The British in India

A Social History of the Raj

By: David Gilmour

Narrated by: Michael Page

An immersive portrait of the lives of the British in India, from the seventeenth century to Independence

Who of the British went to India, and why? We know about Kipling and Forster, Orwell and Scott, but what of the youthful forestry official, the enterprising boxwallah, the fervid missionary? What motivated them to travel halfway around the globe, what lives did they lead when they got there, and what did they think about it all?

Full of spirited, illuminating anecdotes drawn from long-forgotten memoirs, correspondence, and government documents, The British in India weaves a rich tapestry of the everyday experiences of the Britons who found themselves in “the jewel in the crown” of the British Empire. David Gilmour captures the substance and texture of their work, home, and social lives, and illustrates how these transformed across the several centuries of British presence and rule in the subcontinent, from the East India Company’s first trading station in 1615 to the twilight of the Raj and Partition and Independence in 1947. He takes us through remote hill stations, bustling coastal ports, opulent palaces, regimented cantonments, and dense jungles, revealing the country as seen through British eyes, and wittily reveling in all the particular concerns and contradictions that were a consequence of that limited perspective. The British in India is a breathtaking accomplishment, a vivid and balanced history written with brio, elegance, and erudition.

©2018 David Gilmour (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Thorough, entertaining

This book is what it proclaims itself to be; a social history. There is little of the standard history books' descriptions of wars, conquests, treaties and the like. Instead, Gilmour goes into extraordinary detail about how Brits in the subcontinent warded off boredom, insects and maddening heat by playing golf, tennis, polo, hunting jackals (foxes apparently didn't do well in India) and other traditional pursuits. All told, I came away with what I think is a good understanding of this large population of "colonialists", their motivations, their satisfactions and disappointment.

The book would not be a good introduction to the subject as a whole, but if one already knows the broad outlines of the underlying history, it is a terrific fleshing out of that bare bones knowledge. At the very end, the author considers the bad name "Imperialism|" and "Colonialism" have in our time, but it is not a major focus of the book; it's more of a coda.

The text is definitely worthy of five stars. I have a bit less enthusiasm for the narration. I found Michael Page's voice a bit soporific. On the other hand, his pronunciation of foreign terms seems to me pretty darn good. All told, I found this a worthwhile and enjoyable listen.

Nuanced, Complex Lives

The anecdotes are fascinating and wide-ranging. The author tells beautiful, dispassionate tales of the lives of constables, planters, judges, vagabonds, soldiers, secretaries, wives, and scientists with extensive quotations from letters and diaries. And it is mercifully politics-free!

Loved it

Not what I was expecting, as I missed the word "social" on first glance, but very glad for my mistake!

Interesting

A scholarly contrast to the disturbing story of The Jewel In the Crown by Paul Scott, a minor character in this book. Has memorable characters and a conclusion hopefully not too sanguine in the current days of Modi.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND

If you are interested in the history of India and England, this is definitely one of the books to listen to.
I had the book in my Audible library for a long time and finally decided to start listening and I am not sorry.
The author is amazing, covering all aspects of colonialism, the good, bad and ugly (of which there is a lot in my opinion).
It is a long book, but by no means boring.
The narrator, mr. Michael Page, is excellent.
My thanks to all involved to make this book available, JK

A Social history!

I just loved this book, loved and learned so much from the angle of social information it contained! The book helped me find commonality in my own 10 year expat experience in France and the Middle East!

A Stunning Social History!

David Gilmour's work on India is unparalleled: erudite, lucid and learned. Everyone should read this book!

For India or British india buffs...

A really good general overview of the Raj. While i fully enjoyed this, I think it's for very particular readers.

Not your grandfather’s history of India

I was initially disappointed that this was not about the wars, politics and economics that led to the rise of British India. But the lives of those who ran its military, bureaucracy and social circles are so engrossing that I came to appreciate that this book offers a unique perspective. I can find the military and political history of India in a dozen other books. For anyone thinking of writing a novel rooted in British India this is required reading.

An entertaining social history.

I picked this up because I was mildly interested in the subject, and because I wanted something that wouldn't require a lot of attention. So I was pleasantly surprised that I found myself WANTING to pay attention. This book is an entertaining, highly readable account of British people living in India from the 18th to the 20th centuries. From prostitutes to politicians and everyone in between, it's not one of those dry social histories written for a PhD. It's a large collection of stories of individual people, organized topically, but with enough of a linear progression to make sense in a story/narrative way. If you want something written about the British in India with an axe to grind, this is not it, but if you want a very readable history of British individuals in India - how they got there, what work they did, how they lived, the relationships they formed, etc - then you've come to the right place.