Australian writer and barrister, John Lang (1816-1864), is best known having defended the Rani of Jhansi in court against the British East India Company, but as this book proves, was a fine raconteur with razor sharp observations about life in India, under the British Raj in the nineteenth century.
The Himalaya Club and Other Entertainments from the Raj, a slim volume, with a very enjoyable foreword by Ruskin Bond (the Mussourie connection), has a selection of Lang’s writings. He wrote of the scandals, the court cases and the strange, often hilarious, goings on during his time in North India. He travelled quite a lot, and wrote with a tremendous sense of humour—not even sparing himself. The language may be outdated, but the writing still has punch.
The Himalaya Club
John Lang
Speaking Tiger
Rs 199; Pages 135
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