The book ‘Victoria
and Abdul’ by Shrabani Basu has been considered as love story. But it’s doubtful
because the story is more of friendship and good understanding between a queen
and her servant.
On the
occasion of her Golden Jubilee, Queen Victoria gets a plethora of male
assistants from India, to serve upon her decorum from the land she now rules. Who
would have thought that 24 year-old Abdul Karim, one among the servants will be
etched in history as one of the Queen's closest confidant. Abdul Karim is the
son of a local Indian doctor, Wuzeeruddin. Abdul was born in Agra with no
formal education, he was taught Persian and Urdu, the court language of the
Mughals. Wuzeeruddin was a medical assistant in the Agra jail under Dr. Tyler,
the jail superintendent. Tyler found young Abdul Karim efficient and was
impressed with his aesthetic sense. When the Queen wanted assistants from India
for Jubilee celebration, Abdul Karim found his way into the Queen's home on the
recommendation of Tyler. Thus, in 1887 he entered into the life of the queen, as
a ‘Khidmatgar’ and waiter. A year later he returned to India on annual leave as
a Munshi, the Queen's teacher and official Indian clerk.
How did he
elevate to be a Munshi, how did he manage to win the Queen's favor against the
entire household is the story which unfolds as a story of love and human relationship.
The queen learns the Hindustani language from the Munshi to communicate with
her Indian servants, who serve her at her various palaces in the British shore.
The queen tried to keep herself abreast with the country of which she was the
crowned queen. All through the novel, the readers are kept engrossed with the
various happenings in the Queen's home. Tableau entertainment of which the
Indian servants are always kept a part of, manifests the Queen's love for
India. The relationship between the queen and the Munshi is something which is
difficult to decipher.
The Munshi
manages to get conferred with CIE (companion of the Indian empire) title by the
queen. He is also very highly decorated with various stars. The queen bestows
upon him huge area of land in India. He is treated on par with Indian royalty.
Such high esteems on a lowly servant is not cherished by the other servants.
The Queen's personal doctor Dr. Reid, her personal secretary Henry Ponsonby,
other assistants. In short the entire household stands against the favoritism
shown by the queen to her Munshi. But, the queen defends him all through her
life, brings his family to the British land to stay with him and gives him a
separate house which he decorates to his taste.
The queen being romantic at heart is lost after the demise of her beloved, she soon finds a friend in John Brown who is her Scot Gillie. John Brown was the one who treated her as a woman to the point he would even chide her wrongs. But, John Brown is also snatched away from the queen. Death is cruel. The queen bereft of any company, for everyone either respect or fear her, finds solace in the kind, handsome Munshi. He becomes her companion, teacher, helps her in her correspondence. Often repeated in the book are plots by the household to assassinate the Munshi but all attempts come to nil.
The queen being romantic at heart is lost after the demise of her beloved, she soon finds a friend in John Brown who is her Scot Gillie. John Brown was the one who treated her as a woman to the point he would even chide her wrongs. But, John Brown is also snatched away from the queen. Death is cruel. The queen bereft of any company, for everyone either respect or fear her, finds solace in the kind, handsome Munshi. He becomes her companion, teacher, helps her in her correspondence. Often repeated in the book are plots by the household to assassinate the Munshi but all attempts come to nil.
The Munshi
stays with the queen. Death does do them part. The Munshi is honored till the
funeral gets over, as per the Queen's wish and order. But soon after he is
chased back to India, all the souvenirs and letters in his possession are being
snatched from him. The Munshi lives unassumingly in India and meets his end eight
years after the queen. The British doesn't rest even after the Munshi's demise,
the family is forced to return everything in their possession which might even
be remotely connected to the queen and her Munshi. The Munshi but manages to
make entries in the Queen's journal. The author has done extensive research to
bring out the story both in Britain and India. She has presented the facts in
her simple narration as a story which unfolds to intrigue the reader.
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