FICTION
Royal intrigues
R. KRITHIKA
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A racy murder mystery that also offers a peek into the lives of Indian royalty.
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The Raja is Dead; Shivani Singh, HarperCollins, Rs. 295
ONCE there was a king. He had a queen, a princess and three princes. But wait! This is not your average raja-rani-ki-kahani. This is the royal family of Sirikot; Indian independence is round the corner but do the royals care? Not they! They are more interested with their debauched and decadent lives. The raja, like most, has a roving eye — a fact his 13-year-old granddaughter learns from her youngest uncle. Leela comes to her maternal grandparents' home for summer to find a local murder convulsing the palace. Her investigations lead her to secrets within the family; secrets that adults are aware of but are doing their best to ignore. While she is busy investigating the murder, her grandfather dies. And Leela is plunged into a new mystery: what hold does her mother's attendant Shanti have on the royal family? Is this is any way connected to her grandfather's death?
Uncovering secrets
Shivani Singh's The Raja is Dead is a murder mystery that also offers a peek into the lives of Indian royalty. The author, a descendant of the royal family of Madhupur, acknowledges "casual conversations between my mother and grandmother that first set my imagination on fire". Is that why much of the story's details are disclosed through conversations that Leela overhears — between her aunt and uncle, her mother and grandmother, her mother and her uncle...
Given the number of characters and the various secrets that are uncovered from time to time, the book makes a racy, if at times slightly confusing, read. The book rests on Leela's shoulders and Shivani Singh certainly makes the girl appealing — an odd mix of arrogant princess and frightened girl.
One of the best lines comes from Leela's co-conspirator Lalita. "I'd love to solve a murder mystery. I love Agatha Christie... " And that's the attitude for much of the book as Leela and Lalita decide to visit an "untouchable" village, go down the mehtar corridor and rifle through their aunt's cupboard in search of clues to the mystery. This part of the book reads much like a teenage detective mystery set amid lush descriptions of a luxurious life unhampered by need for economy or circumspection.
The latter part of the book is more sombre and the pace also flags. The writer moves into the effect of Independence on the royal families and loses track of the murder for a while. But in keeping with the traditional murder story, the identity of the murderer is revealed only at the end and sure enough, it is a surprise.
In one sense, the book is an ode to a way of life, to a kind of people. Shivani Singh offers a damning explanation for why many royal families just crumbled and degenerated after Independence. "Used to deep coffers they did not know the art of economy and thrift. They had never heard of working within a budget. Used to sitting on thrones they did not understand the etiquette of a society in which everybody was equal. Many were simply devoid of common sense. They had never needed it. It was too common." While the book also deals with issues like untouchability, concubinage, cruelty of the upper classes, these are presented through the eyes of a child with no solutions offered. On the whole, a good read on a lazy summer afternoon.
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