The Last Queen
By Chitra Banerjee
Divakaruni Publisher: HarperCollins
The story of Rani Jindan Kaur, the last wife of Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab, had been systematically written out of history by the British. However, Indo-American author Chitra Divakaruni now offers a compelling account of her life in her new book, The Last Queen.
The daughter of a kennel keeper, Jindan was not even 16 when she fell in love with Ranjit Singh. It is an impossible love story made possible by her tenacity. Singh waited till she was 18 to marry. It is a whirlwind romance—she charms his horse, Laila, with gur (jaggery), he teaches her how to ride, and she can read his mind. For all the sweeping-off the-feet feeling, Jindan is practical and realises that she cannot navigate the world of palace intrigue— she made an enemy of Mai Nakkain, the eldest among Ranjit Singh's wives. There are plenty of attempts to trip her up, but Jindan manages to thwart them all to finally become a regent for her son, Dalip Singh when he is barely five.
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