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Book Review: Victoria and Abdul by Shrabani Basu

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 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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