Experiencing God in the Hindu belief system
The desire to find the spiritual connection and the reasons to believe in God existed in human conscience since the beginning of civilization. The rise of pastoral and farming communities in the steppes slowly lead to the recognition of natural forces and their connection to the spirits (gods). Evidence of animal sacrifices and nature worship were abundant with pastoralists of the Yamnaya culture. Eventually these practices were carried off by the migrants from steppes to the East and West. The early Vedic population that lived in Indus Valley were very much into worship of Vedic gods (natural forces) and practicing animal sacrifices to please the Vedic deities. Kapali Sastriar and Sri Aurobindo’s esoteric interpretation suggests that Rig-Vedic gods are not just natural forces but they are manifestation of the universal power. The rituals practiced in Vedic India was to please the Vedic gods and bless the performer with strength; the sacrifice is deemed as a wheel for generating the power. In modern Hinduism, the animal sacrifices are deemed cruel and unacceptable because they are not in accordance with the dharmic principles of Hindu beliefs. In addition the Vedic deities have been replaced by gods that emerged from epics such as Ramayana and Mahabharata, and eighteen Maha-Puranas and numerous upa-puranas of the vast Indian Hindu literature.
In this book, the author very briefly discusses the significance and worship of seven gods including three goddesses with references to the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas. They are Ganesha, Brahma, Vishnu, Lakshmi, Shiva, Durga and Kali. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are the Holy Trinity of modern Hinduism. There are three major sects of Hinduism; Vaishnavism, Saivism and Tantrism that focuses on the worship of Vishnu, Shiva and Kali/Durga respectively. Brahma is the creator, Vishnu is the protector and Shiva is the destroyer of the universe. The central idea is that the spacetime and matter of the universe is born with the grace of god, it can sustain with the mercy of god and it eventually dissolves in a holy communion with the God Almighty. Kali and Durga are the divine avatars of Shiva’s wife Parvathi. Lakshmi, the wife of Lord Vishnu is the goddess of wealth who is one of the main deities worshiped during the holy festival of Diwali. The worship of Kali (Kali Pooja) is celebrated in the Hindu month Kartik and coincides with the festival of Diwali. Ganesha is the son of Shiva and Parvathi. He has the head of an elephant and is widely worshiped as the remover of obstacles; the patron of arts and sciences; the deity of intellect and wisdom. He is the god of beginning and worshiped at the start of rituals and ceremonies.
The Hindu spirituality brings together the complex skein of beliefs, practices and metaphysical elements that developed since the holy book of Rig-Veda. The Vedic practices were replaced by philosophical ideas culminating in six schools of Hindu philosophy. The Vedanta and the Samkhya schools developed strongly in the latter part of ancient India. The second set of Holy Scriptures, the Upanishads laid a strong foundation for the development of Brahma-Sutra and Vedanta. It presents the eternal, spaceless, timeless dimension of Pure Consciousness. The Hindu faith appear to be a confusing tangle of myths with many different gods and goddesses. But this is a system of unifying beliefs that have guided since Rig-Vedic period.
This book is written for those who have basic knowledge of Hinduism and it does not go into any extensive discussion of Hindu beliefs, but explains the seven deities and the mode of their worship.
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
Book Reviewed: Ali in Wonderland and Other Tall Tales, by Ali Wentworth
Ali Wentworth on the loose
Whatever and wherever Ali Wentworth do in her personal life, one thing is certain: she finds an amusing way to narrate her own little story with some “personal” detail. This is an uproarious collection of essays of her absurd and hilarious memoir. Ranging from the raucous to the romantic. Whether she’s experiencing lust or sharing her own failures, she make us feel down right at home. She is mischievous, friendly and playful.
She spent most of her life rebelling against her upbringing. She says, if her mom was a hooker, she would be a Rhodes Scholar; or if her mother was a Rhodes Scholar, she would be hooker. Once she turned down an offer from the Playboy magazine for a photoshoot more for an aesthetic reason than for the moral qualms. However, she amused herself by telling to her mother about the offer.
Her marriage to ABC Network’s “Good Morning America” anchor George Stephanopoulos is a successful one but she also bemuses on some serious stuff like when her daughter walking in on them having sex as a teachable moment! In the chapter on “Hugs and not drugs” she tells her daughters that she experimented with a controlled substance and her daughters don’t have to because she has already shown them numerous documentaries about its ill effects! While on the subject of first sex experience, there is a detailed chapter with the title “Happy and preppy and bursting with love.” Two days after the sexual encounter she goes to Georgetown University Hospital, with her boyfriend named Chad, assuming that she is giving birth just two days after sex. It wasn’t a happy and preppy experience to learn from the doctor that she had some bleeding due to sex and nothing more!
Ali Wentworth is a gorgeous woman and amazingly talented writer. She takes on the world, one day at a time. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.
Whatever and wherever Ali Wentworth do in her personal life, one thing is certain: she finds an amusing way to narrate her own little story with some “personal” detail. This is an uproarious collection of essays of her absurd and hilarious memoir. Ranging from the raucous to the romantic. Whether she’s experiencing lust or sharing her own failures, she make us feel down right at home. She is mischievous, friendly and playful.
She spent most of her life rebelling against her upbringing. She says, if her mom was a hooker, she would be a Rhodes Scholar; or if her mother was a Rhodes Scholar, she would be hooker. Once she turned down an offer from the Playboy magazine for a photoshoot more for an aesthetic reason than for the moral qualms. However, she amused herself by telling to her mother about the offer.
Her marriage to ABC Network’s “Good Morning America” anchor George Stephanopoulos is a successful one but she also bemuses on some serious stuff like when her daughter walking in on them having sex as a teachable moment! In the chapter on “Hugs and not drugs” she tells her daughters that she experimented with a controlled substance and her daughters don’t have to because she has already shown them numerous documentaries about its ill effects! While on the subject of first sex experience, there is a detailed chapter with the title “Happy and preppy and bursting with love.” Two days after the sexual encounter she goes to Georgetown University Hospital, with her boyfriend named Chad, assuming that she is giving birth just two days after sex. It wasn’t a happy and preppy experience to learn from the doctor that she had some bleeding due to sex and nothing more!
Ali Wentworth is a gorgeous woman and amazingly talented writer. She takes on the world, one day at a time. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.
Friday, September 23, 2016
Book Reviewed: The Indo-Sumerian Seals Deciphered by L.A. Waddell
Tracing the roots of the culture of Indus Valley Civilization
Laurence Waddell, a British explorer and an archaeologist studied the Sumerian and Vedic culture and history. He made numerous translations of ancient artifacts and interpreted the seals, inscriptions, and amulets of Indus Valley, Tibet and Sumeria. In this book he concludes that the ancestors of Vedic Aryans came from Sumeria. He also observes that the Greek, Romans and the Europeans have common ancestral relationship with Sumerians. The author suggests that the parent Indo-European language belongs to the Near East. He observes a commonality in the cultural practices, religious beliefs, polytheism, nature worship and the deciphered Sumerian and Indus-Valley seals, and other archaeological findings.
