Introduction
The Last Queen is a book by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni and published on January 2021. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is an Indian-American author, poet, and the Betty and Gene McDavid Professor of Writing at the University of Houston. The genre of this book is Historical Fiction, Biographical Fiction. In this book, the author brings to life the youngest queen of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the eldest Sikh ruler. The daughter of a kennel keeper who became a member of the royal family, she gave birth to the king’s heir, is shown to be bravely fighting the British even after being widowed at the age of 21. We have brought you a summary of ‘The Last Queen’. So let’s turn on again. (The Last Queen Summary)
Summary
It is better to understand the story by dividing it into 4 different Section, as it is made in the book itself.
Section 1
The first Section of the story depicts Jindan’s childhood.
Jindan’s childhood was spent in a hut on the muddy shore of Gujranwala. As a nine-year-old feuder, Jindan, along with his elder brother, Jawahar, joins his exploits of stealing fruit from nearby gardens and fights the boys. Her mother allows her to study unlike other girls, and she is a great student. However, after his education ends abruptly, his father, Manna Singh Aulakh, who works and lives in Badshahi Fort, takes Jindan and his brother to Lahore.
Section 2
Journey after Jindan and Maharaja’s marriage.
Jinder amazed the government with his intelligence and deep love for Punjab. Jindan marries Maharaja Ranjit Singh and becomes her most loved and favorite queen. They had a son, Duleep Singh, who ascended the throne at the age of six after the untimely and gruesome death of members of the royal family.
Section 3
The time after the death of the Maharaja.
After the death of the Maharaja, his kingdom began to fall apart. Members of the royal family started plotting nefarious schemes and killed each other for the throne. The queens and their newborns were also brutally murdered. Even the British kept an eye on the progress of the situation and conspired to seize the state at the first opportunity. The time was uncertain and the wolves appeared around as killers. Being young, she was completely oblivious to palace politics and complex political maneuvers.
Section 4
Exile
Maharani Jindan Kaur was a strong-willed and intelligent woman. She knew that she had to survive and to keep her son alive so that he could become the Maharaja of Lahore. Duleep Singh became king after a lot of cruel incidents, but became a puppet in the hands of the British. He assembled his forces of the Khalsa Regiment and waged war against the British twice. She is defeated because her plan was not strong enough to cheat the British and she made some terrible decisions that led to her downfall.
They brainwashed Duleep Singh and separated Rani Jindan from his son. The property of Rani Jindan was confiscated, deported and imprisoned. The British tarnished her image by referring to her as a seductress. But he never gave up. She escaped from prison and sought refuge in Kathmandu. The British, meanwhile, spread many lies about her and even name her the ‘Messalina of the Punjab.
After separating from her son for a period of fourteen years, she reunites with him once again in Calcutta, and they live together in London for the last few years of their lives.
Some quotes we all need to know
‘I am Rani Jindan, Mother of the Khalsa. That is my identity. That is my fate.’
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
The Last Queen
Insight/review
We should thank Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni that she brought a queen of history in front of people whom very few people would know.
The book is a depiction of the cost of being royal. Life inside the palace, which is nothing less than a mental battlefield each day.
It is a story of bravery, love, hatred, betrayal, betrayal that began in a small town of Gujranwala and takes you from Lahore to Banaras to England from Kathmandu to Calcutta where her journey of life and love for Punjab and India ends.
The language style of the book was simple. No difficult words to be seen. Enjoyed reading it.
Rating
4/5
Conclusion
An excellent love story of a king and a commoner, a cautionary tale about loyalty and betrayal and a powerful parable of the indestructible bond between mother and child.
The Last Queen Summary & Review
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About the Author
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is an Indian-American author, poet, and the Betty and Gene McDavid Professor of Writing at the University of Houston.
