Days Of The Raj : Life and Leisure in British India

A large imperial archive was generated when the British ruled over India. Days of the Raj gives a vivid account of life during the British Raj through huge volumes of administrative reports, instruction manuals, memoirs, minutes, reports, letters, travelogues and cookbooks that were left behind. The book divulges how the British, during the days of the Raj, had to battle not only heat and fatigue, but also had to overcome homesickness. The book details their club culture, mountaineering activities and Christmas and station parties. It discusses their responses to various aspects of India like the notch girls, the mountains, the fairs and festivals, the holy Ganga, the elephants, the monsoon and the ubiquitous mosquitoes. The book features typical characters from the Raj such as the surly khansamah, the errant syce, the griffin and the district magistrate's shopaholic wife. It depicts the lighter side of colonial life in India during the British rule.