Waddell also found some similarities with the names of Vedic kings, princes and seers to the names inscribed on the Sumerian seals. And some of them were specified as living on the banks of the Indus River. He also makes an interesting observation that the ancient Vedic society wrote and spoke in the "Sumerian” tongue, a language which is now known to be the parent Indo-European language, and its offspring includes Sanskrit and European languages. Another key feature of his observation was that temples served as cultural, religious, and political headquarters until approximately 2500 BCE in Sumeria. The priests were ranked very highly in the community but below the ruling class. This practice is also evident in Rig-Veda. Early Sumerian myths were also passed down through the oral tradition until the invention of writing. The religious writings became prevalent much later as temple praise hymns. The author discusses the Sumerian origin of the Sun-worship, and suggests similarities of Sumerian gods with Vedic deities such as Vishnu, Sarasvati and Sun. The Proto-Indo-Iranian religion, the religion of the Indo-Iranian people, prior to the earliest Hindu and Zoroastrian scriptures is the link between Sumeria and Vedic India. These two faiths share a common inheritance of concepts including the universal force of Rig-Veda and Avesta. The religious practices diverged as cultures separated and evolved. The cosmology and connections with forces of nature (gods) on the Central Asian steppes, the Persian plateau and Indus Valley progressed into more scripture-based and religion-oriented belief systems.
In recent years, multidisciplinary studies in archeology, anthropology, genetics, classical philology and linguistics have shed much light into the origins of Indo-Europeans and the parent Indo-European language from two distinct groups of people; the hunter-gatherers, and the farmers/pastoralists. In the beginning, the ancient populations in Europe and Asia were divided into individual archaeological cultures with distinctive types of pottery and cultural practices associated with burials and settlements. With the advent of genetics and genome sequencing, the different groups could be reconciled with genome data that explains the origin and migrations of ancient people in Eurasia. This in turn also explain the source of the parent Indo-European language that resulted in diverse languages in Europe and Asia.
Author Laurence Waddell made very bold predictions for his time in 1920s and some of his interpretations are not far off based on what we know about the origin of early Indo-European culture and languages. This book is available free of charge for download at the following address: https://archive.org/details/TheIndo-sumerianSealsDeciphered1925
Laurence Waddell, a British explorer and an archaeologist studied the Sumerian and Vedic culture and history. He made numerous translations of ancient artifacts and interpreted the seals, inscriptions, and amulets of Indus Valley, Tibet and Sumeria. In this book he concludes that the ancestors of Vedic Aryans came from Sumeria. He also observes that the Greek, Romans and the Europeans have common ancestral relationship with Sumerians. The author suggests that the parent Indo-European language belongs to the Near East. He observes a commonality in the cultural practices, religious beliefs, polytheism, nature worship and the deciphered Sumerian and Indus-Valley seals, and other archaeological findings.
Waddell also found some similarities with the names of Vedic kings, princes and seers to the names inscribed on the Sumerian seals. And some of them were specified as living on the banks of the Indus River. He also makes an interesting observation that the ancient Vedic society wrote and spoke in the "Sumerian” tongue, a language which is now known to be the parent Indo-European language, and its offspring includes Sanskrit and European languages. Another key feature of his observation was that temples served as cultural, religious, and political headquarters until approximately 2500 BCE in Sumeria. The priests were ranked very highly in the community but below the ruling class. This practice is also evident in Rig-Veda. Early Sumerian myths were also passed down through the oral tradition until the invention of writing. The religious writings became prevalent much later as temple praise hymns. The author discusses the Sumerian origin of the Sun-worship, and suggests similarities of Sumerian gods with Vedic deities such as Vishnu, Sarasvati and Sun. The Proto-Indo-Iranian religion, the religion of the Indo-Iranian people, prior to the earliest Hindu and Zoroastrian scriptures is the link between Sumeria and Vedic India. These two faiths share a common inheritance of concepts including the universal force of Rig-Veda and Avesta. The religious practices diverged as cultures separated and evolved. The cosmology and connections with forces of nature (gods) on the Central Asian steppes, the Persian plateau and Indus Valley progressed into more scripture-based and religion-oriented belief systems.
In recent years, multidisciplinary studies in archeology, anthropology, genetics, classical philology and linguistics have shed much light into the origins of Indo-Europeans and the parent Indo-European language from two distinct groups of people; the hunter-gatherers, and the farmers/pastoralists. In the beginning, the ancient populations in Europe and Asia were divided into individual archaeological cultures with distinctive types of pottery and cultural practices associated with burials and settlements. With the advent of genetics and genome sequencing, the different groups could be reconciled with genome data that explains the origin and migrations of ancient people in Eurasia. This in turn also explain the source of the parent Indo-European language that resulted in diverse languages in Europe and Asia.
Author Laurence Waddell made very bold predictions for his time in 1920s and some of his interpretations are not far off based on what we know about the origin of early Indo-European culture and languages. This book is available free of charge for download at the following address: https://archive.org/details/TheIndo-sumerianSealsDeciphered1925
Thursday, September 22, 2016
Maharaj Radhanath Swami Preaching the Word of God in his recent book, "The Journey Within"
Maharaj Radhanath Swami Preaching the Word of God, the Bhagavadgita
I had the pleasure of listening to Radhanath Swami on many occasions, and I was deeply influenced by his spirituality, devotion and his guidance. He is one of the most influential follower of Srila Prabhupada since the Hare Krishna movement hit the Western Civilization. In this book, the maharaj helps us to understand the true message of the Lord Krishna narrated in Bhagavadgita.
I have been a spiritual seeker all my life and wanted to learn more about the Creator. I wanted to look beyond the message of Abrahamic faiths. I was not convinced that we can seek god through accepting the Son of God as a savior (John 3:16), or a messenger (Judaism) or a prophet (Muslim faith). The message found in Gita is different. The lord came to this world in the most obvious way possible for him, as a human being. First as Krishna and later as Chaitanya. The Lord gave the greatest gift to mankind, his sacred song, the Bhagavadgita that teaches us as how we can have a personal relationship with Him.
Life is a recycling process; one goes through the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. In this vicious cycle, our deeds do not go unnoticed by Lord Krishna. The rebirth can occur in any life form which depends on the karma of the immediate previous life. If one lead a devotional life practicing the bhakti yoga taught in Gita, that person would reappear in an elevated life from in the next life; or if a person did not follow the teachings of Krishna and did not show love for the Lord, then he would be born in a non-elevated life form. But Lord Krishna has given us a choice to escape this redundant physical existence. Accept Krishna’s message and follow the path of bhakti yoga and he can show you the way where this cycle and physical existence is replaced with a complete union of the Supreme Being, the Lord Krishna. And we get to live in a timeless and spaceless universe full of consciousness. It is in His presence we find joy and everlasting peace. The critical factor is to lead a devotional and spiritual life, by practicing bhakti yoga, as taught by Lord Chaitanya, and later expounded by Srila Prabhupada. Radhanath Swamiji has given several examples from his experiences. His words have changed my life spiritually, and I have no doubt that it can change yours as well.
I had the pleasure of listening to Radhanath Swami on many occasions, and I was deeply influenced by his spirituality, devotion and his guidance. He is one of the most influential follower of Srila Prabhupada since the Hare Krishna movement hit the Western Civilization. In this book, the maharaj helps us to understand the true message of the Lord Krishna narrated in Bhagavadgita.
I have been a spiritual seeker all my life and wanted to learn more about the Creator. I wanted to look beyond the message of Abrahamic faiths. I was not convinced that we can seek god through accepting the Son of God as a savior (John 3:16), or a messenger (Judaism) or a prophet (Muslim faith). The message found in Gita is different. The lord came to this world in the most obvious way possible for him, as a human being. First as Krishna and later as Chaitanya. The Lord gave the greatest gift to mankind, his sacred song, the Bhagavadgita that teaches us as how we can have a personal relationship with Him.
