The Tears of the Rajas


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The Tears of the Rajasis a sweeping history of the British in India, seen through the experiences of a single Scottish family. For a century the Lows of Clatto survived mutiny, siege, debt and disease, everywhere from the heat of Madras to the Afghan snows. They lived through the most appalling atrocities and retaliated with some of their own. Each of their lives, remarkable in itself, contributes to the story of the whole fragile and imperilled, often shockingly oppressive and devious but now and then heroic and poignant enterprise. On the surface, John and Augusta Low and their relations may seem imperturbable, but in their letters and diaries they often reveal their loneliness and desperation and their doubts about what they are doing in India. The Lows are the family of the author's grandmother, and a recurring theme of the book is his own discovery of them and of those parts of the history of the British in India which posterity has preferred to forget. The book brings to life not only the most dramatic incidents of their careers - the massacre at Vellore, the conquest of Java, the deposition of the boy-king of Oudh, the disasters in Afghanistan, the Reliefs of Lucknow and Chitral - but also their personal ordeals: the bankruptcies in Scotland and Calcutta, the plagues and fevers, the deaths of children and deaths in childbirth. And it brings to life too the unrepeatable strangeness of their lives: the camps and the palaces they lived in, the balls and the flirtations in the hill stations, and the hot slow rides through the dust. An epic saga of love, war, intrigue and treachery, The Tears of the Rajas is surely destined to become a classic of its kind.




The Rajas of the Punjab


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The Punjab Chiefs


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Punjab and the War of Independence 1857-1858


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There is a historiographical silence about the role of the Punjab during the War of Independence. Historians have generally employed the elite approach or the 'top-down approach' while writing the history of the war. Since the elite, including the rajas, feudal lords, and nawabs had collaborated with the British, historians generalized their participation to that of the entire population of the province. A top-down approach inevitably emphasizes the role of the elite and neglects the role of the masses. So the role and response of the people of the Punjab during the War of Independence 1857-8 requires a thorough re-appraisal, which this book intends on doing. The central argument of this study is that resistance to the British in the Punjab during 1857-8 has been under-emphasized in historical works and the role of the common people or the masses in the Punjab, who resisted the Raj, has not been adequately highlighted in the historiography of the colonial era. Therefore, the present study is an attempt to bring the role of the Punjabi masses to the forefront, along with that of the elite, in order to present a complete picture of the role of the Punjab in War of Independence. This book also helps in understanding the role of the landed elite in contemporary politics of Pakistan, especially in the Punjab and NWFP (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as it was a part of the Punjab in 1857) because the families who collaborated with the British during the war, are still playing an important role in the politics of Pakistan.




The Rajas of the Punjab


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Panjab Castes


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Punjab Painting


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Painting In Punjab Is A Doctoral Thesis Approved By Meerut University, Meerut (India). It Is A First Comprehensive Survey Of Visual Arts (Miniature Painting, Illustrated Manuscripts And Mural Painting) Which Flourished In The Land Of Five Rivers Governed By The Lion Of Punjab, Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780-1839) As Also The Area Reigned By East Punjab Rajas Known As Ruler Of Cis-Sutlej I.E. Malwa States; Maharaja Narinder Singh (1845-1862) Being The Prominent Among The Patraons Of Art And Learning Whose Contribution Excelled All In This Respect. The Present Study Covers Miniatures, Illuminated Manuscripts As Well As The Mural Painting Done In Both The Areas Of Punjab Thus Discovering And Establishing For The First Time A Definitive Movement Of Visual Arts Which Existed In Punjab Of Nineteenth Century. This Brings To The Attention Of Scholarly World A Rich Style Of Painting Known As Punjab Painting Hitherto Unknown Just Like Other Indian Schools Of Painting Viz Mughal, Rajput And Pahari Painting With All The Salient Features Of Any Art Movement Inherent In It. Special Feature Of The Book Lies In The Fact That It Sheds Light On The Social Life Of The Painters Who Made Creative And Beautiful Environments-Royal And Private Both-But Thus Far Remained In Oblivion. Simultaneously It Seeks To Trace The Presence Of Amour Artists In Both Regions And Their Family Genealogies Which Help Us To Track Down The Movement Of Art From One Princely Center To Another. One Such Family Was Chughtai Family Which Came From Heart (Persia) And Settled In Lahore, And Its Members Were Responsible For Significant Contribution To Creative Arts Of Punjab Specially During The Life Time Of Maharaja Ranjit Singh In The Capital Town Of Lahore. Unique Feature Of The Book Is That It Offers To The Reader An Opportunity To See The Flowering Of Vaishnavite Art In The Courts Of Tolerant Sikh Rulers Of Both Trans-Sutlej As Well As Cis-Sutlej Areas Of Punjab.