The Literary Society of Miranda House organized an interactive session with Rosie Jones the author of The Last King in India – Wajid Ali Shah, on 24th September.
The Last King in India is detailed biography of India’s last king Wajid Ali Shah, who was on the throne when the East India Company decided to take over him. The book talks about the dichotomy that prevails in the mind of people about the complex character of Wajid Ali, who according to the British is described as a debauched ruler who spent all his time with women, indulging in extravagance of art and theatre whereas most of the Indians believe him to be a gifted poet who was robbed of his throne by the East India Company. The book tells his story for the first time using original documents from Indian and British archives.
In the interaction, Rosie talked about the Oriental gaze in the novel and many other facts about the life of Wajid Ali. She talked about her journey of meeting various people to trace the descendants of the king. She also had a detailed discussion on the topics related to the book with Professor Shweta Sachdeva Jha of the English department of Miranda House, who was also the discussant of the event.
She revealed how her biography of Wajid Ali Shah gives the other side of the coin to his life’s history. She presented a lot of factual information regarding the British regime in India, the presence of Africans in the city of Awadh, women in Wajid Ali’s life and much more. A lot of scandalous pictures were also displayed showing the lavish lifestyle of the Kings of Awadh.
“It was not a very entertaining but an engaging and intellectual interactive session,” said Ragini Khullar, the president of the Literary Society of the college. “It was an enlightening talk that lifted the veil behind the supposed ‘decandent and debauched’ king” said Asmita Jain, a second year English honors student of the college.
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