Life is a recycling process; one goes through the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. In this vicious cycle, our deeds do not go unnoticed by Lord Krishna. The rebirth can occur in any life form which depends on the karma of the immediate previous life. If one lead a devotional life practicing the bhakti yoga taught in Gita, that person would reappear in an elevated life from in the next life; or if a person did not follow the teachings of Krishna and did not show love for the Lord, then he would be born in a non-elevated life form. But Lord Krishna has given us a choice to escape this redundant physical existence. Accept Krishna’s message and follow the path of bhakti yoga and he can show you the way where this cycle and physical existence is replaced with a complete union of the Supreme Being, the Lord Krishna. And we get to live in a timeless and spaceless universe full of consciousness. It is in His presence we find joy and everlasting peace. The critical factor is to lead a devotional and spiritual life, by practicing bhakti yoga, as taught by Lord Chaitanya, and later expounded by Srila Prabhupada. Radhanath Swamiji has given several examples from his experiences. His words have changed my life spiritually, and I have no doubt that it can change yours as well.
Monday, September 19, 2016
Book Reviewed: Happily Ali After: And Other Fairly True Tales by Ali Wentworth
Vagina monologues of Ali Wentworth
Ali Wentworth is a gorgeous woman, great comedienne and an excellent writer. This memoir is written in an entertaining prose rather than a traditional biography. In this collection of essays, she writes about relationships, friendships, inspiration, marriage, parenting, and wellness. She muses on the hard lessons learned in her career as a television performer, a wife and a mother in her 50 years of life! After all life experiences comes in fifty shades of grey.
Some of the interesting stories in this book are; when she was living in Los Angeles with her friend named Daphne, she experiences jealousy with her friend. She finds that her circle of friends were encased in sexual ambiguity and insecurity in life. In another episode, when she was on an erotic adventure with her boyfriend named Leo to Hawaii, he takes a book to read during the trip and her dream of a romantic weekend comes to an abrupt end when he leaves her in the hotel. While shooting for video project in her swanky apartment in New York, when a cameraman named Hugh stinks up her apartment with a bowel blast in the restroom; she comes up with several schemes to circumvent that problem but to no avail.
This book is full of witty zingers and some juicy stories. With twist of words and phrases, she narrates her life story in a highly entertaining style and keeps the reader engaged to the very last page. Despite all the rowdiness, Ali Wentworth’s erudition pokes fun of life. She sounds psychotic, but she is also a lady who is proud of intimate disclosures sharing with her readers.
Ali Wentworth is a gorgeous woman, great comedienne and an excellent writer. This memoir is written in an entertaining prose rather than a traditional biography. In this collection of essays, she writes about relationships, friendships, inspiration, marriage, parenting, and wellness. She muses on the hard lessons learned in her career as a television performer, a wife and a mother in her 50 years of life! After all life experiences comes in fifty shades of grey.
Some of the interesting stories in this book are; when she was living in Los Angeles with her friend named Daphne, she experiences jealousy with her friend. She finds that her circle of friends were encased in sexual ambiguity and insecurity in life. In another episode, when she was on an erotic adventure with her boyfriend named Leo to Hawaii, he takes a book to read during the trip and her dream of a romantic weekend comes to an abrupt end when he leaves her in the hotel. While shooting for video project in her swanky apartment in New York, when a cameraman named Hugh stinks up her apartment with a bowel blast in the restroom; she comes up with several schemes to circumvent that problem but to no avail.
This book is full of witty zingers and some juicy stories. With twist of words and phrases, she narrates her life story in a highly entertaining style and keeps the reader engaged to the very last page. Despite all the rowdiness, Ali Wentworth’s erudition pokes fun of life. She sounds psychotic, but she is also a lady who is proud of intimate disclosures sharing with her readers.
Friday, September 16, 2016
Book Reviewed: Maharanis: The Extraordinary Tale of Four Indian Queens and Their Journey from Purdah to Parliament, by Lucy Moore
The Women of Royal India
This is a fascinating story of four maharanis who worked tirelessly to transition from a very chaotic final days of their kingdom and the British Raj into the modern democratic and secular India. For just over a century after the British invasion of India, India’s princely families lived in an extraordinary cocoon of privilege and magnificence, protected from mass democratization ushered in the modern era by their complex association with British Empire.
Author Lucy Moore’s narratives are exhaustive and the detail accounts gives us a good background in their upbringing and challenges the royal women faced as they grew up. Despite many advantages and upbringing in both Indian and European cultures, they had to live up to the traditions of a Hindu Royal family. Their opulent and sensual lifestyle with a penchant for flashing their jewelry was legendary. When the curtain came down, it diminished their power and authority. But they reckon, rejuvenate and come back to serve the people they long ignored. The four Maharanis discussed in this book comes from two families, the Royal Family of Cooch Behar and the Royal family of Baroda; Maharani Chimnabai (1872-1958), Princess Indira Raje, Maharani Sunity Devi, and Maharani Gayathri Devi. Maharani Chimnabai and Maharani Sunity Devi are the two matriarchs of their illustrious families and Maharani Chimnabai takes an active role in the struggle for India’s independence and work very closely with Mahatma Gandhi.
This book also reveals the frivolous side of the men and women of Indian royal families. Despite their traditions and strong culture, in all its richness and vitality, they were also vulnerable to the material things in life. Most of them lived in the lap of luxury, with a lavish life style both in India and Europe. They had a big circle of famous Indian and European friends, British Royalty, and other fabulous riches framed by the beauty and culture. These women enjoyed the best life could offer, but also handled the difficult times in their personal lives with mixed results. So many tragic deaths occurred in the three royal families of Baroda, Cooch Behar, and Jaipur. Alcohol was the main cause of sudden and tragic deaths in most cases. In some cases either they fell down the stairs, food poisoning or pneumonia. Yet Chimnabai, Sunity Devi, Indira Raje and Gayathri Devi were always not able to bond on the happiness they sought for themselves. However they did their best to bring that in the lives of many citizens. Despite their individual faults and weaknesses, these women lived up to their rank, believed passionately in the concept of duty that drove them. They were revolutionaries rising above the cultural limitations and helped society to accept gender equality and redefine the role of women in India. These are amazing stories which reads like fairy tales. It is highly engaging and written with passion for history.
This is a fascinating story of four maharanis who worked tirelessly to transition from a very chaotic final days of their kingdom and the British Raj into the modern democratic and secular India. For just over a century after the British invasion of India, India’s princely families lived in an extraordinary cocoon of privilege and magnificence, protected from mass democratization ushered in the modern era by their complex association with British Empire.
Author Lucy Moore’s narratives are exhaustive and the detail accounts gives us a good background in their upbringing and challenges the royal women faced as they grew up. Despite many advantages and upbringing in both Indian and European cultures, they had to live up to the traditions of a Hindu Royal family. Their opulent and sensual lifestyle with a penchant for flashing their jewelry was legendary. When the curtain came down, it diminished their power and authority. But they reckon, rejuvenate and come back to serve the people they long ignored. The four Maharanis discussed in this book comes from two families, the Royal Family of Cooch Behar and the Royal family of Baroda; Maharani Chimnabai (1872-1958), Princess Indira Raje, Maharani Sunity Devi, and Maharani Gayathri Devi. Maharani Chimnabai and Maharani Sunity Devi are the two matriarchs of their illustrious families and Maharani Chimnabai takes an active role in the struggle for India’s independence and work very closely with Mahatma Gandhi.
