The Anglo-Indian relationship is a love affair that did not end with divorce. Long after Partition and Independence, it has endured into the twenty-first century. It seems that the British and Indians, bound by the ties of history and language, retain a certain natural affinity. It is not an uncritical relationship: sometimes we exasperate and chide each other, as we might a wayward relative. But there is a mutual fascination always, and never a moment of boredom.
It has sometimes seemed to me, in my own travels in India from Simla to Poona and from Bombay to Calcutta, that the Indians are more British than the British. This applies especially to their military culture. If you seek the distillation of Britishness, visit an Indian Army barracks.
Aline Dobbie was born in one, or close by. Her father Colonel Frank Rose, was a British officer in the IXth Jat Regiment of the Indian Army at Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh. He had earned the admiration of his men by leading a daring escape from Singapore as it fell to the Japanese in 1942.
Aline Dobbie left India at the age of 16 and returned 35 years later. India: The Peacock's Call is the chronicle of her return. It is more than a travelogue. It is the account of a personal pilgrimage - not so much a journey abroad but a return home.
It is written with grace and affection and a deep understanding of the Indians and their culture. She clearly belongs to the great tradition of indefatigable lady travellers who acquire their history by visiting it: through north central India, from Rajasthan to Uttar Pradesh, one feels that there is hardly a temple or citadel left unvisited. Calcutta and Mumbai (Bombay) are also on the itinerary.
Where a hotel's service is less than perfect, which is most rare, or she finds a place she doesn't like (also a rarity), she is not afraid to say so. Her husband, Graham, on his first visit to India, plays an intriguing walk-on part. What is sometimes alarming to him is reassuring to her. She especially admires the Indians' dignity even in the most adverse circumstances.
Her book serves many purposes, not least to whet the appetite for a passage to India. There are many who will wish to follow her footsteps to some of the lesser-known destinations. India: The Peacock's Call, is an excellent travel guide for those who would venture beyond the beaten track. It is also a rare book of discovery.
Martin Bell OBE