The Exile (Paperback) by Navtej Sarna

The Exile is a tale based on the life of Duleep Singh, the last Maharaja of Punjab. The story is set in the 19th century when the British were conquering different parts of India. The story follows Duleep’s life through Punjab, London and Paris.The Exile starts when Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Maharaja of Punjab, breathes his last. The year is 1839 and India is coming to terms with the powerful East India company, which is steadily conquering different parts of India. Less than a decade later, a Punjab, weakened mainly due to the infighting by different factions for power, succumbs to the British rule. 11-year old Duleep Singh, the youngest of the previous Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s acknowledged sons, is made to sign away all the treasures of Punjab, its vast fertile lands and the Kohinoor diamond amongst few.As the book progresses, Duleep Singh’s life begins to spiral downwards. He is separated from all that he loves. He is brainwashed by the British, converted to Christianity and then shipped off at the age of 16 to London, where he is resigned to live out the rest of his days as a squire who is loyal to the Queen of England. Disillusioned with the treatment handed out to him by the British and after a late realisation of the legacy he had lost, Duleep Singh begins to rebel against the British. He converts back to the Sikh religion and tries to get back to his people in Punjab. To do so, he must enter the murky politics of the 19th century. Read this book to find out if Duleep succeeds in reuniting his people or if he suffers the ignominy of defeat.The Exile gives an insight into the life of the last Maharaja of Punjab. Beaten down again and again by the British, his spirit could still not be tamed and till his last days, Duleep was a proud Punjabi Maharaj. The book was published by Penguin India in 2010. It is is available in paperback.