About the Book
Inverting the conventional imagery of European travel narratives about South Asia, this omnibus brings together three fascinating accounts of Indian interaction with the West. It raises interesting questions about cross-cultural encounters. Is the West objectively perceived and represented? Do observers colour fact with fiction? Do they talk of an East-West divide?
The first volume covers Itesamuddin’s travel (1765-9) to Europe. Set in the context of the grant of Diwani to the British in India, Images of the West, offers fresh insights on the state and everyday life in England discussing questions of religious controversies, military, and law. Its author also gives us a panoramic view of the socio- cultural life, flora and fauna, and education and lifestyles.
Abu Taleb’s travelogue provides a non-western representation of the West, and sheds light on the national customs and manners of Europeans. Westward Bound comprises his impression of England, France, Genoa, Malta, Turkey, and Baghdad during his travels (1799-1803). His understanding of cultural streams in the East and the West offer an alternative viewpoint on the encounter between pax Brittanica and the Sharif families of North India.
Seamless Boundaries presents the autobiography of Lutfullah khan (b.1802), English. Traversing geographical and cultural boundaries, Lutfullah’s narrative defies conventional labels. He explores events, people, and their culture beyond the mere East-West dichotomies. He also presents a graphic description of voyage to England in 1844.
Mushirul Hasan’s introduction examines the life and times of these travelers. Arguing for exploring the West and the Muslim societies from an unsentimental and wide-ranging perspective, he investigates the discourse on East-West relations, and highlights the significance of travel narratives as historical records in the production of Knowledge.
This collection, the first of its Kind, will be indispensable for scholars and students of history, travel literature, and sociology.
About the Author
Mushirul Hasan is Director General, National Archives of India, New Delhi. A Padmashree awardee, he is former Vice Chancellor, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. He was awarded officer of the Order of Academic palms by the Prime Minister of the French Republic in 2009.
Editor’s Preface
The first time I saw this assembly (House of Commons), they reminded me of two flocks of Indian paraquets sitting upon opposite mango tree, scolding at each other; the most noisy of whom were Mr. pitt and Mr Fox; This is Mirza Abu Taleb (Talib) Khan, a writer of great literary power, who enjoyed, as a matter of fact, great popular success in Europe. In 2005, the Oxford University prees, Delhi, reissued his chef d’ oeuvre, Masir- i Talibi fi Bilad Afrangi (Westward Bound: Travels of Mirza Abu Taleb) so that his distinctive voice with so many perceptions could be heeded in academic circles. A couple of years later an edited and annotated version of Lutfullah’s autobiography appeared as Seamless Boundaries: Lutfullah’s Narrative beyond East and West. Now, we re-issue Shigurfnama-I Velayet by Mirza itesamuddin, who embarked on his journey in January 1766 and returned to Bengal by November 1768. For long his work was more or less treated with derision, yet within his own contemporary setting and within the limits of popular readership he was a remarkably skilled writer. With the publication of Shigurfnama, I complete my intellectual journey. In this omnibus the travel narratives of Itesamuddin and Abu Taleb appear with chapter titles. However, this pattern has not been followed in the case of Lutfullah’s text because each of his chapters discuss disparate event.
As in the case of the Travels and the Autobiography. The English text of Shigurfnama is unchanged; I have not made any interpolations.
I have reproduced here James Edward Alexander’s translation of Travels of Mirza Itesa Modeen in Great Britain and France in full. There is yet another translation by Kaiser Haq, The Wonders of Vilayet: Bing the Memoir, Originally in Persian, of a Visit to France and Britain (London, 2001). Earlier, A.B.M. Habibullah translated the book in Bengali (Dhaka, 1981); Shigurfnama-I Velayet figures in some of the works in Urdu; for example, Khalid Mahmud, Urdu safarnamon ka tanqeedi mutala (Delhi, 1995); Bashri Rehman , Urdu keg hair-mazhabi safarname (Gorakhpur, 1999).
