John Keay
Urban Underbelly
Delhi: Adventures in a Megacity
By Sam Miller
Jonathan Cape 304pp £14.99
Quite a stir was caused in the 1970s when the Begum of Oudh – India’s equivalent of, say, the Duchess of Devonshire – was discovered living in straitened circumstances among the platform dwellers in New Delhi railway station. A gaunt and imposing figure ‘lost in thought’, according to The Hindu newspaper, ‘her dark sari rippling in the breeze and her hair falling just above her shoulders’, she mostly stood, hands on hips, observing the movement of people and trains with devastating indifference. This went on for years. Meals were taken in the station’s refreshment rooms, and when she tired of standing, the VIP lounge might be opened for her. At night she and her two children slept behind a screen of sheets under the watchful eyes of their Dobermann Pinschers. Nervous reporters came and went. The Begum didn’t budge. Nor did she speak often. Her presence was protest enough.
Admittedly, her claim to one of the most illustrious titles in the country was beset by niggling doubts: Oudh (or Awadh) had been annexed by the British in 1856, the Begum’s pedigree had been challenged by other members of the family, all princely titles had been abolished by
Sign Up to our newsletter
Receive free articles, highlights from the archive, news, details of prizes, and much more.@Lit_Review
Follow Literary Review on Twitter
Twitter Feed
Are iPhones ruining children's lives? A prominent American psychologist thinks so.
@tiffanyjenkins is not so sure:
Tiffany Jenkins - The Smartphone Pandemic
Tiffany Jenkins: The Smartphone Pandemic - The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an...
literaryreview.co.uk
India's 'festival of democracy', or general election, begins next month. Like every good festival, it looks likely to have its fair share of murders and arrests.
@OwenBennettJon probes the state of democracy in India:
Owen Bennett-Jones - New Delhi Confidential
Owen Bennett-Jones: New Delhi Confidential - The Incarcerations: BK-16 and the Search for Democracy in India by Alpa Shah
literaryreview.co.uk
Where is the world's newest narcostate and why is it thriving?
@AdamBrookesWord investigates Asia's meth mecca.
Adam Brookes - Meth Comes to Myanmar
Adam Brookes: Meth Comes to Myanmar - Narcotopia: In Search of the Asian Drug Cartel That Outwitted the CIA by Patrick Winn
literaryreview.co.uk