Product Description

In March 1947, Lord Louis Mountbatten became the last Viceroy of India, with the mandate to hand over 'the jewel in the crown' of the British Empire within one year. Mountbatten worked with Jawaharlal Nehru, Mohandas Gandhi and the leader of the Muslim League, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, to devise a plan for partitioning the empire into two independent sovereign states, India and Pakistan, on August 15, 1947. Mountbatten remained as interim Governor-General of India until June 1948. During this time, Lord Mountbatten's daughter and India's mother, Pamela, was with her parents. She kept a diary recounting this extraordinary tale of history and recollections of their trips to stay in Calcutta, Bombay, Madras, Orissa and Assam, and the exotic palaces of Indian rulers; and the Rajputs in Central and Western India, the imperial palace-cities built by the mughals. "India Revisited" is a scrapbook of private family photographs taken during this historical period (Edwina Mountbatten walking arm in arm with Nehru through a courtyard, or Ghandi taking tea for the first time at Viceroys House) and photographs taken presently inside their audience halls, private apartments and service quarters. There will be anecdotes from Pamela Mountbatten's diaries, reminiscences of having to leave 10 minutes before dinner was actually announced as the walk from the bedroom to the dining hall was so far (if running really late, riding a bicycle through the corridors to make time). It includes photographs evoking the atmosphere of the Mountbatten's favourite retreat, that of Viceregal Lodge in Simla.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #216687 in Books
• Published on: 2007-07-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 240 pages

About the Author
India Hicks is the granddaughter of Earl Mountbatten of Burma most famously known for his role in history as the last Viceroy of India. She is the author of Island Life. She lives in the Bahamas with her partner and three children. Pamela Mountbatten lives in Oxfordshire.

Customer Reviews

A surprizingly good read
Admittedly I wasn't sure how interesting this book would be as it is centred around the diaries of Pamela Mountbatten but actually it is utterly compelling and very addictive. I really enjoyed reading about the protocol and ceremonies that went on and also the observations Pamela Mountbatten noted about the central figures during partition - the photographs taken from the archives are worth a look.

Great ! A must read for anyone interested in history!
Pamela takes us through some of the most critical moments in Indian History. She did justice to the Great men who were around her during that time. She did it with the qualities most admired by them - Honesty and courage. Thanks Pamela. While reading my book, it felt to me like reading the diary of a person very close to my heart.
Thanks

Great pictures but not many great stories to follow.
I bought this book thinking I would be able to get some insight into the last few years of the British rule in India. However, it must be remembered that the author was only a teenager and thus not privy to most of the meetings. Therefore, all we hear about is the personal lives of the Mountbattens. So if that is what you are looking for, the day to day lives of the Mountbattens, then it's a good book. Otherwise it is just a good collection of pictures.