‘Victoria & Abdul’ the true story of the Queen’s closest confidant’ is a book written by Shrabani Basu in 2010. Here I will review this intriguing story with reference to this excellent book.
In 1886 Dr Tyler, Superintendent of the Central Jail at Agra, British India was responsible for sending a team of expert prisoner carpet weavers to London for the Colonial and Indian Exhibition. His clerk, a 24 year old Abdul Karim, chose the carpets and also some golden bracelets to be presented to Queen Victoria, Empress of India. The carpets and bracelets were well received by the Queen.
Shortly after Dr Tyler was asked to provide two Indian attendants for the Royal Household. The tall handsome, Abdul Karim was one of the choices. He had proved to be a good worker and a quick learner. He was also a Hafiz. He found out later that he was selected to wait tables for Queen Victoria during her Golden Jubilee. Having agreed to go, he set about learning some basic English and how to cook Indian meals. Together with some new clothes and some spices he set sail to England aboard a steamer ship.
Once in London, he visited Madame Tussaud’s wax museum and London Zoo. Then he went onto Windsor Castle to become a part of the Royal Court. Initially he was waiting the Royal tables for the Jubilee, looking grand dressed in scarlet tunic and white turban.
He quickly progressed to cooking curries for the Queen and her guests, the Indian Princes. These included chicken curry, daal, pilau, birianis and kormas. The Queen and her guests loved the dishes.
The Empress of India, Queen Victoria had never visited India, but she was extremely interested in all Indian things. She became Queen at the age of 18 years and ruled a quarter of the world’s population. It was said the sun never set on her Empire. However she became lonely following the death of her husband in 1861 and always wore black afterwards.
Impressed by Abdul’s polite, friendly nature and unique cooking skills, the Queen quickly developed a bond with him. She wanted to learn Urdu, Abdul was willing to teach her, she became his pupil. They commenced daily lessons which lasted for 13 years. He wrote a line in Urdu, then in English, then in Urdu Roman script. The Queen would copy this, she loved the sounds of Urdu. He told her stories of Agra and the Taj Mahal history, the Queen was fascinated. The Indians had a special place in her heart.
Abdul traveled with the Royals, to Balmoral, Scotland and Osborne, Isle of Wight. As his English improved he started doing secretarial tasks for the Queen. He had become her favorite employee, they became close. She loved him like a son. The Royal Household didn’t approve of this friendship. The Queen promoted him to ‘Munshi’, his salary increased. She commissioned portraits of him, soon she became dependent on him.
Abdul recognized his influence over the Empress. He politely requested for some favors, the Queen responded generously. He was granted extensive plots of land in Agra, met the Viceroy of India. For Eid he visited the Shah Jahan Mosque in working, Surrey built in 1889. He was known to conduct prayers there. Many Muslims from all over England came to the mosque. He started to travel with the Queen in luxury, having his own carriage on the Royal train. He accompanied her on foreign tours and was often mistaken for an Indian Prince. He mingled easily with the high society. The Queen requested curry to be prepared every day. She developed a keen interest in Indian politics, especially for the rights of the Muslims. Abdul’s influence was strengthening. A special cottage at Balmoral, Scotland was built for him, named ‘Karim Cottage’. He also had comfortable residences at Windsor and Osborne. His father, wife, mother in law and nephew (Abdul Rashid) came over to visit him. He was promoted to the position of Indian Secretary of the Queen Empress. He took part in the Royal family events. He was awarded several honors and medals. As his power and responsibilities increased the suspicious Royal household rebelled against him. He was followed and spied upon. But the Queen fiercely supported and protected her ‘Munshi’. All plots against him failed, he was never found to have been indiscreet to the Queen. This was during the political back drop of calls for Indian independence, he never gave away any secrets. He remained loyal to his friend the Queen for 13 years. She showed no discrimination to race,religion or class.
The young Muslim Agra Central Jail clerk, had risen quickly from being the Queen’s servant to ‘Munshi’, highly decorated Indian Secretary and close confidant. He had successfully taught the Queen to read, write and speak Urdu.
At the age of 81 years in 1901, Queen Victoria passed away. A sad Abdul Karim paid his last respects to her. He was a principal part of the mourners at the funeral, as requested by the Queen herself. Shortly after the funeral, the new King Edward VII ordered that all of Abdul’s correspondence relating to the Queen be destroyed. They wanted no trace of his relationship to remain. They ordered that he and his family leave England.
Abdul Karim returned with his wife to ‘Karim Lodge’ in Agra. They didn’t have any children. He continued to grieve for his pupil, the Queen. His health deteriorated and he passed away at the young age of 46 years in 1909. Even at this time the British paranoia persisted and further letters and property were taken from Abdul’s home. To the great distress of his grieving family.
Fast forward to 2011, the author of ‘Victoria & Abdul’ Shrabani Basu gets a call from the great grandson of Abdul Rashid (Abdul Karim’s nephew) in Karachi. His elderly mother Begum Qamar Jehan, recalled her time at Karim Lodge in Agra. During partition the family had smuggled over Abdul Karim’s diary. She showed it to the author, it was a ‘neat brown journal with gold edges, stationary as used in Windsor’. It documented the 10 years between the Golden and Diamond Jubilees (1887-1897). It was filled with pictures and magazine cuttings, like a scrapbook. It completed the jigsaw in a remarkable story described beautifully by Shrabani Basu.