This book also reveals the frivolous side of the men and women of Indian royal families. Despite their traditions and strong culture, in all its richness and vitality, they were also vulnerable to the material things in life. Most of them lived in the lap of luxury, with a lavish life style both in India and Europe. They had a big circle of famous Indian and European friends, British Royalty, and other fabulous riches framed by the beauty and culture. These women enjoyed the best life could offer, but also handled the difficult times in their personal lives with mixed results. So many tragic deaths occurred in the three royal families of Baroda, Cooch Behar, and Jaipur. Alcohol was the main cause of sudden and tragic deaths in most cases. In some cases either they fell down the stairs, food poisoning or pneumonia. Yet Chimnabai, Sunity Devi, Indira Raje and Gayathri Devi were always not able to bond on the happiness they sought for themselves. However they did their best to bring that in the lives of many citizens. Despite their individual faults and weaknesses, these women lived up to their rank, believed passionately in the concept of duty that drove them. They were revolutionaries rising above the cultural limitations and helped society to accept gender equality and redefine the role of women in India. These are amazing stories which reads like fairy tales. It is highly engaging and written with passion for history.
Thursday, September 15, 2016
Book Reviewed: Maharani by Diwan Jarmani Dass
The extravaganza of Indian Royalty during the British Raj
Diwan Jarmani Dass was a minister in the state of Karputhala and Patiala and travaelled widely in India and Europe. He played into the hands of the British Empire who used Indian intellectuals in the administration of the British Colony. In exchange he had numerous opportunities to travel to Europe, and be close with British aristocracy and have numerous European friends. It worked both ways for the British and also individuals like Jarmani Dass. He got to enjoy the riches in the company of very adorable females in the Western World. At the same time he was also the witness to the opulent and sensual life styles of the members of Indian royal families. Their lives were morally and spiritually corrupt, and they demonstrated it very well.
There are 48 chapters, some as short as two pages. The narratives does not go into much detail, and in some cases doesn’t mention the names of the Maharaja and Maharani involved in scandalous affairs. Several chapters are devoted to the royal families of European countries, which is not directly relevant to the scope of the book.
On the positive note, there are some rare black and white pictures; photograph of H.H. Jagatjit Singh and H.H. Maharaja of Mysore and his cricket team; H.H. Jagatjit Singh in Hollywood; Rani Germaine Pellegrino; Rani Parvathi Devi; Maharani Sita Devi; Rani Kanari of Kangra; and Maharani Anita Delgado with Jarmani Dass.
This book is a disorganized collection of essays (chapters) that flow aimlessly from chapter to chapter without connecting to each other. The writing is not focused and each chapter reads like a column written for a newspaper. I wished the editor had reviewed this work before it went to the press. For readers interested in the extraordinary tales of Indian Maharani and Maharajas, I would recommend Lucy Moore’s “Maharanis,” and Coralie Younger’s “Wicked Women of the Raj.” The latter book is largely focused on Western women married into the Indian Royalty; the former book focuses on the incredible tale of four Indian Maharanis.
Diwan Jarmani Dass was a minister in the state of Karputhala and Patiala and travaelled widely in India and Europe. He played into the hands of the British Empire who used Indian intellectuals in the administration of the British Colony. In exchange he had numerous opportunities to travel to Europe, and be close with British aristocracy and have numerous European friends. It worked both ways for the British and also individuals like Jarmani Dass. He got to enjoy the riches in the company of very adorable females in the Western World. At the same time he was also the witness to the opulent and sensual life styles of the members of Indian royal families. Their lives were morally and spiritually corrupt, and they demonstrated it very well.
There are 48 chapters, some as short as two pages. The narratives does not go into much detail, and in some cases doesn’t mention the names of the Maharaja and Maharani involved in scandalous affairs. Several chapters are devoted to the royal families of European countries, which is not directly relevant to the scope of the book.
On the positive note, there are some rare black and white pictures; photograph of H.H. Jagatjit Singh and H.H. Maharaja of Mysore and his cricket team; H.H. Jagatjit Singh in Hollywood; Rani Germaine Pellegrino; Rani Parvathi Devi; Maharani Sita Devi; Rani Kanari of Kangra; and Maharani Anita Delgado with Jarmani Dass.
This book is a disorganized collection of essays (chapters) that flow aimlessly from chapter to chapter without connecting to each other. The writing is not focused and each chapter reads like a column written for a newspaper. I wished the editor had reviewed this work before it went to the press. For readers interested in the extraordinary tales of Indian Maharani and Maharajas, I would recommend Lucy Moore’s “Maharanis,” and Coralie Younger’s “Wicked Women of the Raj.” The latter book is largely focused on Western women married into the Indian Royalty; the former book focuses on the incredible tale of four Indian Maharanis.
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Book Reviewed: Going Beyond Vaikuntha, by Bhaktivedanta Narayana
The story of Gopakumara and Narada Maharishi
This book is a collection of 12 lectures delivered by Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja. The topic of these lectures include the conversation between Gopakumara and Narada Maharishi discussed in the fourth chapter of Srimad Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purana). Elaborating on this story, the author focuses on the words of wisdom offered to a morose and depressed Gopakumara. The spiritual instruction of maharishi help him understand the purpose of his long and arduous journey to be with the Supreme Being. The maharishi persuades the devotee not to give up hope but to keep submerged in deep devotion chanting the maha-mantra, the Gopal-mantra. This is the path of bhakti-yoga; the way for the soul be in holy union with the Supreme Soul.
When Gopakumara despaired after years of practicing bhakti and never found peace, the Lord sent Narada Maharishi to console and guide him so that he finishes the journey to be in the abode of the lord (Vaikuntha). The gist of the story is that if we dedicate ourselves in bhakti and chanting the holy name, Lord Krishna responds to your bhakti and offers assistance and guidance to find Him.
Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja is the disciple of Srimad Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Maharaja. Narayana Maharaja was a close friend of Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada, the founder of ISKCON. Their teachings paralleled to exemplify and enumerate the principles of Vaishnavism and celebrate the second coming of Lord Krishna as Lord Chaitanya in order to strengthen the path bhakti-yoga taught in his sacred song, the Bhagavadgita.
This book is a collection of 12 lectures delivered by Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja. The topic of these lectures include the conversation between Gopakumara and Narada Maharishi discussed in the fourth chapter of Srimad Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purana). Elaborating on this story, the author focuses on the words of wisdom offered to a morose and depressed Gopakumara. The spiritual instruction of maharishi help him understand the purpose of his long and arduous journey to be with the Supreme Being. The maharishi persuades the devotee not to give up hope but to keep submerged in deep devotion chanting the maha-mantra, the Gopal-mantra. This is the path of bhakti-yoga; the way for the soul be in holy union with the Supreme Soul.
When Gopakumara despaired after years of practicing bhakti and never found peace, the Lord sent Narada Maharishi to console and guide him so that he finishes the journey to be in the abode of the lord (Vaikuntha). The gist of the story is that if we dedicate ourselves in bhakti and chanting the holy name, Lord Krishna responds to your bhakti and offers assistance and guidance to find Him.
Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja is the disciple of Srimad Bhakti Prajnana Kesava Maharaja. Narayana Maharaja was a close friend of Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada, the founder of ISKCON. Their teachings paralleled to exemplify and enumerate the principles of Vaishnavism and celebrate the second coming of Lord Krishna as Lord Chaitanya in order to strengthen the path bhakti-yoga taught in his sacred song, the Bhagavadgita.
