Meira Chand
Meira Chand mixes recorded history with fiction – her own interpretation of events, to create an interesting tale. Set in 1756, the book deals with the events that led to the Black Hole of Calcutta, and suggests that the official numbers and incidents might have been exaggerated by John Holwell, whose account has been debated on. In addition to people who have been mentioned in that account, Meira Chand has added several characters which manage to give the story multiple perspectives.
It also manages to give the reader a view of the conditions that existed during the time that the East India Company traded in Bengal, and at a time when its relations with native rulers as well as other nationals were still to evolve into a concrete form. But the divide between the British and Indians had been well set and is represented by ‘White Town’ and ‘Black Town’. The book also shows the contempt with which both sides held each other.
But a siege by the new ruler of Bengal Siraj-ud-Daulah changes the scenario completely as the inhabitants of Black Town stop serving the Britishers but are soon forced to take refuge in the Fort they’d earlier abandoned.
In addition to the Nawab, his courtiers and the intrigue involved, and the Company men – Governor Drake, his wife and Chief Magistrate Holwell, there are many characters of mixed breed, most important of whom are three generations of women – Jaya, her daughter Rita and Rita’s daughter -Sati, through whom the goddess Durga/Kali manifests herself.
Though the premise is interesting, the pace seems to sag towards the middle. Meira Chand’s vivid descriptions of the towns, their inhabitants and the Hoogly river that witnesses them all, are worth a mention.