The Raj & Beyond.

‘Raj: kingdom, used in twentieth century chiefly to denote British rule in India from 1858 to 1947, hence rajah—ruler; and maharajah—great ruler.’

Set in the waning days of British colonialism, Burmese Days is ‘a portrait of the dark side of the British Raj.’ It describes ‘corruption and imperial bigotry’ in a society where, ‘after all, natives were natives—interesting, no doubt, but finally…an inferior people’. Then we shall turn to the classic prize-winning (Booker of Bookers) novel of India at its transition to independence. The main character is born at midnight, 15 August 1947, precisely as India gained its independence. When he learns that all children born at that time are imbued with special powers, the scene is set for a novel which tells India’s own story.