Scandalpt leeds
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The synopsis describes a novel set in 1892 British India. A Maharaja of an Indian princely state angers the British by eloping with and marrying the Viceroy's daughter. This has political consequences, as the daughter enters the Maharaja's palace where his first wife is bitter about her presence. When she gives birth to a child who is second in line to the throne, both mother and child face hostility from locals who want them gone. The British also want the daughter to return to England. The story follows the child, Kartar, as he grows up unaware of his lineage but eventually discovers his mother's history and pieces together what happened to her.
Scandalpt leeds
- 1. Professor ManjuJaidka (Panjab University, Chandigarh, India) Introduced by Dr. Susan Watkins Tuesday 12 March 2013, Leeds Metropolitan University
- 3. SCANDAL POINT A Novel (Synopsis) The year is 1892. A handsome young Maharaja of a princely Indian state angers the British rulers and is banned from entering Simla, the summer capital of the Raj. His fault? He has fallen in love and eloped with the Viceroys daughter. The story takes place against the backdrop of popular centres of the Raj era: Patiala, Simla, Chail and Lahore. Not an ordinary romance, the elopement of 1892 has far reaching political consequences. The Viceroys daughter enters the MotiBagh palace in Patiala which is a hotbed of jealousy and intrigue. She is unaware of the bitterness her presence arouses in the Maharajas first wife. When she gives birth to a child, who is second in line to the throne, both mother and child, are targeted as foreigners and usurpers. A section of the local populace wishes to get rid of them. On the other hand, the British are keen that the girl should return to England with her parents. What happens then to the child? How does he survive in a hostile world where he is a misfit? Kartar the child, grows up unaware of his lineage. But one day, like Oedipus, he discovers that his parents are not the ones who brought him up. So he embarks on a journey, seeking his roots. There are no records, no documents, no witnesses, no evidence, only stray bits of information and semi-reliable clues with the help of which he pieces together the almost incredible tale of his mothers elopement and its tragic aftermath.
- 4. Viceregal Lodge, Simla, completed in 1888 THEN & NOW
- 6. THEN & NOW
- 10. Mahendra Singh Bachtiar Kaur 1852 -1876 b.1871, m. Jiwan Singh of Lahore (1 daughter, 2 sons, Ram Singh & Kartar Singh) Rajinder Singh 1872-1900 (9th Nov) (4 wives inc Jasmer Kaur and Harnam Kaur nee Florence) Bhupinder Singh 1891-1932 Sri Richard Ram Narain Singh Sahib Yadavindra (20th August 1893 to March 1894) Singh Amarinder Singh
- 11. TECHNIQUES USED Analepsis, prolepsis Multiple narrators History Memoir Oral tradition, folk memory, legend Framework: circular structure Some open-endedness Reality+ Imagination
Editor's Notes
- This building in the Simla hills housed the Viceroys family through the hot summer months. This was where the white population met from time to time over lavish dinners, banquets and balls. Very few Indians (rulers of petty states who were on cordial terms with the British masters) were invited to the social events. Among these favored Indian guests was the Maharaja of Patiala who, it is believed, annoyed his hosts and was subsequently banned from Simla.
- When the Maharaja of Patiala was banned from entering Simla he built his own palace in Chail on a hill much higher than the Simla hills. From Chail, in the distance could be seen the twinkling lights of the British summer capital.
- Scandal Point is an actual landmark in Simla. It owes its name to the elopement or abduction (according to popular lore) that took place at this point.
- This is a family picture of the 5th Lord Lansdowne who was the Viceroy of India (and lived in the Viceregal Lodge) from 1888 to 1894
- This is a close-up of the Viceroys daughter, Beatrix, the inspiration behind the book, around whom the story of Scandal Point is woven, blending history with fiction, imagination with reality.
- The action of the novel moves with the main characters from Simla to Patiala to Chail. This (above left) is the Maharajas palace in Patiala and the Sikh shrine, gurudwara (right) where the royal family paid obeisance. Below is a rare portrait of the Maharaja around whom the story of Scandal Point is built.
- History tells us that Rajinder Singhs wife, HarnamKaur, and his son, Richard, dies mysteriously. In the novel, Scandal Point, the mystery shrouding their fate is imaginatively explored as the story develops.