H.H. is the spoilt, selfish, beautiful widow of the Maharaja of Mastipur. She lives with her dogs and her caretaker, Hans, in an enormous old house in Mussoorie, taking lovers and discarding them, drinking too much and fending off her reckless sons who are waiting hungrily for their inheritance. The seasons come and go, hotels burn down, cinemas shut shop and people leave the hill station never to return, but H.H. remains constant and indomitable. Observing her antics, often with disapproval, is her old friend Ruskin, who can never quite cut himself off from her. Melancholic, wry and full of charm, Maharani is a delightful novella about love, death and friendship.

Following the abolition of slavery in the Caribbean, a concerted effort was made to replace enslaved labour with indentured Indian labour. This is the story of one Indian woman's tragic experience in trying to immigrate to the Caribbean in the 19th century.

This is a description of contemporary India and some of its recent history in the form of an autobiography. Rajmata Scindia is a member of the Indian Parliament. As a maharani she had thousands of servants and several enormous palaces. Since Independence, which marked the end of the supremacy of the Maharajas, she has emerged as one of India’s most popular political leaders, first with the Congress party and now with the opposition. Her appeal to the masses, who see her as an image of Mother India, amazes both her admirers and her critics.

Literature has always been important in forming both Individual and cultural identity. Literature reflects the complexity of human identity through the representation of individuals' experiences, cultural origins and personal developments. Literature helps readers to gain better knowledge of them and convey information by varied perspectives and stories. This article will examine the significant impact of literature on the development of identity of the individual and cultural level. Through examining the stories of various literary works, we learn how the characters' journeys serve as a mirror to readers, highlighting the complexity of identity and its ever-changing nature. Readers can watch characters overcoming obstacles and consider social norms and thereby grow as people through these stories. As a result of this investigation Readers are inspired to consider their personal growth and the transformative potential of life events, creating a greater awareness of the flexibility of identity. Readers are given a rich knowledge of the complexity of identity and its ongoing development through the various perspectives and journeys portrayed in literature.

Living with her family in India, young Bess Crawford's curiosity about this exotic country sometimes leads her into trouble. One day she slips away from the cantonment to visit the famous seer in a nearby village. Before this woman can finish telling her fortune, Bess is summoned back for an afternoon tea with the Maharani, a close friend of her parents'. The seer's last words are a warning about forthcoming danger that Bess takes as the usual patter. But this visit by the Maharani has ominous overtones that mark it as more than a social call. Her husband has political enemies, and she has come to ask Bess's father, Major Crawford, for help. As the Maharani is leaving, Bess notices that there is something amiss with the royal entourage. Major Crawford must set out after them—but will he be in time? And what will happen to Bess, and the household left behind, when a vicious assassin circles back to take hostages? Here is an extraordinary glimpse into the childhood of the Bess Crawford we know from her service in the Great War.

"Thoroughly enjoyable and never dull. Brinda comes to life on each page in a manner seldom found in a story of a contemporary being. Elaine Williams deserves credit for an excellent job of writing. She has retained in every chapter a wealth of the maharani’s charm and personality."—The Houston Chronicle "A moving and muted account of a life in a transitional generation where East and West met . . . Touching and strange, this memoir gives fine glimpses into the Hindu culture, of worlds apart moving together, not without grief."—The Kirkus Bulletin