Ghosts, derangements and strange happenings abound in Victorian fiction. Even
more so in stories from the Raj written by English writers, overwhelmed, often
unnerved, by the vast and alien land they ruled but could not quite come to
grips with. To them, India’s jungles, village squares and railway stations—even
their own colonial bungalows—bristled with the long-dead, the undead, the
unexplained and the terrible.
Women writers of the Raj brought greater imagination and skill to the spooky
tale than men. And among them, Bithia Mary Croker and Alice Perrin were easily
the best. This collection brings together, for the first time ever, the spookiest
short stories of these mistresses of the Raj supernatural.
The khidmatgar of a derelict mansion is curiously always at his master and
mistress’ service, but only after dark. A dead woman comes calling for her
devoted husband, the Collector of a colonial outpost. An unwelcoming
khansamah in a secluded dak bungalow hides a sinister secret. An ayah bewilders
her mistress when she sings lullabies to her imaginary charge. A missionary ‘halfcaste’
Eurasian discovers the powers of a native goddess. And a stately hill station
home comes to be occupied by a family of four, happy for the surprisingly low
rent they must pay, until they discover why.
Drawing upon local legends, colonial records and Indian folklore, these gripping,
atmospheric tales will send shivers down your spine and yet leave you craving for
more.