While the political role of the British in the history of our country is well covered, the social and economic life of an ordinary English officer in the 17th, 18th and 19th century India hasn't quite received the attention. This book is the fruit of labour of two authors, Dennis Kincaid, a third generation civil servant and after Dennis' untimely death, his friend David Ferrer.
The British started arriving in India in the 16th century as merchant-explorers having heard a lot about the exotic East. Those early settlers had to adjust themselves to local food as European options were limited. For example, lack of European wine meant they had to do with the Persian variety.
One gets a good account of how independently the East India Company ran it's affairs and brooked no interference even from the Crown Government. However, the Company wasn't a professional run firm either. On the contrary, corruption, inefficiency and incompetence pervaded all levels of it. The early years were marked by slave trade in medieval India which included European women as well. While India was home to European trading communities such as French, Dutch, Portuguese, Danes, English who mingled socially but matrimonial alliances with other European nationality was discouraged on account of religious differences.
The rise of the East India Company through expansion of trade and territory meant it's officials saw rise in their fortunes as well for opportunity for shady deals were aplenty. The need to make quick bucks were necessitated by high cost of living in the latter half of the 18th century and ostentatious show of wealth by a fashion-conscious, class-conscious Anglo-Indian society. Lavish parties which comprised gambling, drinking and elaborate spread on the table was an everyday affair.
Despite a sense of racial superiority and pretentions, the British society had it's frailties like any other. Brawls during Sunday morning prayers as men vied for attention of unmarried women were a regular thing. Bitching, back biting, discreet dalliances and intrigues come across as a recurring theme of their social milieu. The underbelly of the English society in colonial India is aptly summed up by Rudyard Kipling through a parody of the famous children rhyme Jack and Jill.
Jack's own Jill goes up the hill,
To Murree or Chakrata,
Jack remains, and dies in the plains,
And Jill remarries soon after.
Kipling earned himself a fair share of critics and disapprovals for his writings, Dennis Kincaid's grandmother being one.
On the other hand, as the colonial masters become more and more entrenched, British society also underwent gradual transformation. Relations with the natives improved and the exclusivity of their social life eased. Apart from dance, parties and picnics the British now took interest in Indian culture, heritage and it's landscape. Landscape painting became a hobby among many.
Political upheavals of the 19th century impacted their social life. The revolt of Kanpur and slaughter of European women and children ignited racial hatred and old prejudices raised their ugly head. The author takes a sympathetic view towards Indians with regards to the Revolt.
While social life in colonial India in the 17th and18th century was one of formality and seniority in social interactions, the latter half of the 19th century through to the first half of the 20th century saw rise of informal and laud behaviour among the young recruits which dismayed the seniors. For example, hookah smoking which was done in privacy of homes and clubs became a practice in the open spaces such as parks and near beaches in the 1840s among the young officers of Bombay.
Surprisingly, the turmoil of the First World War hardly had any impact on British social life in colonial India.They went about their happy ways. However, the rise of political movements with nationalistic overtones, in the post war years, made the European gentry uneasy. Indian Civil Service became less coveted and recruitment dwindled.
By the turn of the 20th century, one gets a clear picture of the Anglo-Indian culture having morphed into a distinct identity quite removed from English culture in England so much so that few elderly British reminisce about England having become a strange country to them.
As the book draws to a close with Independence on the horizon, one can't miss the melancholy in the author's tone when he says they won't be considered as belonging to this land despite many of them being born and raised here.
Although Dennis Kincaid has given a close portrayal of British life in India, the narration lacked a seamless flow as it moved from one chapter to another. It improves in the latter part as David Ferrer takes over after Dennis' demise.
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