A new play by the Royal Shakespeare Society (RSC) touches upon a relatively unknown aspect of the Indian and colonial history. Playwright Tanika Guptas The Empress is taking audiences in London back to 1887,the golden jubilee of Queen Victoria,and her relationship with her Indian attendant Abdul Karim. Through Karims stories of India,the ageing queen gets enchanted with the country she rules but has never visited. This true story is blended with that of an Indian ayah called Rani Das,who finds herself battling a society that considers her a second-class citizen. The play,directed by Emma Rice,has received a positive response from critics,with The Guardian saying,Plays,like musicals,often depend on a moment of ecstasy. One occurs at the end of Tanika Guptas drama,when Abdul Karim,the aged Queen Victorias Hindi teacher,says that since she cant go to India,he will bring India to her. Suddenly,the stage becomes a kaleidoscope of song and dance,as tiny paper boats are set ablaze on water,suffusing the theatre with pure transcendent joy. Actor Tony Jayawardena plays Karim while Anneika Rose is Rani in the play. This is the first time that Gupta,an MBE,has worked with RSC. The inspiration for my play came from a simple black-and-white photograph in the book Ayahs and Lascars by Rozina Vishram. Reading around the period,I was amazed to discover Queen Victorias friendship with her Indian man servant and how that friendship nearly caused a constitutional crisis, says Gupta in a statement.
