Maharani Jindan kaur - The Rebel Queen: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Priya Atwal and Navtej Sarna
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni and Priya Atwal have both evoked the spirit of the beautiful Maharani Jindan Kaur through fiction and fact. Kaur was regent of the Sikh Empire from 1843 until 1846. She was renowned for her energy and strength of purpose with the Governor General Dalhousie writing of her, “She has the only manly understanding in the Punjab”. Divakaruni has previously authored the celebrated books The Palace of Illusions, Mistress of Spices and The Forest of Enchantment. Her latest book is The Last Queen. Atwal's recent book, Royals and Rebels: The Rise and Fall of the Sikh Empire, showcases the centrality of female agency within the expansion of Sikh sovereignty. In conversation with Navtej Sarna, author of several works of fiction and non-fiction including The Exile, a novel based on the life of Maharaja Duleep Singh, the last Sikh King and son of Maharani Jindan, the three authors bring alive a fascinating tale of the splendour and downfall of a mighty kingdom, court intrigue, colonial deception and greed, as well as motherhood and feminine strength.