Why I love reading books by William Dalrymple

    “Kohinoor” was the first novel that I read written by William Dalrymple. This book about a gem is indeed a gem of a book. The facts have been well researched as the book talks in meticulous detail about the origin and the travels of the diamond that we know today and how it came to be a part of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. I first read about this diamond in a history class in school, and I've been captivated by it ever since. The book brings to light various scenes from Indian history and the passage of the ‘Mountain of Light’ (Koh-i-Noor) through multiple hands and finally being presented as a gift to Queen Victoria by the Boy-King Duleep Singh. I recommend this to anyone who is curious about the story of the stone. A remarkably interesting read indeed.

    The next book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading was William Dalrymple’s account of various places and communities of India in “The Age of Kali”. The work has been a culmination of first-hand information about incidents, events, customs, and norms from people who have lived through it all.

    It serves as a travelogue of the experiences that Dalrymple has gathered in his ten years of travel across the terrains of the Indian subcontinent. Picking up stories from the north to the south; from the land of Pakistan to what lies beyond the Indian Ocean. The book’s title refers to the fourth age of time, the Kali Yug, which India is believed to be at present. It is evident from the writing that the writer is overwhelmed as well as in awe of the beauty of the stories the country has to offer.

    I was particularly enthralled to learn how modernization came into being in Bangalore and the opposition that came with it from the localities who desperately tried to hold on to the charm of the old Bangalore city. Each of the true stories depicted in the book talks of something unheard of before. For anyone interested in discovering new tales about India, I assure you this book will feed your curiosity and keep you wanting more.

    Another interesting book I read from Mr. Dalrymple was “Nine Lives”. This was also the book that I got signed by the author at the "Times Literature Festival" held in Bangalore in February 2020. It was after attending many literature events that I finally got to meet him for an autograph and hear live from the author. 

    “Nine Lives” depicts the stories of nine different individuals, each following a different religious path. While journeying across India in quest of modernity and ancient traditions, Dalrymple met these nine people and learned about their holy beliefs. The narrative is structured in such a way that the characters in each story speak for themselves. Here's a thought-provoking line, from a story titled “The Maker of Idols”, that reads- “It’s the faith of devotees that turns it (the idol) into a god.”

    I recall another intriguing story titled- “The Lady Twilight”. It recounts the life of Manisha Ma Bhairavi, who came to Tarapith in search of Ma Tara, and continued to stay there as she felt deep protection from the goddess. Tarapith in Bengal, noted for its Tantric temple and the adjoining cremation grounds, has witnessed the survival of some of the oldest forms of Tantric rites in India. While Sadhus and Tantrics live there amidst skulls and corpses, scavengers in the cremation ground, and confronting their fear of death, for Manisha Ma, it is her home, one “where even the most damaged and marginal can find intimacy and community”. One of the many practices and beliefs they follow there is the practice of drinking from a skull. They believe the skulls give them power- Shakti of Ma Tara. Each of these stories will make you wonder, "What is meant by religious belief?" and "Is it the same as spirituality?"

    The fourth book that I was reading from William Dalrymple’s list was “The Anarchy”. I completed a few pages of it before I left for the US. The book tells the story of how the British ruled India for decades through the establishment of the East India Company. I hope to complete it someday.

    

    Each of Dalrymple’s books tells us a distinct story.  It is an achievement of the author to be able to recount tales of history in such vivid detail and draw up images of the times that we can only imagine now. I have a great appreciation for the author who went scouring for these stories and preserved them for the reader's delight. A true historian of the modern day.

Images are from Times Literature Festival held in Bangalore in February 2020. That is where I met him and got a book signed.