Free Victoria & Abdul by Shrabani Basu Page B

the Queen, Karim was in a dilemma. He was still uneasy about the fact that he had come to Britain to be an orderly, but had ended up doing menial tasks. He had already informed General Dennehy that he wanted to return to India. In Balmoral he had met Sir E. Bradford, who had served as agent in Rajputana, and spoken in fluent Hindustani to him. Karim told him as well that he would like to go back to his family.
    Victoria, in the meantime, was troubled by news from other quarters. Duleep Singh had plunged into an even more rebelliousmode. He had already published inflammatory documents inciting the Sikh community and telegraphed the Queen demanding a trial so that he could prove in a court of justice that his proclamation of himself as the ruler of the Sikhs was not disloyal. He had returned to Paris after an unsuccessful attempt to go to India and sent a telegram to Ponsonby stating: ‘I return to Paris, being unable to obtain justice, resigned stipend, thus ending annexation treaty and getting rid of all the dealings with the most tyrannical government in the world, Indian Administration.’ By October, Duleep Singh had sent wild letters saying he was going to the East and would attach himself to Russia; he was apparently trying to set up a Russian party in north-west India. 12
    ‘Bertie [the Prince of Wales] showed me a really monstrous letter from the Maharajah Duleep Singh to Sir Dighton Probyn [private secretary to the Prince of Wales], who in spite of all the Maharajah’s violent rebellious letters and publications had written in Bertie’s name to condole with him on the death of his wife. He surely must be off his head,’ 13 despaired the Queen, still reluctant to condemn her former ward completely. She slept badly, troubled by his attitude.
    As the leaves turned golden in the autumn, the Royal entourage returned to Windsor. The journey from Ballater to Windsor was made on 25 November, the Queen comfortable in the Royal Saloon and Karim and Buksh close by. The summer had been a learning curve for the Queen. She had discovered more about India in the few months with Karim than she had ever done before. He too had learnt about her, her family, her habits and her preferences. She lay back and thought about how she would enjoy her interactions with Indian Royalty even more from now on. Maybe she would even speak to them in Hindustani.

    The Maharajah, Sayaji Rao Gaekwad, of Baroda and his wife, Chimnabai, were expected at Windsor and the staff were in a flurry to get things right. The Gaekwads of Baroda were a powerful Royal house and the Secretary of State had informed the Queen that the highly educated Maharajah needed some pampering. The Maharani was famed for her skills in classical music and was also known to be a good hunter – she had felled tigers in the jungles around Gujarat and been photographedstanding with her kill, dramatically dressed in a sari with a rifle in her hand. The Maharajah was known to be a proud Mahratta and a well-known patron of the arts. On 2 December the Queen received Chimnabai and her sister in the Audience Room. All the men were kept out of the way and the ‘Indian attendants in particular’. The Queen was fascinated by the Maharani, whose demeanour was very different from the shy and retiring Sunity Devi of Cooch Behar. Chimnabai bent low and shook her hand.
    ‘She is a pretty little thing,’ recalled the Queen, noting what she wore in great detail: ‘a close fitting jacket & trousers, no petticoat, of pale blue satin over the whole a long crimson and gold gauze veil, which passed over the head and covered her completely excepting her face, which she uncovered as she came into the room. She had splendid jewels on.’ 14 The Maharani was wearing the sari draped in a traditional Mahratta way, passing between the legs, giving the impression she was wearing loose trousers. ‘She looks very gentle, but is said to be very wilful and to wish to see everything without being seen …