Stories from the ancient and mighty civilisation of India, from classical mythology to the Mughal Emperors, the East India Company and the British Raj.
Following a historic embassy in 1792-93, Chien Lung, the Emperor of China,
despatched a haughty letter rebuffing King George III’s offer of trade.
38
The King of the Banyan Deer
Based on a story fromThe Jataka Tales
The lord of Benares is so partial to venison that fields
lie fallow and marketplaces stand empty while his people catch deer for him.
39
Kipling’s Proof
ByRudyard Kipling
If officials in the Raj ever forgot who their boss was,
they would bring the whole government down about their ears.
40
The Tea Committee
BySir William Wilson Hunter
Sir William Hunter looks back over a Government committee’s plan to
introduce tea cultivation to India in 1834.
41
A Dream of Independence
ByJohn Bright
In 1877, John Bright told a meeting of the Manchester India Association that he had
wanted to put India on the path to independence nearly twenty years before.
42
Shivaji and the Battle of Surat
Charles II was thinking about handing Bombay back to the Portuguese, when an Indian rebel stepped in.
