Rani Jindan Kaur- not a name that might ring a bell to many. She was the youngest wife of the first Maharaja of the Sikh empire, Ranjit Singh and the mother of his last heir Maharaja Dalip Singh. He is famously known to have rebuilt The Golden Temple in marble and copper and overlaid the sanctum with gold foil, during his empire . He fell in love with an energetic girl who was just 16 years old. Her demeanor, her love for horses and her ability to read his mind, sidelined her lineage of being a dog keeper's daughter. Jindan on the other hand never felt what she felt around the king. Chitra Banerjee brings this queen alive through her words in her latest, The last queen. 

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Jindan Kaur married the king's sword and entered the royal palace as his wife, not having a Royal lineage hit a huge setback to her. Her presence wasn't welcomed among the other queens and was constantly subjected to humiliation. The story carefully takes us through the journey of Jindan from being a dog keeper's daughter to the last queen of the king and the mother of his last heir.

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The queen comes across as a fearless energetic lady, who speaks her mind. She doesn't mince her words and doesn't chide away from the powerful ones. She dwindles constantly from learning the politics of the royal court to a naive girl who fed jaggery to the king's horse. It is interesting to see how her character is self narrated, almost taking us through her brain map. Chitra brings her savage narrating skills, where she follows the pattern of viewing history through the lens of the woman.​

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The book is a very quick read, that captivates us with its simple narrating style, constant layering of cityscapes, poverty, luxuries, friendship, revenge, war and love. The whole cadre of wars, battles and captivity are beautifully balanced by the emotions of the queen towards her brother, her fellow rani, her maid Mangla, her father like figure Fakir, The King, Avtar and her son Dalip.

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This book is for those who love history and to the ones who want to drown into the historical characters, landscapes and kingdoms.