Manu S. Pillai
(2015). The Ivory Throne: Chronicles of the House of Travancore, HarperCollins
India, p.694
Chronicling the history of Travancore
as it was a kingdom once and then a princely state in British India is no mean
task, especially for a first time writer. Manu S. Pillai, the daring debutant,
has accomplished such feat with natural felicity! Nearly seven hundred years of
history of a small kingdom in southern India is unique not just because of its
natural beauty or famed riches, but also because of its dramatis personae- the
matriarchs of royalty. In retelling a story of ascent to power, women’s
inheritance in family, war and palace coup, this book is riveting.
Pillai uses a rich array of historical
documents, private papers and in-person interviews to reconstruct the story. He
deftly balances out the famous incidents and anticipated characters with the
rare and unheard-of incidents. For instance, the painter prince Ravi Varma
makes a theatrical entrance and so do the well known maharajahs and dewans of
commendable exploits like Marthanda Varma and Velu Thampi Dalawa. But in the
broad brush narrative, the author does not lose the richness of details that
personal eccentricities and social circumstances that gave birth to momentous events.
We encounter the shrewd regent queens who govern ably surviving court intrigue and
later come out as king-makers. No stone is left unturned to build the future of
Travancore- the human, the divine and the abhorrent (black magic and sorcery) are
in command to lay the foundations of its destiny.
In a book that follows the destiny of
royalty and their princely state, rivalry and scandals are inevitable. But the best
part of the book is the space given to a nuanced understanding of the social
history of policies of reform. Land laws, health and education policies, equal
opportunity and modernisation were ushered in Travancore through gradual and
consistent investment in public policy. The priorities and personal weakness of
its rulers and regents were sometimes obstructive to development and their
obstinacy and nepotism deleterious; but the history of Travancore seemed to
have a life that was vitalised by its social movements and democratic
participation of its people. The temple entry proclamation to people of all
castes, land reform, opening of education and employment to qualified individuals
and movement for women’s emancipation require special mention for the way they
have been built into the narrative. It is in echoing the other voice, that of
the people, that the story of its rulers remain complete and coherent.
Historical narratives of the princely
states that made up modern Kerala in accessible narrations in English are rare
and this book fills that much needed gap. A magnificent effort for a first
book!
