Perhaps the raciest of Ruskin Bond's books yet from the ones I read, Maharani'' reads like a semi-autobiographical tale from the author's life. Most of his books are centred around places he lived in, people he knew, the surroundings and so on.
Maharani is someone the narrator meets as a school boy when she was a school girl and they danced and also stole a kiss. But she is a fiesty woman who ends up marrying a maharaja and inherits a lot of money which she spends on having a good time. She has a colourful life with many lovers, drinks, parties and she always has Ruskin, as her go to person and confidante. Her relationships do not work because of her abrasive nature and her health slowly takes a downturn and in the end she dies. The story ends there - rather simple and straightforward. The narrator has no great role to play but narrate, the Maharani is a worthy protagonist who has a strong will (mainly to have a good time). But the books starts off like a shot with Ruskin Bond describing sensually the narrators early feelings for the Maharani. However as their relationship turns out to be nothing more than an adolescent kiss, it ends there.
Definitely out of Ruskin Bond's normal stories and certainly worth a read. One does get a peek into the lonely and insecure lives of the royals or even the rich and one only feels sad for the Maharani (and glad that she has friends like the narrator who seems much like Mr Bond himself)
Worth a read surely.
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