Among the modern Writers, Mohammad Mujeeb, Michael H. Fisher, and Simonti Sen have drawn attention to and analysed Itesamuddin’s work Shams N. Zaman’s full length study of Mirza Shaikh Itesamuddin and his Travelogues: Shigurf Name I Vilayet (London, 2002) isbased on meticulous research. Next to her, Gulfishan Khan provides the most extensive coverage of Itesamuddin in Indian Muslim perceptions of the West during the Eighteenth Century (Karachi, 1998). On religion, in particular, she summarizes Itesamuddin’s views rather well. Michael Fisher’s Counterflows to Colonialism carries an exhaustive reading list on the Indian travelers.
There remains the pleasant task of expressing my appreciation and benefit of her comments; to javed Ali Khan for his help in preparing, notes, to Somdatta Mandal for sending me copies of Shams N. Zaman’s book and the translation of Shigurf; to Professor Roop Rekha Verma for borrowing Alexander;s translation form the Tagore Library of the University of Lucknow; and to the editorial team at Oxford University press, Delhi, for help and advice in the production of this book.
About the painting reproduced from Alexander’s English translation, Shams N. Zama’s search led her to the conclusion that it was a drawing by R.J. Lane. The Royal Academy acknowledged this picture as a lithographic print produced by Charles Hullmandel, a lithographic printer.
Contents
Editor's Preface
xi
Representing the West:Travellers and their Stories
xiii
IMAGES OF THE WEST
The Adventures of Itesamuddin
Translator's Preface
vii
Introduction
1
The Start of the Journey
2
The Island of Mauritius
7
Rounding Africa
11
France to England
15
The Wonderous City of London
20
Entertainments in Lodon
24
The University of Oxford
29
Edinburgh, Scotland
33
Concerning the Highland
37
Europe and Christianity
42
Dispute and Dissagreement
48
Religious Controversies
53
Royal, Military, and the Law
58
Education, Lifestyle, and the East India Company
66
Food,Flowers,Travel,and Animals
74
Returning Home
81
The Conclusion of the Work
91
Names of Persons
92
Names of Places
98
Glossary
101
Other References
107
Index
109
WESTWARD BOUND
Travels of Mirza Abu Taleb
v
Introduction by Mushirul Hasan
viii
xxxi
Translator's Introduction
xxxiii
From Awadh to Caccutta
The Journey Begins
Land Ahoy! Nicobar Islands
The First Taste of Africa
21
England, here we come!
Detour to Ireland
36
Experience in Dublin
And the Irish
52
Ode to Lodon
62
Negotiating with People and Culture
71
From Architecture to Taverns and Clubs
87
Arts and Sciences
95
Trade and Industry
102
Everybody Loves a Good Life
Government
116
The East India Company
129
Courts of Law
135
The Economy: Perceptions and Contacts
141
Social and Personal
144
Virtues of the English
155
Journey to the Continent
161
Battles at Home and Abroad
169
Paril, the City Unfolded
176
The French Encounters
185
To Lyons
191
And on to Genoa
199
Voyage to Malta, to Dardanelles
206
Constantinople
215
The Cresecent in Turkey
226
Onward to Amasia
234
The Kurd Country
243
Baghdad
251
Pilgrimage to Karbala and Najaf
259
Voyage on the Tigris
266
Busra
274
The Last Salute
282
Appendice
290
Biographical Notes
305
Names of Place
322
329
List of Events
334
337
SEAMLESS BOUNDARIES
Lutfullah's Narrative beyond East and West
Introduction by MushirulHasan
Lutfullah's Acknowledgements
xxi
Preface to the Original Edition
xxii
Chapter 1
Chapter II
18
Chapter III
30
Chapter iv
Chapter v
76
Chapter vi
88
Chapter vii
108
Chapter viii
126
Chapter ix
136
Chapter x
156
Chapter xi
174
Chapter xii
Chapter xiii
195
Chapter xiv
210
Pedigree of Lutfullah
227
Appendices
245
250