Remembrance of Days Past: Glimpses of a Princely State during the Raj

Remembrance Of Days Past Presents A Glimpse Of A Fabled World. A World Of Tradition, Pageantry, Music And Literature That Remained An Integral Part Of Indo-muslim Court Culture From Mughal Times To The Partition Of The Sub-continent. Begum Jahanara Habibullah's Vignettes Build Up A Collage Of Images, Linking The Old And The New. The Living Patterns Of Old Delhi And The Sumptuous World Of Princely India Where The Author Grew Up. The Glittering Investiture Ceremony Of Nawab Raza Ali Khan, Begum Habibullah's Brother-in-law And Kinsman, Where Richly Caparisoned Elephants, Raised Their Trunks In Salutation. The Gradual Influences Of The Modern World Seeping In, As Begum Habibullah Discarded Purdah, Travelled To Europe And Spent Summer In The Hills. After Partition, Her Husband, Isha'at Habibullah Became The First Pakistani To Head A Multinational Firm In The Country. Her Military Brother And Diplomat, Sahibzada Yaqub Khan, Was Later Pakistan's Foreign Minister For Nine Years. Begum Habibullah's Book Spans A Lifetime But In Terms Of Lifestyles And Rituals, It Moves Through Centuries. Illustrated By A Rare Collection Of Photographs, It Provides An Extraordinary Record Of Costumes And Traditions In The First Half Of The Twentieth Century.--jacket. Jahanara Habibullah ; Translated From The Urdu By Tahira Naqvi.