15/09/2017
Queen Victoria's Hindustani Diary on Display for the First Time
- Diary on display for the first time at Osborne
A diary showing how Queen Victoria learned to write Hindustani under the tutelage of her Indian servant Abdul Karim will go on display to the public for the very first time at Osborne, her Isle of Wight home, English Heritage announced today (Friday 15 September).
Dating from 1895, the incredibly rare diary, lent by Her Majesty The Queen from the Royal Archives, shows Urdu characters in the Queen’s own handwriting, above Abdul Karim’s careful instruction. It will go on display at Osborne – where the Queen spent many hours with her ‘Munshi’ (teacher) Abdul Karim – alongside two signed photographs of Abdul at Osborne, also on display for the first time.
Michael Hunter, English Heritage’s Curator at Osborne, said: “This diary gives an intimate glimpse into the relationship of Queen Victoria and Abdul Karim. It’s fascinating to see this elaborate script in her own handwriting, and the painstaking way that Abdul set out the lessons.
“Queen Victoria was incredibly curious about India and its traditions, so to learn Hindustani and write in Urdu was a hobby to which she remained faithful almost up to her death in 1901. It’s an honour to have the diary back where it would originally have been written, to be returned home to Osborne once more.”
The story of Queen Victoria’s relationship with Abdul Karim is told in ‘Victoria & Abdul’, also released today, starring Dame Judi Dench as Queen Victoria and Ali Fazal as Abdul Karim. Much of ‘Victoria & Abdul’ was shot on location at Osborne, including scenes in Queen Victoria’s sitting room where she wrote her journals under Abdul’s watchful eye and the Durbar Room, where the diary will be displayed. Designed by Rudyard Kipling’s father, Lockwood, and master carver Bhai Ram Singh, the Durbar Room is a dining room with intricate Indian-style plaster work and reflects Queen Victoria’s role as Empress of India.
Queen Victoria was fascinated by different cultures and when she became Empress of India in 1877, although she was not able to visit the country, she delighted in having Indian people and Indian objects about her. Abdul Karim and Mohammed Bukhsh were two such people who arrived at the British Court to be servants in the Royal Household. Originally waiting at her table, Abdul Karim and the Queen forged a close relationship and he was promoted to her Indian Secretary and ‘Munshi’.
The Queen loved to hear Abdul Karim talk about India and his own city of Agra, and within a few weeks of his arrival he had started to teach her some words of Hindustani. Soon the few spoken words progressed to writing lessons and the Queen began to keep brief diaries in Hindustani. It is thought that Queen Victoria wrote in English text at the bottom of the page while Abdul wrote the middle section, with the English text put into the correct word order for the Hindustani translation, and the Hindustani words below, in English script. Finally, the Queen wrote the text in Urdu characters at the top written in the Indian style from right-hand page to left. Gradually the Queen’s knowledge of the language improved and by the time she was writing her final Hindustani diaries in 1899, she was writing longer, more accomplished pieces.
Queen Victoria’s Hindustani diary and photographs of Abdul Karim will go on display to the public on Friday 15 September.
The diary has been lent by Her Majesty The Queen from the Royal Archives.