For 13 years,
Queen Victoria wrote letters to Abdul Karim almost daily, sometimes several a
day, in some fondly calling him “Dearest Munshi” and “your closest friend”. Shrabani
Basu told BBC that on some occasions Queen Victoria even signed off her letters
to Abdul Karim with a flurry of kisses.
For thirteen years, Queen Victoria wrote letters to Abdul Karim
almost daily sometimes several letters a day in which she fondly called him
“Dear good Munshi”, “Dearest Munshi” and “your closest friend”. London based
author Shrabani Basu told BBC that on some occasions Queen Victoria even signed
off her letter to Abdul Karim with a flurry of kisses – which was uncommon to
do at the time, let alone for the Queen of England and the Commonwealth.
Abdul Karim, 24 year old, tall and
handsome Muslim from Agra, India worked as a clerk at Central Jail, Agra. He
was sent to England in 1887 during the Golden Jubilee celebrations to wait
tables. The day Queen Victoria saw him she wrote in her journal “he is much
younger, is much lighter and with a fine serious countenance”. Basu told the
BBC that diaries indicated the young Muslim was contemplating leaving his job
soon after his employment began because it was “too menial” but the Queen
successfully persuaded him not to. The Queen gained a fondness for all
things Abdul Karim; He once cooked Meal for the Queen and she loved it so much
that it remained on the Royal menu daily for almost thirteen years. She also
adored Urdu and asked Abdul Karim to become her Urdu teacher, taking daily
lessons and conversing in Urdu with him. Queen Victoria was then able to read
and write Urdu. Now Abdul Karim became her ‘Munshi’ (teacher). On November 20
1888 she had written to Sir Theodore Martin that “Munshi is an excellent,
clever, truly pious and very refined gentlemen.
The
Queen even looked after Abdul Karim when he was ill with an infectious boil on
his neck. Her personal physician Dr. Reid was called to attend to him. Dr. Reid
in 1890 wrote “Queen was visiting Abdul Karim twice daily in his room taking Urdu
lessons, signing her boxes, examining his neck, smoothing his pillows, etc”. He
thought it was ‘Munshimania’. Over the time that Munshi worked for the
Queen she gave him cottages, expensive gifts, showered honours and medals, and
allowed him to bring his wife and mother-in-law to England. By now Munshi’s
lifestyle had changed and Dean Nelson describes it as “The Munshi had his own
servants in the Royal Household. In one of Queen’s letters to Abdul Karim she
writes “The long letter I enclose
(separately) which was written nearly a month ago is entirely and solely my own
idea not a human being will ever know of it or what you answer me. If you can’t
read (referring to her hand-writing) I will help you and then burn it at once”.
I have always wondered what she must have written to him that had to be burnt
immediately after reading. The Queen continued to write about Munshi in her
journals, on April 4 1889 writing about Abdul Karim’s demeanour “He is a
thorough gentleman in feelings and manners”. Abdul Karim was then promoted to
become Indian Secretary to the Queen. She commissioned Heinnch Von Angeli to
paint Munshi’s portrait. Rudolph Swoboda had also painted a portrait of Abdul
Karim which hangs today in the Indian corridor of Osborne House.
Lord George Hamilton telegraphed Lord Elgin in
India to inquire about Munshi and his family with the intention to discredit
him, however, Lord Elgin replied that they were respectable and trustworthy.
Hamilton then authorised an investigation against an alleged “Mohamedan
intriguer” Rafiuddin Ahmed who visited Abdul Karim, in order to find anything
against Munshi, but the investigation found nothing to discredit either. Rafiuddin
Ahmed’s contributions to Empire would later land him a role in the Bombay
Government and was knighted in 1932. Ponsonby, Col. Bigge, Dr. Reid and
others of the Royal household tried turning the Queen against Abdul Karim with
insinuating comments about his social status in India, handling finances and
even his health but the Queen considered it to be racial prejudice and called
it “shameful”.
According to the BBC once someone had tried to
say ill about Abdul Karim and the Queen angrily responded “this is typical of
you British”. Bonhams’(Writer) in their 2008 catalogue notes the Queen
“recognized that their racist attitude would leave him vulnerable after her
death so she made provisions for him in her will”. She had asked the Viceroy in
India to arrange some land for him in Agra. The Viceroy reluctantly made the
arrangements but wrote back to her mentioning another man, who during the 1857
mutiny had helped blow up the Kashmiri Gate in Delhi at the risk of his life
had received land yielding of 250 rupees for life and Abdul Karim was receiving
double the amount. The Queen had also given specific instructions that Abdul
Karim be given the honour of being among the principal mourners at her funeral.
Queen Victoria died on January 22 1901. Though unwilling, the Queen’s
son and now King, Edward VII followed his mother’s instructions and allowed
Abdul Karim in the room where the late Queen’s casket was kept. Abdul Karim was
the last person to see the Queen before her casket was closed. With the passing
of the Queen, the Royals and Lords were able to take revenge on the man they
resented for so long but the Queen had stubbornly defended. Queen Alexandra,
the Queen consort came with guards banging the doors of the cottage where Abdul
Karim and his wife lived. They asked them to bring any documents concerning the
Queen and burned it all in a bonfire. Munshi Abdul Karim and his wife stood
helplessly and sadly watching the lovingly written words of the Queen being
consumed by the fire. King Edward VII immediately ordered Munshi to be sent
back to India. Back in India, Abdul Karim resided at Karim Lodge which
he had built on the 300 acres of land that he owned in Agra, most of it gifted
by the Queen and the rest he purchased. Even after the death of Queen Victoria
and Abdul Karim being ordered back to India, King Edward VII continued to be
infatuated with their correspondence and kept ordering raids on Abdul Karim’s
house to confiscate any form of correspondence. Munshi Abdul Karim did not live
long after the Queen’s death. He died in Agra in1909 at the age of 46. Abdul
Karim had written in his diary “I pray to the Almighty for the richest
blessings to be showered down on our good Queen Empress”
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