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Book Reviewed: Wicked Women of the Raj, By Coralie Younger
The European Maharani
White women marrying men from royal families of India, especially when the men had several wives and children was a daring experiment. Some of these women were treated with incredible deference by the rest of the royal family and also by the native population. This book reveals the traditions and culture in all its richness and vitality, and how the maharaja and his European bride made it work. Some of these marriages were happy and lasted a long time and some did not. Some of them adapted to the Indian culture and remained loyal to their husbands and stood by the kingdom. They found true love. Others used their husbands to live in the lap of luxury; a lavish life style both in India and Europe; a big circle of famous Indian and European friends; British Royalty, and fabulous riches framed by the beauty and culture. These women enjoyed the best life could offer, but also handled the difficult times in their personal lives with mixed results. These are amazing stories which reads like fairy tales. It is highly engaging and written with passion for history.
Researching from many firsthand sources, memoirs, letters, photographs, and diaries, author Coralie Younger has provided a splendid picture of European women who married Indian maharajas and princes much to the displeasure of European media, their own people and the British Empire. It was distressing for India office, the administrative body of British Imperial administration. It had to wrestle with the idea that interracial marriage is a carnal sin and sons of this marriage will be hard to deal with as princes. They also had to worry about the consequences of mass uprising against British authority if they had interfered in the life of a maharaja. This is a collection of compelling real-life dramas full of adventure, romance, and heartbreak in the most complex colony of the British Empire.
Stories included in this book are; Bamba Muller (married Maharaja Duleep Singh of Punjab); Ada Douglas Wetherill (married to Maharaja Duleep Singh of Punjab); Florrie Bryan (married Maharaja Rajendar Singh of Patiala); Olive Monolescue (married Maharaja of Sind); Anita Delgado (married Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Karputhala); Eugenie Grosupova (married Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Karputhala); Dolly Parnell (married Prince Nasir Ali Khan of Rampur); Elsie Thompson (married Maharaja Gopal Narain Singh of Tikari); Molly Fink (married Raja Martanda Bhairava Tondaiman of Padukkottai); Morag Murray (married Syed Abdullah of Koh Fort); Nancy Miller (married Maharaja Tukoji Rao Holkar of Indore); Molly Eslip (married Prince Ali Khan of Jaora); Stella Mudge (married Maharaja Paramjit Singh of Karputhala); Marguerite Lawler (married Maharaja Yeshwant Rao Holkar of Indore); Euphemia Crane (married Maharaja Yeshwant Rao Holkar of Indore); Joan Falkiner (married Nawab Taley Mohamed Khan of Palanpur); Sandra McBryde (married Maharaja Hanwant Singh of Jodhpur); Yvonne Martin (married Nawab Mohamed Mubarak Abbasi); Annabella Parker (married Maharaja Bhagavat Singh of Udaipur); and Helen Simmons (married Nizam Mukarram Jah Bahadur of Hyderabad).
A brief summary of the book is as follows:
Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Karputhala, the son of the powerful ruler Ranjit Singh, married Anita Delgado, a teenage dancer from Madrid, Spain. They move into the royal palace at Karputhala, but when the maharaja's health failed, his wife turned to the arms of one of his sons from another marriage. When she was caught, Anita was banished to Europe with a generous settlement. A movie entitled; “The Black Prince” based on Javier Moro’s book “Passion India,” was planned in 2006. Actress Penelope Cruz brought the rights for the book, but never got off the feet because the Karputhala Royal family brought a law-suit alleging the story is fabricated.
The women who impressed me are; Georgina (Gina) May Egan (married Maharaja Jagaddipendra Narayan of Cooch-Behar,) a ravishingly beautiful woman who possessed wisdom, strength and courage to negotiate the complicated etiquette and political intrigue of the royal court with grace and style. She had a very difficult job of fitting in the family with her mother-in-law, Maharani Indira Devi and sister-in-law, Gayathri Devi, the Maharani of Jaipur. The marriage was kept secret for three years from her dowager mother-in-law.
Helen Simmons married Nizam Jah Bahadur in 1979 and had two children with him. They lived in Hyderabad and Europe and finally moved to Australia. By 1986 she became disillusioned in her life; in addition her friends were taking advantage of her riches and generosity. She had grown distant from her husband and became very outgoing with several male friends. Her life tumbled downwards when one of her young male lovers gave her the HIV in 1987, and sadly passed away in 1989. During 1980s AIDS disease was a death sentence and AZT tablets helped her to survive for two years.
Annabella Parker married Maharana Bhagavat Singh of Udaipur, a family of noble traditions and proud ancestors. He was a prince of incomparable Rajput honor. Annabella was looking for love and connection to rich and famous. She had access to the famous jewels of Udaipur but chose a simple chiffon tie-dyed sari without jewelry. She had limited influence in the affairs of the royal family, but she loved her husband and they were together for 18 years. She even accepted that she could not attend any princely states as couple. “Purdah” was strictly observed in orthodox Rajput states. When she was visiting England to nurse her ill mother, she also found that her husband also became gravely ill and passed away. Soon after his death, Annabella returned to Udaipur and she had to practice an austere life of a widow in the conservative kingdom. With her husband gone, she felt she lost everything, she was devastated and went back to England. In 1988 she was given the opportunity to collect her valuable jewelry, expensive clothes and her belongings. She did not wish to return to Udaipur.
Yvonne Martin married Nawab Abbasi of Bahawalpur and she was one of the three British ladies he had married. He had separate quarters in his palace for his European wives and Indian wives. But they never knew about each other. When she came to Bahawalpur in 1952, it was swept with politics of Islamic Pakistan. When she suspected that the Nawab was plotting her death (he was responsible for the death of his wife Linda Sayce.) She felt for her safety and escaped to England.
Marguerite Lawler met Yeshwant Rao Holkar in Los Angeles when he was severely weakened from drugs and alcohol addiction, chronic insomnia and weighed about 90 pounds. He was close to death. The maharaja’s addiction to drug arose from ready availability of poppy seeds in his kingdom. In 1938, she divorced her husband Paul Brannson and married maharaja and moved to Indoor. Later he built a prison-like mansion at Santa Ana, California, for her and his daughter from prior marriage, at an astronomical scale. In 1943 he convinced her to give him a divorce and he remarried Fay. The British Empire noted this marriage with disdain. This was founded on his addiction to drugs and her love for his jewelry. Their son Richard was never recognized by British Imperial Power as the heir to throne, instead they bestowed the kingdom to Usha Holkar his daughter from an Indian wife.
Stella Mudge was a wayward girl since she was in her early teens. Maharaja Paramjit saw her when she was 18 in Paris when he was with his wife Brinda. He was instantly smitten. He was a man who was more concerned about his personal enjoyment and entertainment than the welfare of his people noted one of the members of British Authority. In 1919 Stella visited India as his mistress and maharaja wanted to be discreet about his relationship but she blew the cover and regarded everyone in the family is a spy and despised them. In 1937, she married Maharaja Paramjit Singh according to Sikh traditions and she wore diamond studded jewelry fashioned by Cartier. They travelled frequently to France and England and stayed in the best hotels and she wore the best jewelry designed by the best in Paris and London. She broke into the treasury of the kingdom of Karputhala so hard that the assets were disappearing faster than anyone can imagine. But Stella was brazen and did not care when British aristocracy and the Royal Family did not include her in any social activities. People of Karputhala despised her intensely.
