FALSE ALLIES : India’s Maharajahs in the Age of Ravi Varma

After reading The Ivory Throne, I had huge expectations on this book. It’s a good read and interesting to learn about the kings ..that’s all..

A good book that takes the reader through Princely India or India ruled by India as the author calls it. The book throws light on the relationships between the rulers of the princely states and the British Raj while providing a balanced view of the events from varied sources. A good read that'll help those interested in history understand the nuances of India ruled by India

The cover is so beautifully designed and it can be removed while reading. The writing style of the author is improved far from the first book "The Ivory Throne". It is quite an enjoyable book.

Manu does a fantastic job explaining how differently each princely state handled the British Raj - especially loved the details of Mewar, Pudukottai, Mysore and Travancore (Of course Manu's favorite). @Manu - Like the Rebel sultans, can we have a similar book on the interplay between the various Rajput kingdoms?

Sometime in the book, i realised that it was less about the princes who ruled and more about Ravi Verma and the collectors.

Pillai’s meticulous research condensed into a cornucopia of allegory from a bygone era, which is mostly etched in our collective conscience as an age of nascent nationalism, but also as the last few decades of an archaic identity of this nation, all connected through a string held by enigma of the great Raja Ravi Varma

The subject of the book is interesting but the author needs to improve the writing style. He seems to be obsessed with the painter Mr.Verma. I understand the painter might be outstanding but then somewhere the core of the chapter is lost in the narration.Overall: Interesting topic but author could have done much better in narration of the story

An interesting account of various ways in which the rulers of Indian princely states tried to avoid British interference; lively and woven around the life of a major artist of the nineteenth frequently receiving commissions from them.