However, one feature that is common in both diaries is that both Ananda Ranga Pillai and Viranaicker considered themselves loyal subjects of the French. In spite of articulating his criticism of the French so clearly, Pillai did not ever exhibit any nationalist consciousness or preference for being under indigenous rule.
Those lured (or even blackmailed or kidnapped) to join, faced a tough journey which was under inhumane conditions, and often led to death, which of course was not expected. However, the author points out that for the westerners, the offer of indenture was considered as a relief, offering a better life for the famine-stricken poor in the country.
The zamindars mercilessly squeezed the peasants leaving them no incentive to produce more. The development of infrastructure, including railways and irrigation facilities led to the commercialization of agriculture and monetization of the rural economy with uneven effects on different areas and sections of the people.
Though the book makes an important contribution, there are a few areas which the author could have fleshed out more. There is an over-emphasis on Hindu women and mothers and very little mention of Muslim women. Likewise, during the colonial period
The book is indeed a detailed micro-history of the city, looking at the lives of individuals, communities and localities and their interactions with each other and their transformations from the 1930s to the mid-1950s, and the impact of the transition from a colony to a state to a nation on the city.
Anindyo Roy’s account of Lear’s visit to India stands out as the kind of travel book that Lear hoped to write from his journal jottings: ‘A travel book that that was akin to a kind of music: it was not a trophy, not a mirror held up to nature. Like a kaleidoscope