Sep26

English babu, desi mem

 
One of my favourite novels is Mary Margaret Kaye’s The Far Pavilions. An epic romance set in 19thcentury British India, the novel is, despite its unabashedly orientalistic tone, a heart-warming story of forbidden love against all odds. The aristocratic British army officer, Ashton Pelham-Martyn falls in love with the beautiful princess Anjuli and rescues her from […]

Jul24

Namaste, mate!

Not long ago, English speaking classes sprouted up all over urban and small-town India. Many promised to teach an impeccable RP or an easy Southern drawl. Others peddled insights into the Western mind, presenting Euro-American culture (cinema, literature, slang, gastronomy, etc.) in encapsulated, easy to assimilate form. The boom still continues. A Canadian […]