John Master's India

Posted by James on July 4, 2010 at 10:51am
The Deceivers - Dramatisation of the first 'Master's India' novel. The Deceivers is a 1952 novel by John Masters on the Thuggee movement in India during British imperial rule. (It was a 1988 Merchant Ivory Productions film starring Shashi Kapoor, Pierce Brosnan, Bijaya Jena, Saeed Jaffrey and Dalip Tahil.)

The story shows how British officer and colonial administrator William Savage comes to know about the thuggee cult, infiltrates their society, learns their ways and code of communication, and destroys them by capturing or killing their key leaders. During his travels with the thuggee he almost falls prey to the cult's ways as he comes to experience the ecstasy of ritual killings. "Apart from autobiographical works, John Masters is known for his historical novels set in India. Seven of these portray members of successive generations of the Savage family serving in the British Army in India in an attempt to trace the history of the British in India through the life of one family. In chronological order of events (but not in order of publication) these novels are: - Coromandel! (A 17th century English lad runs away to sea, ends up in India). - The Deceivers (An English officer goes undercover to root out the ritual murders of Thuggee). - Nightrunners of Bengal (The Sepoy Mutiny of 1857). - The Lotus and the Wind (The Great Game of British and Russian spies on the Northwest Frontier). - Far, Far the Mountain Peak (Mountaineering and World War I). - Bhowani Junction (Britain's exodus and the Partition of India). - To the Coral Strand (Ex-officer refuses to go gracefully after Indian independence). The Deceivers was filmed in 1988 and starred Pierce Brosnan. The best-known film is probably Bhowani Junction, which concerns the Partition of India and the Anglo-Indian community. It starred Ava Gardner. Four of the novels (D, NB, LW, BJ) were adapted for an 18-part serial in BBC Radio 4's Classic Serial slot, being broadcast from October 1984 to January 1985. Unsurprisingly, considering the subject, Masters' works are not without their critics. Others have detected a greater sophistication in Masters' dealings with the British Empire. One Indian novelist (Khushwant Singh) remarked that while Kipling understood India, John Masters understood Indians.

"Thuggee is described as a cult of people engaged in the multiple murder and robbery of travelers. At the time, most travelers in India would travel in caravan for mutual support and security, since travel meant the crossing of difficult terrain before the coming of metalled roads, the passing among different races, religions and castes, at a period before police forces were formed. In order to attempt the massacre of an entire caravan, the Thugs needed to be numerous and well-coordinated. They also needed to be sufficiently stealthy, at least in the early stages, to begin their slaughter without rousing all at once. This required a high degree of planning, organization – including props and patter – timing, teamwork and discipline. With anything less than complete success a survivor could escape to raise a hue and cry. These horrendous but sophisticated operations lay somewhere between organized crime and paramilitary activity and were far removed from the ordinary criminal in the audacity, magnitude, and ruthlessness of the enterprise. The modus operandi was to join a caravan and become accepted as bona-fide travelers themselves. The Thugs would need to delay any attack until their fellow travelers had dropped the initial wariness of the newcomers and had been lulled into a false sense of security. The Thugs first needed to befriend the travelers and win their trust. Once the travelers had allowed the Thugs to join them and disperse amongst them (a task which might sometimes, depending on the size of the target group, require accompaniment for hundreds of miles), the Thugs would wait for a suitable place and time before killing and robbing them." "The garotte is often depicted as the common weapon of the Thuggee. It is sometimes described as a rumal (head covering or kerchief), or translated as "yellow scarf". "Yellow" in this case may refer to a natural cream or khaki colour rather than bright yellow. Most Indian males in Central India or Hindustan would have a puggaree or head-scarf, worn either as a turban or worn around a kullah and draped to protect the back of the neck. Types of scarves were also worn as cummerbunds, in place of a belt. Any of these items could have served as strangling ligatures." "Thuggee groups might be Hindu, Sikh or Muslim, but Thuggee is particularly associated with followers of the Hindu Goddess Kali (or Durga), whom they often called Bhavani. It was noted, even at the time, that only a very small minority of the followers of Kali were Thuggees. Many Thuggees worshipped Kali but most supporters of Kali did not practise Thuggee." "In her book The Strangled Traveler: Colonial Imaginings and the Thugs of India (2002), Martine van Woerkens suggests that evidence for the existence of a Thuggee cult in the 19th century was in part the product of "colonial imaginings" — British fear of the little-known interior of India and limited understanding of the religious and social practices of its inhabitants." Episodes: 01 - The Grave At Bhadora It's 1825 and District Collector William Savage witnesses a brutal double murder. 02 - The Man With The Twisted Neck District Collector William Savage is surprised by his grisly discovery.

Masters India Book 1 - The Deceivers 1-5.mp3

Masters India Book 1 - The Deceivers 2-5.mp3

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Replies

  • James July 5, 2010 at 2:41pm
    Bhowani Junction

    Bhowani Junction is set in 1947, shortly before India gained independence. Victoria is an Anglo-Indian, the daughter of a railway worker. Patrick, also an Anglo-Indian, considers himself her boyfriend, but her feelings towards him are platonic. In self-defense Victoria kills a British officer who has attempted to rape her, and is helped to avoid detection by a Sikh, Ranjit, who hopes to marry her.



    Episodes:

    01 - Patrick Taylor
    Continuing the story of the Savage family in India, 1946. Anglo-Indian Patrick pursues a train driver's daughter.

    02 - Victoria Jones
    Anglo-Indian Victoria Jones is seeking her true identity amid the turbulence of the British withdrawal from India.

    Masters India Book 4 - Bhowani Junction 1-5.mp3

    Masters India Book 4 - Bhowani Junction 2-5.mp3

  • Riklaa July 4, 2010 at 5:05pm
    And Again I Thank You. Seems I was a bit premature in my last Thank You, there was more wonderful things to come. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Ruck
  • James July 4, 2010 at 1:48pm
    The Lotus And The Wind

    Dramatisation of the third novel in John Masters' India saga.

    The Lotus And The Wind continues the saga of the Savage family, who are part of the British Raj in India, and is set against the backdrop of the Great Game, the period of tension between Britain and Russia in Central Asia during the late nineteenth century.



    Episodes:

    01 - Death Of A Tribesman
    Robin Savage marches to Kabul, as Anne attends a dying man. John Masters dramatisation with Bill Nighy and Juliet Stevenson.

    Masters India Book 3 - The Lotus And The Wind 1-4.mp3

  • Riklaa July 4, 2010 at 1:20pm
    Hi James,
    Every time I see one of your wonderful posts, it makes me think that you and others you touch are the future of this wonderful hobby of OTR and that it will not die with us who actually remember Old Time Radio when it was still broadcast in abundance, Thank You for this and all your great posts.------------------------------------------------------------------Ruck
    • James > Riklaa July 4, 2010 at 1:38pm
      I am glad to be able to share the fun.
This reply was deleted.