Jewel remains in the crown
It was a full house when William Dalrymple and his co-author launched their book in Mumbai on the world's most famous diamond. Mr. Dalrymple spoke with total self-confidence and with the knowledge that his name as a writer was well-respected and that research on any subject he chose to write about was thorough and would not be questioned. And this was confirmed to me when I actually read the book which travels through the various adventures, bloody or otherwise through Indian history before reaching the placid though forced safety of the Tower of London in England.
Which is where many years ago as a first-time tourist I actually saw the Kohinoor. I remember thinking then that it was very safely protected here in spite of the hundreds of tourists that swarmed the Tower every day to gawk at the Kohinoor. Rather this than the fear of smugglers and corrupt politicos in India or even kept hidden deep in bank vaults in New Delhi, where for example, the Nizam's fabulous emeralds are protected, not to be seen but once in Hyderabad by the chosen public.
The book is very thoroughly researched, dealing as it does with that period of Indian history connecting it with the Kohinoor. I was awed by the embodiment of wealth that India possessed during that period of its history. Were we all that rich once, considering our empty coffers in later years? And can we only blame the advent of the British Empire of our later penury?
According to writer and politician
Shashi Tharoor the British seized one of the richest countries in the world and over 200 years of colonial rule reduced it to one of the poorest.
The introduction to the book is very well written and is a short precise of what is to follow in the main “story”. The history and also the mythology that surrounds the stone is established not just in the heart of the book, but in the introduction as well. One thus becomes aware of the Peacock Throne and the question whether the Kohinoor was actually the legendary
Syamantaka gem mentioned in the Bhagavad Purana -
Tales of Krishna.
Sometimes in the book one seems more involved in the history of India more than the Kohinoor itself. Though that of course was the basis of the book itself. But then at times one forgets the presence of the diamond in the course of Punjab's history and the presence of the Persians, Afghans, Marathas and the East India Company. It makes fascinating reading.
What is also interesting in the diamond's history is its reputation for bringing discord to whoever wears the jewel. It appears that no British male royal ever wears the crown from where gleams the Kohinoor.
In short it is a fascinating book encapsulating the history of North India as told around the famous Kohinoor, which travelled from country to country each time India was ravaged by warring and bloody invaders. If you have time in today's rushed environment, this book will give you a moment to realise the grandeur of a past India and its Kohinoor.