Pearl by the River

Book excerpt: [The author] has excelled in recreating in the reader's mind the enormity of the tragedy a man suffered, and how he chose to sculptor his choked passion into a concrete beauty...' -Dr Meerza Kaukab, great-grandson of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah The last king of Audh, Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Lucknow was exiled by the British to Metiabruz in Bengal, on the fringes of Calcutta. Despite being robbed of his rightful throne, the Nawab did not lose hope; instead, he set about establishing a new mini-kingdom on the banks of the River Hoogly. Little by little he brought in the Laknawi way of life to this area of Bengal, so much so that Metiabruz came to be called 'Chota Lucknow'. Extensively researched and evocatively written, this book looks at a forgotten king and how he turned his exile into a victory of sorts.