Plain Tales from the Raj

Rating:
Summary: British India by those who lived it.
Review: Charles Allen's collection of stories about the British Raj in India by those who lived it is a wonderful insight into an often turbulent period of both British and Indian history. With first-hand accounts by the men an women who were a part of the Raj, Allen presents us with a kalidescope of exactly how it was in India in the early part of the 20th century. Whilst many of the eyewitnesses offer a typical British upper class view, there are wonderful descriptions of everyday life in village India. We are also presented with a glimpse of the moral standards of those who lived in the hill stations during the hot Indian summer and one can only surmise that with the passing of time, not much has changed. Kipling would have been proud of this broad panoramic view of the land he loved and wrote about with such affection. The cassette version is a sheer delight and is worth more than one listening. A must for any Indiophile or lover of Kipling.