Pages in a foreword for a 1954 collection of previously unpublished Proust essays, Against Sainte-Beuve, which he edited.
De Fallois described The SeventyFive Pages as a “precious guide” to understanding In Search of Lost Time and “a logbook of his creation” that includes six episodes that Proust would develop and eventually include in his masterwork.
history Both mythology and crucial teach us about how lessons human. be DIVAKARUNI CHITRA Author BANERJEE,