Copy - Paperback
Rating- 3/5
It seems extraordinary that a character as colourful as Wajd Ali Shah would vanish completely from Bengali consciousness. That is the first sentence in the forward passage of the book – Pearls by the River essentially signifying the forgotten effect of Wajid Ali Shah of Awadh had on Bengali cultural & aesthetic revolution. Whether the author does well to lead us down the road of remembering the deposed King of Awadh as the primary architect of Bengali arts & culture is another thing. The book has many pluses which makes it an engaging read – fast paced, easy & fictionalized way of writing, and chronical in its order.
However, the book takes a long time to warm up to the actual topic of the King building a mini-Lucknow on the banks of Hoogly. The book quickly gathers pace in the second half when the King reaches Calcutta, and brings his cultural tastes of thumri, kathaks & symphony to the foreground. The author very well exhibits the architectural delights of Metiyaburj. It leads to more of an encapsulated effect of the Shah on the Bengali culture. The brief paragraph on gastronomical benefit & passages on paan that the Shah introduced had a pleasant underlining. There are a few passages on “The Oudh Commission” which, though engaging, leads to a meandering effect to the storyline. The King’s private relationships– his wives & concubines is presented in bits & pieces throughout the book.
The book overall presents a composite picture of Wajid Ali Shah, but there a few dark spots that makes you underwhelmed.
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