The Ruling Caste: Imperial Lives in the Victorian Raj

There still seems to be an enduring fascination with Britain's colonial history, a certain glamour and exoticism that survives despite the criticism and disapproval of the reasons for being there in the first place. This book fully exposes how little glamour and exoticism there actually was in the service of the Raj, how hard and gruelling the life of an Indian Civil Service officer (known as Civilians to distinguish them from the Army) could be, how lonely and isolating. Some men thrived, others sickened or went mad; some rose to the challenge, others were disorganised, inefficient and incompetent. Some were never promoted to the level they believed they deserved; others went all the way up to Viceroy.David Gilmour's book follows the life of an ICS Civilian from recruitment to pension, charting the rise and fall of trends and empire-building, ranging from holidays at hill stations like Sinda and Ooty, to the 'frontiers' of the North-West Provinces, Burma and Aghanistan. It looks at the kind of men attracted to the ICS, how they were chosen, what their postings involved, the different roles and stations, their leisure time and personal lives. I could have done with more of a focus on the lives of their families, particularly the women - it must have been an incredibly lonely life for a new wife or mother. But the focus in this is very much on the men, not their dependants.You wouldn't have thought a book about a civil service, even the Indian Civil Service, could be so interesting, but I thoroughly enjoyed this. Gilmour takes a very balanced approach, at no point approving of Britain's colonial past, but by the same token not condemning the men of the time by today's standards. The majority of the men in the ICS felt they were doing their very best for the people of India; some even went on to support independence. It would be unfair to dismiss all their motives as racist and self-serving, despite the inherent paternalistic oppression in the very nature of colonialism.

I much enjoyed this picture of Civil Service lives in the British Raj. I'm currently trying to reconstruct the life of one of my ancestors, and this book gave me the real flavour of British lives in India.'The Ruling Caste' is extensively researched and explores the British Library's rich collection of manuscripts and government records to create a tapestry of stories from individual lives. Beautifully written,scholarly, entertaining and politically balanced,the book was only slightly marred for me by an irritatingly limited index.Other books from David Gilmour: The Long Recessional: The Imperial Life of Rudyard Kipling ; Curzon

Marvellous picture of how British India was run. Detailed, fabulously well researched, thorough and endlessly enjoyable. Whatever one's views on the role of the British in India - and of colonialism generally - this book paints a vivid picture of an exceptional administrative service, a 'Ruling Caste', made up largely of very dedicated and hard-working men, that was in many ways benign and well intentioned and which helped make India the global player it is today.

Interesting but one-sided

An excellent read.

nostalgic history.

EXCELLENT

Any book about the Indian Civil Service is not likely to invite great interest amongst peers and friends. The very title has unfashionable ring to it: Ruling Caste mixes the India of old with a statement of pure fact, and that fact is, from the East India Company to the British government, 300million people in India were governed by British institutions. Whether you think this was a positive or negative, this book gives a vivid and humanist vista of the lives of middle class Britons (including Irishmen) serving Queen and Empire during the late 18th and 19th centuries. It often seeks to persuade us of the genorosity and benevolence of the men governing India, but does not dole it out in spades. It is an interesting and amusing tale of what happens to young, wealthy men when they are stuck in a foreign country without female companionship or varied social structures. Gilmour is critical of the "club" system operating in British India, and very sympathetic to young Griffins, seeking adventure and employment in India. Altogether, you will get a well painted picture of a country under Imperial rule, without gathering strong feelings either for or again Empire. A balanced book that merely seeks to tell the tale of (relatively) ordinary men (and occasionally women) away from home, trying to do their best for the people around them. If, like me, you have an interset in Imperial history, you will enjoy this tome.