The White Mughals- a short book review.

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                 The White Mughals- a  short book review


Image source- my own camera.




Introduction

The White Mughals, published in 2002, is on the surface, a love story. The story of a love affair between the Resident of Hyderabad -James Achilles Kirkpatrick and Khair Un Nissa, a Hyderabadi noblewoman.

 

Plot of the book

Availing this love story, Dalrymple's book is a 500 page long affair describing an India that was quite different to what is generally depicted? With examples of Hindoo Stuart, Monsieur Raymond and other Europeans who converted to Hinduism and Islam, what Dalrymple’s book essentially tries to prove that our ancestors were more open minded than we would care to think about. Be it instances of men wearing the local garb for nothing but convince, or converting to other religion because of mere fascination. The pages bear testament to the real life fluidity and fatality of nationalism.

Positives

Overall, if one is interested in real life romances, this book is definitely a lovely read. One can, however, still read the book for the sheer amount of rich material describing the background of pre 1857 India. The book is filled with beautiful paintings. The language is simple and easy to understand.

Negatives

The only thing negative for me about this book is that sometimes instances are repeated and that the book focuses on themes more than chronology, sometimes confusing a novice reader.


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