After her husband’s death she visited England but she was not happy and returned to India. Stella kept her jewels in her sister’s storeroom and loft and also in many Swiss Bank Safety Boxes. She was living alone in Shimla and took to heavy drinking and gained pounds and started May-December type of liaison with a young male lover working at the hotel and some women too. This is the first time in her life men started taking advantage of her for material gains. Addiction to alcohol made her weak and remained unconscious for days, and she died in 1984. The maharani of Karputhala was buried in Delhi unceremoniously. In 1988 her jewelry and treasures were auctioned off in Paris. In 1997 a British TV program “For love and Money” chronicled her life and asked the viewers if they know where the rest of her treasures are.
Molly Eslip was married to the prince Ali Khan of Jaora. Mollie spent lavish amounts of money and also let her sister spend the money that belonged to the kingdom. She was not accepted by the Muslim subjects. To escape her difficult circumstances, she visited Mussoorie and met with other European and socialized with them. She could wear Wester cloths and dance with men. After their marriage fell apart, the Nawab of Jaora helped her and her three children settle down in England.
Georgina (Gina) May Egan of Cooch-Behar, Nancy Miller of Indore and Joan Falkiner of Palanpur disproved the British theory that only white women of “lower Class” marry Indian princes. Nancy Miller was born in Seattle, Washington and came from a well-educated family. She met Tukoji Rao Holkar in Switzerland and fell in love with him. Despite the fact he had two wives, she accepted that fact and got the blessing of her family. She converted to Hinduism and used the name Sharmistha Devi. British did their best to stop the wedding and they even blackmailed him warning that his allowance would be stopped, but it did not work. They were married in March 1928. The marriage was conducted in Maratha Hindu style in front Indian and European guests. Tukoji’s annual income exceeded the combined incomes of kings of Denmark, Norway and Bulgaria. They had four daughters together and lived in the lap of luxury. She owned some of most expensive jewelry and lived in one of the most elegant palaces in India. She played a minor role in Indore state affairs and also got accustomed to the culture and the people. She was very energetic and charming woman and entertained numerous Indian and European guests. When her step-son married Fay Crane, she became a friend and confidante to the younger women and lent a shoulder to cry on when things got tough for the young woman. As the Maharani, Nancy was an unqualified success. In his last years, Tukoji became ill and broken hip, Nancy nursed him and stayed close to him. She also nursed the daughter of senior Maharani when she was diagnosed with tuberculosis. She remained loyal to Tukoji until his death in May 1978. She was devastated at his death and remained in India and did not wish to return to United States. Five years later, it was rumored that one of her daughters, Sharada Raje had poisoned her mother to death and then ensued bitter struggle among her daughters for the family’s treasures. It was one of the best interracial marriages in Indian history.
Morag Murray married Syed Abdullah after she met him in Edinburgh when he was a student. Morag faced stiff opposition to her marriage from family and friends. But she was not going to the queen of any place of importance, the marriage went on with some opposition from Abdullah’s father. Syed was devoted to Morag and was very affectionate to her.
On one occasion when the fort was under attacked, Syed and his men panicked, Morag took advantage of Clansmen’s superstition and wore long white flowing robes and pretended to be a white mythical lady, a figure both revered and feared. This caused consternation among attackers and the coup failed. Morag’s dangerous adventure took place in Snake Valley while travelling through a barren territory she was captured by a ferocious brigand who said he loved her and intent on marrying her. He locked her up in a room until she marry him, she eventually agreed and even became more resourceful. At the first opportunity, she escaped.
Morag liked simple things in life and she wore Scottish pearls even when she was a guest of another kingdom, instead of wearing glittering jewels. She disliked Shimla and other places where mainly Europeans and Indian royalty hung out. She thought that there was too much snobbery. She was also annoyed by the questions from her Scottish friends about her adapted land in which she had developed deep respect. She detested the ignorance on the part of her family and friends who would pry her for some juicy harem stories. Morag also despised institutional bigotry promoted by the British Imperial Machine. She yearned for the day when East and West would meet on an equal footing. Knowing she was out of step with popular opinion she made an impassioned plea to end racial intolerance and inequality.
Martanda Bhairava Tondaiman of Padukkottai and was installed on gaddi in May 1886. He was very diligent, and good at sports. He started travelling to Europe and United States. He had been known to have affairs with European women and at one time was engaged to be married to an American. British authorities warned him of making alliances with white women. He obviously ignored them, and when he was in Australia, he was a frequent visitor to races at Royal Randwick and was welcomed by numerous social gatherings. It was then he met Molly Fink in a restaurant. The Maharaja proudly wrote to Lord Pentland of Madras that he was going to marry and Molly Fink but Pentland was caustic and wrote back that he marry a Hindu woman. He refused. This made King George V angry and Viceroy Lard Harding was terse. This would mean that all that there would be no hopes for any social life in Australia or in India. She was however received a royal welcome from her subjects and treated well in the royal palace. There was much entertainment for the new Rani. The British Authority did not confer her with any official title and did not include in any official invitations. In the meantime Molly had a baby boy and the couple chose to live in Sydney, Australia, until British confer his wife the honor and title she deserved. A private audience with King George V did not change things much and the monarchy was unwilling to accept that Molly’s son will be the future Maharaja. This disheartened Martanda and eventually he went to live in Cannes, France with enormous amount jewelry and wealth. There the couple made friendship with members of British royal family and British aristocracy. Molly patronized the finest courtiers of the day but remained faithfully close to Maharaja and Indian traditions. In May 1927, Martanda became very ill and passed away at the age of 58. As a Hindu and the ruling prince of an Indian state Martanda had to be buried at Pudukkottai in India. Molly begged the British for her and son to accompany the body of Maharaja but they refused anticipating that there would be an upsurge of sympathy for her young son to be future Maharaja. And this would have also caused popular resentment against the British. It was final that Molly was not allowed to go to India and British Royalty had the “I told you so” moment. India Office of the British wing gloated at the fallacy of interracial marriage. As a mark of respect to her husband, she wore traditional attire for a year. Many of her wealthy friends were impressed. Many wealthy men including Prince Agha Khan were begging for her hand in marriage, she turned them all. Moly was also a perfect mother and a role model for her young son. During the latter part of her life, she became an alcoholic, and depressed. In November 1967. Molly passed away due to bowel cancer and she was interred at Golders Green Crematorium in London next to her husband Martanda and 17 years later their son was laid to rest next to them.
Australian actress Elsie Thompson met Gopal Narain (Rajey) Singh, the Maharajah of Tikari in Calcutta. Rajey studies at Oxford before returning to India. In May 1909, he married Elsie according to the rites of Arya Samaj and she converted into Hinduism and took the name of Sita Devi. Elsie wore traditional Hindu dress and accessorized herself with jewelry. Rajey was very well liked and a very good sportsman and very generous. His hospitality was legendary and Elsie loved to entertain his guests. Officially British did not honor her as Maharani of Tikari but took part many unofficial activities. In 1911 Delhi Durbar at which King George V and Queen Mary presided, Rajey had a major role in many social events. Both of them had a very outgoing life styles and the marriage was breaking apart when Elsie became very domineering and started to control his finances. When she met another Australian businessman she left Maharaja after getting a hefty settlement. Elsie suffered from mental disorder and in Nov 1967 she passed away in a mental institution in Australia. There were no mourners and no relatives were found. Rajey had died in 1958 and she never knew about it. It was an unmarked grave until when her niece found about it six years later, she had a plaque engraved “Sita Devi, Maharani of Tikari.”
