East and West

This morning while sitting overlooking a lush tropical garden in Tamil Nadu, I concluded reading William Dalrymple's historically well researched book, White Mughals,* a tapestry of stories about intimate relationships in 18th century India. Although, in my view, not his best book to date, nonetheless worth the effort of reading for those who harbour an interest in this remarkable land.

Central to the narrative is the marriage between James Achilles Kirkpatrick and Khair un-Nissa, and as their story, and those of others so well illustrate, "East and West are not irreconcilable, and never have been. Only bigotry, prejudice, racism and fear drive them apart. But they have met and mingled in the past; and they will do so again."

*White Mughals,William Dalrymple, Penguin Books 2002