The Mountain of Light
Page 33
The Maharajah’s wide-eyed innocence had taken a beating; over the rest of his life it would be shattered until, knowing he would not be given back his kingdom of Punjab, he was reduced to demanding the return of the Kohinoor.
Maharajah Dalip Singh died, alone actually, in a shabby hotel in Paris in 1893. Bamba Sophia Jindan, his daughter, married David Sutherland and lived in Lahore with him. She is buried in Lahore.
The diamond is said to have held a curse. Legend had it that the Kohinoor could be safely possessed only by a woman, that no man who had it would long hold his kingdom, and that it could never be worn in the official crown of a monarch (hence, perhaps, the reason it was worn in an armlet or set in a throne). In India, Persia, and Afghanistan, during the diamond’s tumultuous and bloody history, only men owned the Kohinoor.
After Queen Victoria, no male ruler of England has worn the Kohinoor on his person. Today, it is displayed along with the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London . . . in the Queen Mother’s crown.
The only man to have successfully warded off the curse of the diamond was Maharajah Ranjit Singh, the Lion of the Punjab, monarch of the largest and most powerful independent kingdom in India in the mid-1800s. In his lifetime, he did not lose his lands, his Empire, or the Kohinoor. But he was, effectively, the first and last ruler of the Punjab. After his death, the Empire crumbled; some ten years later, the Punjab was annexed to the British Empire.
In 1858, India lost her sovereignty and became a British colony, and the Kohinoor shimmered on the arm of her Queen, Victoria. Perhaps, after all, there was a curse on the Kohinoor.
Indu Sundaresan
June 2012
Glossary
Almirah
closet; cupboard
Anna
unit of currency; one-sixteenth of a rupee
Ayah
servant woman
Beedi
hand-rolled cigarette
Beta
literally “son”; also a term of endearment
Bhisti
water carrier
Burfi
sweet
Chai
tea
Chaprasi
peon; messenger boy
Charbagh
literally, four gardens, or four quadrants of a garden bisected by pathways
Choli
bodice, blouse
Chunam
whitewash; lime wash
Dak
postal service
Darbar
court
Dhoti
garment of loose cloth worn around the waist
Dhurrie
cloth mat
Diya
oil lamp
Firangi
foreigner
Ghadhi
water pot
Ghagara
pleated, full skirt
Ghee
clarified butter
Hakim
physician
Hammam
bathhouse
Hartal
a strike
Haveli
house; mansion
Hukkah
water pipe
Huzoor
sir; sire
Jaggery
brown cane sugar
Jali
screen
Jemadar
butler
Jharoka
literally, a glimpse; here to mean the throne balcony
Khitmatgar
cook
Kispet
leather shorts worn in wrestling matches
Konish
form of salutation
Koyal
cuckoo bird
Kurta
loose tunic, usually long-sleeved
Lathi
weighted stick, capped with metal
Lota
water jug
Maidan
open space; sports field
Munshi
clerk
Naan
leavened bread
Nautch
dance; dancing
Neem
Azadirachta indica; tree in the mahogany family
Palki
palanquin
Pallu
loose drape of the sari over the shoulder
Pranam
greetings
Pukraj
topaz
Punkah
fan
Rath-ki-Rani
Cestrum Nocturnum; Queen of Night; flowering shrub
Sarpech
turban ornament
Shamiana
canopy
Sou
French coin of a small denomination
Tamasha
a spectacle; a commotion
Taslim
form of salutation
Tonga
horse-drawn carriage on two wheels
Topi
hat or cap
Wazir
prime minister
Zari
gold or silver wire used in embroidery
Zenana
harem
The Mountain of Light
INDU SUNDARESAN
A Readers Club Guide
SUMMARY
Spanning over forty years, The Mountain of Light follows the story of the coveted Kohinoor, an extraordinary diamond that kingdoms and countries fought to possess. Beginning in 1817, the novel tracks the Kohinoor from Shah Shuja to Maharajah Ranjit Singh to Queen Victoria and chronicles the adventures of the men and women who are touched by its existence. The diamond is embedded in political turmoil that is only perpetuated when it slips from Indian royalty to the English monarchy, and while the Indian Maharajah Dalip Singh attempts to reclaim the Kohinoor from English control, it becomes clear that the fate of the diamond—and India—is already set in stone.
QUESTIONS AND TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION
1. The Mountain of Light features a long list of colorful characters. Who is your favorite character in the novel? Who is your least favorite?
2. After visiting Maharani Jindan Kaur, sisters Emily and Fanny Eden debate whether their brother’s desire to invade Afghanistan and their presence in India are appropriate. Emily argues that the East India Company, and England, has a right to be in India. Do you agree with Emily? Explain why or why not.