White women marrying men from royal families of India, especially when the men had several wives and children was a daring experiment. Some of these women were treated with incredible deference by the rest of the royal family and also by the native population. This book reveals the traditions and culture in all its richness and vitality, and how the maharaja and his European bride made it work. Some of these marriages were happy and lasted a long time and some did not. Some of them adapted to the Indian culture and remained loyal to their husbands and stood by the kingdom. They found true love. Others used their husbands to live in the lap of luxury; a lavish life style both in India and Europe; a big circle of famous Indian and European friends; British Royalty, and fabulous riches framed by the beauty and culture. These women enjoyed the best life could offer, but also handled the difficult times in their personal lives with mixed results. These are amazing stories which reads like fairy tales. It is highly engaging and written with passion for history.
Researching from many firsthand sources, memoirs, letters, photographs, and diaries, author Coralie Younger has provided a splendid picture of European women who married Indian maharajas and princes much to the displeasure of European media, their own people and the British Empire. It was distressing for India office, the administrative body of British Imperial administration. It had to wrestle with the idea that interracial marriage is a carnal sin and sons of this marriage will be hard to deal with as princes. They also had to worry about the consequences of mass uprising against British authority if they had interfered in the life of a maharaja. This is a collection of compelling real-life dramas full of adventure, romance, and heartbreak in the most complex colony of the British Empire.
Stories included in this book are; Bamba Muller (married Maharaja Duleep Singh of Punjab); Ada Douglas Wetherill (married to Maharaja Duleep Singh of Punjab); Florrie Bryan (married Maharaja Rajendar Singh of Patiala); Olive Monolescue (married Maharaja of Sind); Anita Delgado (married Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Karputhala); Eugenie Grosupova (married Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Karputhala); Dolly Parnell (married Prince Nasir Ali Khan of Rampur); Elsie Thompson (married Maharaja Gopal Narain Singh of Tikari); Molly Fink (married Raja Martanda Bhairava Tondaiman of Padukkottai); Morag Murray (married Syed Abdullah of Koh Fort); Nancy Miller (married Maharaja Tukoji Rao Holkar of Indore); Molly Eslip (married Prince Ali Khan of Jaora); Stella Mudge (married Maharaja Paramjit Singh of Karputhala); Marguerite Lawler (married Maharaja Yeshwant Rao Holkar of Indore); Euphemia Crane (married Maharaja Yeshwant Rao Holkar of Indore); Joan Falkiner (married Nawab Taley Mohamed Khan of Palanpur); Sandra McBryde (married Maharaja Hanwant Singh of Jodhpur); Yvonne Martin (married Nawab Mohamed Mubarak Abbasi); Annabella Parker (married Maharaja Bhagavat Singh of Udaipur); and Helen Simmons (married Nizam Mukarram Jah Bahadur of Hyderabad).
A brief summary of the book is as follows:
Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Karputhala, the son of the powerful ruler Ranjit Singh, married Anita Delgado, a teenage dancer from Madrid, Spain. They move into the royal palace at Karputhala, but when the maharaja's health failed, his wife turned to the arms of one of his sons from another marriage. When she was caught, Anita was banished to Europe with a generous settlement. A movie entitled; “The Black Prince” based on Javier Moro’s book “Passion India,” was planned in 2006. Actress Penelope Cruz brought the rights for the book, but never got off the feet because the Karputhala Royal family brought a law-suit alleging the story is fabricated.
The women who impressed me are; Georgina (Gina) May Egan (married Maharaja Jagaddipendra Narayan of Cooch-Behar,) a ravishingly beautiful woman who possessed wisdom, strength and courage to negotiate the complicated etiquette and political intrigue of the royal court with grace and style. She had a very difficult job of fitting in the family with her mother-in-law, Maharani Indira Devi and sister-in-law, Gayathri Devi, the Maharani of Jaipur. The marriage was kept secret for three years from her dowager mother-in-law.
Helen Simmons married Nizam Jah Bahadur in 1979 and had two children with him. They lived in Hyderabad and Europe and finally moved to Australia. By 1986 she became disillusioned in her life; in addition her friends were taking advantage of her riches and generosity. She had grown distant from her husband and became very outgoing with several male friends. Her life tumbled downwards when one of her young male lovers gave her the HIV in 1987, and sadly passed away in 1989. During 1980s AIDS disease was a death sentence and AZT tablets helped her to survive for two years.
Annabella Parker married Maharana Bhagavat Singh of Udaipur, a family of noble traditions and proud ancestors. He was a prince of incomparable Rajput honor. Annabella was looking for love and connection to rich and famous. She had access to the famous jewels of Udaipur but chose a simple chiffon tie-dyed sari without jewelry. She had limited influence in the affairs of the royal family, but she loved her husband and they were together for 18 years. She even accepted that she could not attend any princely states as couple. “Purdah” was strictly observed in orthodox Rajput states. When she was visiting England to nurse her ill mother, she also found that her husband also became gravely ill and passed away. Soon after his death, Annabella returned to Udaipur and she had to practice an austere life of a widow in the conservative kingdom. With her husband gone, she felt she lost everything, she was devastated and went back to England. In 1988 she was given the opportunity to collect her valuable jewelry, expensive clothes and her belongings. She did not wish to return to Udaipur.
Yvonne Martin married Nawab Abbasi of Bahawalpur and she was one of the three British ladies he had married. He had separate quarters in his palace for his European wives and Indian wives. But they never knew about each other. When she came to Bahawalpur in 1952, it was swept with politics of Islamic Pakistan. When she suspected that the Nawab was plotting her death (he was responsible for the death of his wife Linda Sayce.) She felt for her safety and escaped to England.
Marguerite Lawler met Yeshwant Rao Holkar in Los Angeles when he was severely weakened from drugs and alcohol addiction, chronic insomnia and weighed about 90 pounds. He was close to death. The maharaja’s addiction to drug arose from ready availability of poppy seeds in his kingdom. In 1938, she divorced her husband Paul Brannson and married maharaja and moved to Indoor. Later he built a prison-like mansion at Santa Ana, California, for her and his daughter from prior marriage, at an astronomical scale. In 1943 he convinced her to give him a divorce and he remarried Fay. The British Empire noted this marriage with disdain. This was founded on his addiction to drugs and her love for his jewelry. Their son Richard was never recognized by British Imperial Power as the heir to throne, instead they bestowed the kingdom to Usha Holkar his daughter from an Indian wife.
Stella Mudge was a wayward girl since she was in her early teens. Maharaja Paramjit saw her when she was 18 in Paris when he was with his wife Brinda. He was instantly smitten. He was a man who was more concerned about his personal enjoyment and entertainment than the welfare of his people noted one of the members of British Authority. In 1919 Stella visited India as his mistress and maharaja wanted to be discreet about his relationship but she blew the cover and regarded everyone in the family is a spy and despised them. In 1937, she married Maharaja Paramjit Singh according to Sikh traditions and she wore diamond studded jewelry fashioned by Cartier. They travelled frequently to France and England and stayed in the best hotels and she wore the best jewelry designed by the best in Paris and London. She broke into the treasury of the kingdom of Karputhala so hard that the assets were disappearing faster than anyone can imagine. But Stella was brazen and did not care when British aristocracy and the Royal Family did not include her in any social activities. People of Karputhala despised her intensely.
