William Morrow The Last Queen: A Novel of Courage and Resistance

This book is based on the true story of Maharani Jindan, the last Sikh queen of Lahore, who fought against the British with the help of khalsa warriors but never made it to our history pages, books or media. Jindan kaur was the daughter of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s kennel keeper. Although her father, Manna, wanted to use her beauty as a means to get advantage from the Maharaja, but Jindan astounded the Sarkar with her intelligence and profound love for Punjab. Jindan got married to Maharaja Ranjit Singh and became his most loved and favourite queen. They had a son Dalip Singh who ascended the throne at the age of six after the untimely and gruesome deaths of the royal family members. After the death of the Sarkar, His kingdom started to fall apart. Members of the royal family started to plot nefarious plans and murdered each other for the sake of the throne. The queens and their newborn babies were also murdered ruthlessly. As if the problems were less, even the British kept an eye on the advancement of the situation and plotted to seize the kingdom at the very first opportunity. The times were uncertain and there were cobras and wolves all around in the form of cold-blooded assassins. Being young, she was completely oblivious of the palace politics and intriguing political manoeuvres. Maharani Jindan Kaur was a strong willed and intelligent woman. She knew she had to stay alive and keep her son alive so that he can become the Maharaja of Lahore. Being a Regent Queen, she broke the rules of zenana and discussed important state matters with the courtiers. Dalip Singh became the king after lots of tumultuous incidents, but became a puppet in the hands of the British. She gathered her forces of the khalsa regiment and waged wars against the British twice. She got defeated because her plans were not strong enough to tumble the Britishers and she made some horrible decisions which led to her downfall. They brainwashed Dalip Singh and separated Rani Jindan from his son. Rani jindan’s assets were seized. She was exiled and imprisoned. The british maligned her image by referring to her as a seductress. But she never gave up. She escaped from their prison and sought asylum in Kathmandu. The story flows seamlessly throughout the book and is bound to give chills and goosebumps to the readers. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is known to write about women who got lost in the oblivion and were oppressed in some form in the patriarchal society. The author does not sketch the character of Maharani Jindan keeping in mind only the positive side but also the not-so-pleasant side of her character. We get to hear about her when she was vulnerable and at her weakest. She is not portrayed as a flawless character and that makes her so real and authentic because humans were not meant to be flawless. The author doesn’t turn a blind eye to the other female characters like Mai Nakhan, Guddan, Chand, Mangla because they were equally responsible for shaping her character.

Fabulous hardback beautifully illustrated and a poignant reminder of strong female south asian figures

My daughter has recently been getting into learning more about her Indian roots and history, and she adored this book! From what she said it was very well written and was a very engaging story. She couldn’t wait to keep reading! The buildup up is great and it shows the truth that came along with ruling “The Sikh Empire”. It shows the great struggles of Mahrani Jindan and her journey from being someone invisible to becoming a powerful queen. My daughter would come and excitedly discuss what she read about Jindan and I’m glad she enjoyed her story. Definitely recommend this book to anyone out there who wants an engaging yet educational story on Mahrani Jindan and her incredible struggles and accomplishments.

Beautifully written although not historically accurate.

Excellent read