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Product Description
A pundit (or pandit) is a Hindu Brahmin who has memorised a substantial portion of the Hindu scriptures. In the second half of the nineteenth century, however, the term was used to denote native surveyors, who explored regions to the north of India for the British Raj. The British initially sent army officers to map these countries, but the task was fraught with danger. In the 1860s, Captain Thomas Montgomerie realised that the solution was to train natives from Indian border states to be surveyors, and have them explore the region covertly. These men, known as pundits, were disguised as traders or lamas (holy men). This is the first book devoted to these servants of the Raj who managed to map the Himalayas, Tibet and surrounding areas with remarkable precision, thereby helping the British to consolidate their rule in the Indian sub-continent.
About the Author
JULES STEWART is a freelance journalist, formerly with Reuters. He is the author of The Khyber Rifles and lives in London.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
It is hard not to read this book without Rudyard Kipling's Kim in mind. Indeed, some of the Indian characters who "spied" for the Raj and whose exploits are so thoroughly researched and absorbingly told in this book were the basis of Kim and his supposedly fictional antics. Of course the derring-do is rather less pronounced than in the fictional account, and so it should be. For the most part the Pundits' travels were long, arduous and solitary. What really comes across is the real hardships suffered by the so-called Pundits who mapped out the Himalayas for the British in the 19th Century often for very little reward, and how their British masters barely gave them credit or even, in some cases, just recompense.
Written by a journalist, this short book (185 pages) is a very readable and is an enlightening account of some truly remarkable Indian characters, all of them completely forgotten by history despite their real contribution to Raj geopolitics. For me, thought, it is thin on historical context, being very perfunctory on the Great Game and the geopolitics of the era. Providing more explanation of the threats and "enemies" of the time would have helped me understand what was at stake and would have certainly heightened the narrative of the truly extraordinary men whose story is told here.
Written by a journalist, this short book (185 pages) is a very readable and is an enlightening account of some truly remarkable Indian characters, all of them completely forgotten by history despite their real contribution to Raj geopolitics. For me, thought, it is thin on historical context, being very perfunctory on the Great Game and the geopolitics of the era. Providing more explanation of the threats and "enemies" of the time would have helped me understand what was at stake and would have certainly heightened the narrative of the truly extraordinary men whose story is told here.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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1 review
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Spying for the Raj
22 April 2009
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Another Great Game book,well-written and researched. Good because it gives credit to the Asian agents which perhaps they haven't received before. A good addition to my collection of Central Asian and Great Game literature. Recommended for history fans and also general readers.
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