After her husband’s death she visited England but she was not happy and returned to India. Stella kept her jewels in her sister’s storeroom and loft and also in many Swiss Bank Safety Boxes. She was living alone in Shimla and took to heavy drinking and gained pounds and started May-December type of liaison with a young male lover working at the hotel and some women too. This is the first time in her life men started taking advantage of her for material gains. Addiction to alcohol made her weak and remained unconscious for days, and she died in 1984. The maharani of Karputhala was buried in Delhi unceremoniously. In 1988 her jewelry and treasures were auctioned off in Paris. In 1997 a British TV program “For love and Money” chronicled her life and asked the viewers if they know where the rest of her treasures are.
Molly Eslip was married to the prince Ali Khan of Jaora. Mollie spent lavish amounts of money and also let her sister spend the money that belonged to the kingdom. She was not accepted by the Muslim subjects. To escape her difficult circumstances, she visited Mussoorie and met with other European and socialized with them. She could wear Wester cloths and dance with men. After their marriage fell apart, the Nawab of Jaora helped her and her three children settle down in England.
Georgina (Gina) May Egan of Cooch-Behar, Nancy Miller of Indore and Joan Falkiner of Palanpur disproved the British theory that only white women of “lower Class” marry Indian princes. Nancy Miller was born in Seattle, Washington and came from a well-educated family. She met Tukoji Rao Holkar in Switzerland and fell in love with him. Despite the fact he had two wives, she accepted that fact and got the blessing of her family. She converted to Hinduism and used the name Sharmistha Devi. British did their best to stop the wedding and they even blackmailed him warning that his allowance would be stopped, but it did not work. They were married in March 1928. The marriage was conducted in Maratha Hindu style in front Indian and European guests. Tukoji’s annual income exceeded the combined incomes of kings of Denmark, Norway and Bulgaria. They had four daughters together and lived in the lap of luxury. She owned some of most expensive jewelry and lived in one of the most elegant palaces in India. She played a minor role in Indore state affairs and also got accustomed to the culture and the people. She was very energetic and charming woman and entertained numerous Indian and European guests. When her step-son married Fay Crane, she became a friend and confidante to the younger women and lent a shoulder to cry on when things got tough for the young woman. As the Maharani, Nancy was an unqualified success. In his last years, Tukoji became ill and broken hip, Nancy nursed him and stayed close to him. She also nursed the daughter of senior Maharani when she was diagnosed with tuberculosis. She remained loyal to Tukoji until his death in May 1978. She was devastated at his death and remained in India and did not wish to return to United States. Five years later, it was rumored that one of her daughters, Sharada Raje had poisoned her mother to death and then ensued bitter struggle among her daughters for the family’s treasures. It was one of the best interracial marriages in Indian history.
Morag Murray married Syed Abdullah after she met him in Edinburgh when he was a student. Morag faced stiff opposition to her marriage from family and friends. But she was not going to the queen of any place of importance, the marriage went on with some opposition from Abdullah’s father. Syed was devoted to Morag and was very affectionate to her.
On one occasion when the fort was under attacked, Syed and his men panicked, Morag took advantage of Clansmen’s superstition and wore long white flowing robes and pretended to be a white mythical lady, a figure both revered and feared. This caused consternation among attackers and the coup failed. Morag’s dangerous adventure took place in Snake Valley while travelling through a barren territory she was captured by a ferocious brigand who said he loved her and intent on marrying her. He locked her up in a room until she marry him, she eventually agreed and even became more resourceful. At the first opportunity, she escaped.
Morag liked simple things in life and she wore Scottish pearls even when she was a guest of another kingdom, instead of wearing glittering jewels. She disliked Shimla and other places where mainly Europeans and Indian royalty hung out. She thought that there was too much snobbery. She was also annoyed by the questions from her Scottish friends about her adapted land in which she had developed deep respect. She detested the ignorance on the part of her family and friends who would pry her for some juicy harem stories. Morag also despised institutional bigotry promoted by the British Imperial Machine. She yearned for the day when East and West would meet on an equal footing. Knowing she was out of step with popular opinion she made an impassioned plea to end racial intolerance and inequality.
Martanda Bhairava Tondaiman of Padukkottai and was installed on gaddi in May 1886. He was very diligent, and good at sports. He started travelling to Europe and United States. He had been known to have affairs with European women and at one time was engaged to be married to an American. British authorities warned him of making alliances with white women. He obviously ignored them, and when he was in Australia, he was a frequent visitor to races at Royal Randwick and was welcomed by numerous social gatherings. It was then he met Molly Fink in a restaurant. The Maharaja proudly wrote to Lord Pentland of Madras that he was going to marry and Molly Fink but Pentland was caustic and wrote back that he marry a Hindu woman. He refused. This made King George V angry and Viceroy Lard Harding was terse. This would mean that all that there would be no hopes for any social life in Australia or in India. She was however received a royal welcome from her subjects and treated well in the royal palace. There was much entertainment for the new Rani. The British Authority did not confer her with any official title and did not include in any official invitations. In the meantime Molly had a baby boy and the couple chose to live in Sydney, Australia, until British confer his wife the honor and title she deserved. A private audience with King George V did not change things much and the monarchy was unwilling to accept that Molly’s son will be the future Maharaja. This disheartened Martanda and eventually he went to live in Cannes, France with enormous amount jewelry and wealth. There the couple made friendship with members of British royal family and British aristocracy. Molly patronized the finest courtiers of the day but remained faithfully close to Maharaja and Indian traditions. In May 1927, Martanda became very ill and passed away at the age of 58. As a Hindu and the ruling prince of an Indian state Martanda had to be buried at Pudukkottai in India. Molly begged the British for her and son to accompany the body of Maharaja but they refused anticipating that there would be an upsurge of sympathy for her young son to be future Maharaja. And this would have also caused popular resentment against the British. It was final that Molly was not allowed to go to India and British Royalty had the “I told you so” moment. India Office of the British wing gloated at the fallacy of interracial marriage. As a mark of respect to her husband, she wore traditional attire for a year. Many of her wealthy friends were impressed. Many wealthy men including Prince Agha Khan were begging for her hand in marriage, she turned them all. Moly was also a perfect mother and a role model for her young son. During the latter part of her life, she became an alcoholic, and depressed. In November 1967. Molly passed away due to bowel cancer and she was interred at Golders Green Crematorium in London next to her husband Martanda and 17 years later their son was laid to rest next to them.
Australian actress Elsie Thompson met Gopal Narain (Rajey) Singh, the Maharajah of Tikari in Calcutta. Rajey studies at Oxford before returning to India. In May 1909, he married Elsie according to the rites of Arya Samaj and she converted into Hinduism and took the name of Sita Devi. Elsie wore traditional Hindu dress and accessorized herself with jewelry. Rajey was very well liked and a very good sportsman and very generous. His hospitality was legendary and Elsie loved to entertain his guests. Officially British did not honor her as Maharani of Tikari but took part many unofficial activities. In 1911 Delhi Durbar at which King George V and Queen Mary presided, Rajey had a major role in many social events. Both of them had a very outgoing life styles and the marriage was breaking apart when Elsie became very domineering and started to control his finances. When she met another Australian businessman she left Maharaja after getting a hefty settlement. Elsie suffered from mental disorder and in Nov 1967 she passed away in a mental institution in Australia. There were no mourners and no relatives were found. Rajey had died in 1958 and she never knew about it. It was an unmarked grave until when her niece found about it six years later, she had a plaque engraved “Sita Devi, Maharani of Tikari.”
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