The Far Pavilions (1978) by MM Kaye
A Romantic Novel set in the British Colonial Era
The Far Pavilions is arguably MM Kaye's finest work, and one that brought her international fame. Although very regional in content, the novel has gained worldwide popularity and is available in several libraries across continents.
A British Armyman and an Indian Princess
Ashton Pelham Martin (Ash) is a British army officer who spent his formative years in India and was brought up as an Indian boy. Orphaned aroung the time of the Sepoy Mutiny, he was adopted by his native maidservant Sita who brings him up as her son to protect him against the anti-British insurgents. He spends his childhood in the kingdom of Gulkote, and finds work in the royal palace. There he befriends a young girl, the princess Anjuli (Juli).
A 'Half Caste'
Juli is looked down upon for being a 'half caste' - the progeny of an Indian king and a Russian mother. A neglected and scorned girl child, she finds solace in Ash's company. Court politics compel Ash to leave the land and return to England, but he promises Juli that he will never forget her.
Anjali waits in vain as the years roll by. Ash forgets their childhood friendship once he settles down in England. Years later, he returns to India on duty. On one of his assignments he has to escort two young Indian princesses who are to be married to an Indian king.
Falling in love
One of the princesses turns out to be Juli, and the other her younger sister. Juli instinctively senses a connection, but he is oblivious as he cannot actually see her (the practice of burkha/veiling was still prevalent in those times). She risks great danger to meet him and tell him what had happened. Thus begins a series of secret encounters that bring them closer.
Sati - Death by Fire
However Juli's fate was decided for her, and Ash has no choice but to let her go. The turning point in the story comes when Ash learns of the king's death, and has to rescue Juli from the funeral pyre as the practice of Sati ordains widows to burn along with their husbands bodies.
A Forbidden Love Story in the British Raj
The Far Pavilions is an exceedingly well written novel with an engrossing storyline. It captures the grandeur, the cruelty, the intricate customs, traditions and politics of the British Raj in minute detail. Some of the sequences in the novel remain etched in the memory for a long, long time.
- The early Ash Anjuli encounters - some secret, others in company with Anjuli's face hidden behind her veil.
- The horror of "Sati" as Ash decides to shoot his beloved to save her from death by fire, little knowing she was doomed to another equally revolting fate.
- The last heroic defense of the British residency in Kabul.
Title: The Far Pavilions
Author: MM Kaye
Published in: 1978
Length: 960 pages (approximate)
The Far Pavilions
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