3. Cultural differences between English and Indian cultures are prevalent throughout the book, from differences in marriage practices to the difference in attire between the Indian and English women. What cultural difference did you find the most interesting? What difference is the most significant? Explain.
4. During a discussion with Henry Lawrence, Misr Makraj, treasurer to Maharajah Ranjit Singh, tells Henry that Shah Shuja was a “pawn in your Afghan war.” Do you agree with Misr’s assessment? Who is the biggest pawn in the novel?
5. Were you surprised to learn about Shah Shuja’s ultimate fate? Why or why not?
6. Princess Roshni gives Henry Lawrence the Kohinoor because she believes he’s a good man. Why do you think she believes this? Is she right?
7. Colonel Mackeson is led on a whodunit search when someone steals the Kohinoor from him. He ultimately discovers that the thief is Misr Makraj’s son, Multan Raj. Were you surprised by this discovery? Who did you think took the diamond?
8. From Shah Shuja to Ranjit Singh to the Queen of England, the Kohinoor is coveted—and possessed—by an array of rulers. Who do you think most deserves the diamond?
9. In the opening pages of the novel’s last section, Sophia, Maharajah Dalip Singh’s daughter, is described as knowing “how young sixteen can be.” Based on Dalip’s experiences as a teenager, and his observation that “I am now, at sixteen, a grown man,” how subjective are youth and age in The Mountain of Light? Was Dalip an “older” sixteen than most teenagers? Explain your answer.
10. The Mountain of Light spans from 1817 until the late 1800s. What period was your favorite to read about and why?
11. Most relationships in The Mountain o
f Light are enmeshed in politics and custom. Even some of the most deeply personal relationships, such as the bond between Henry Lawrence and Maharajah Dalip, were also influenced by politics between England and India. What relationship was the most authentic in the novel? What relationship was the least authentic?
12. The story of the Kohinoor is told in third person until the last section, which features first-person narration from Maharajah Dalip Singh. Why do you think the author chose to switch to first person? Was it an effective literary device? Explain your reasoning.
13. Maharajah Dalip Singh describes Lord and Lady Login’s dedication to watching after him as waning, observing that “here in England, some . . . thread is broken” between him and his English companions. What do you think caused this change in behavior? Does it foreshadow other treatment Dalip receives from the English?
14. Dalip is left brokenhearted by an unrequited love, Cecilia Bowles. What is the most tragic love story in the novel? What is the most successful?
ENHANCE YOUR BOOK CLUB
1. Learn more about author Indu Sundaresan by visiting her website: www.indusundaresan.com/ and following her Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/Indu-Sundaresan/331750008182.
2. Loved The Mountain of Light? Have an Indu Sundaresan reading challenge! Read the Taj Mahal trilogy and have a bonus discussion about the series.
3. Learn the history behind the fiction. Find out one interesting fact about the characters and the Kohinoor to share with your book club.
4. Have an Indian-themed discussion of The Mountain of Light. Bring traditional Indian food, music, and other cultural items to share with your book club.
© JERRY BAUER
INDU SUNDARESAN was born and raised in India and came to the United States for graduate school. She is the critically acclaimed author of the Taj Mahal trilogy—The Twentieth Wife, The Feast of Roses, and Shadow Princess—along with The Splendor of Silence, and a short story collection, In the Convent of Little Flowers.
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ALSO BY INDU SUNDARESAN
Shadow Princess
The Twentieth Wife
The Splendor of Silence
The Feast of Roses
In the Convent of Little Flowers
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Washington Square Press
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2013 by Indu Sundaresan
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Washington Square Press Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.
First Washington Square Press trade paperback edition October 2013
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Map by Paul Pugliese
Cover design by John Vairo Jr.
Cover painting © George Landseer/The Bridgeman Art Library
Raw diamond © Edward Kinsman/Photo Researchers/Getty Images
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Sundaresan, Indu.
The mountain of light / Indu Sundaresan.—First Washington Square Press trade paperback edition.
pages cm
1. Diamonds—History—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3619.U53M68 2013
813’.6—dc23
2012042871
ISBN 978-1-4516-4351-0
ISBN 978-1-4516-4352-7 (ebook)
Contents
Map
Author’s Note
Cast of Primary Characters
Cast of Secondary Characters
Chapter 1: Fragment of Light
Chapter 2: Roses for Emily
Chapter 3: Love in Lahore
Chapter 4: An Alexandria Moon
Chapter 5: Diary of a Maharajah
Afterword
Glossary
Readers Group Guide
About Indu Sundaresan