Koh-I-Noor: So many were and remain enamoured by this diamond.Mesmerising detail, pictorial language, excellent period description.This tale sweeps from 1809 to 1893 with a revolving set of players: English, Afghani, Indian, each of whom harbours and then passes on the mythical diamond, the Koh-I-Noor. Each player’s voice is distinct and appears true to the culture and of the period. Sundaresan makes you feel the heat of the dusty land, the opulent life lived in tents by the British for years, and the sparkle of jewels that are given away indiscriminately by the Sikh Maharaja, Ranjit Singh.One wonders whether if the mighty Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab gave as much thought and planning to maintain unity in his wider family and to appoint and train a successor, as he did to giving lavish gifts to the British, whether Punjab wouldn’t have been as easily annexed. But then his was the lone Indian kingdom unoccupied by the British, on which both the East India Company and the British monarchy had their eyes.I found all the characters in this tale of many Acts and Scenes believable, their tales fascinating. The book read like a play, some characters pitiable, others well-intentioned but ultimately playing only for their own gain. The Koh-I-Noor had the least part, the others all vying for her like buyers at an auction, eventually only the sword-wielder taking her as his spoils.In the story, the Koh-I-Noor was to me an emblem of India: a gleaming, one-of-a-kind gem, treated badly by all made spellbound by her beauty. Like India, the Koh-I-Noor was tossed from one hand to another as if it were a plaything, annexed, cut down to size: to lose its original size and lustre; and retaliating only with curses that are ultimately hollow. I finished the book with a feeling of deep sadness and longing for things to be restored to how they were 200 years before. What right did Queen Victoria and her consort have to cut the Koh-I-Noor to just over half of its size? Then Prince Albert reportedly realises too late that the lustre of the Koh-I-Noor is reduced. The British monarchy coveted this diamond that was mined in India; the least they could have done was treat it with the respect and reverence it deserved.It is the author’s gift that she has made me, a reader, so invested in the plight of the Koh-I-Noor and a ravaged India. Scholarly but immensely readable. I thoroughly recommend it. The Mountain of Light. Author: Indu SundaresanPublisher: Harper Collins India.ISBN: 978-93-5116-091-5Genre: Historic fiction.The Kohinoor, the mountain of light as the Shah of Persia named is believed to have been given by the Lord Krishna to devotee, from there it’s physical mention is in the memoirs of the Mogul king Babur. It has then traversed in out of India to its final resting place in the crown of England.The story opens in the court of Maharaja Ranjith Singh of the Punjab Empire who exacts the Kohinoor from Shah Shuja of Afghanistan for help him regain his kingdom.Indu presents the book as a pensive of Prince Dalip Singh the son of Maharaja Ranjith Singh. Taking through the gardens of Lahore, accession of Punjab, the boy king’s travel to London, his conversion, queen Victoria’s venture to get him married to her other protégée, Victoria Gowramma of coorg. The English attitude, of Dalip Singh being a person to be feted and petted yet unworthy to marry the ward of impoverished missionary couple who are his guardians.What I like about Indu’s style of writing be it the Taj Trilogy or the Splendour of Silence is vibrancy, she is able to create an imagery and actually give us a voyeuristic view, she is so present in her writing through the language, life and vibrancy without being judgemental. But in the novel the mountain of light Indu is conspicuous by her absence the book ambles along like an rickety old man ... factually and as a social structure she is able to sort of recreate the raj, but Indu for the first time disappointed me.Of course there are tremendous insights into history.
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It was good read - I came to understand Punjab history it was good story.
—Nzeey
This is a beautiful book! I am looking forward to reading it.
—CarolW
Good, but not as good as her others.
—novel40
It was a page turner for me
—Vipera
