Synopsis "The Lady on a Horse and Other Secrets (in English)"
Spanning over a century, The Lady on the Horse tells the story of five generations ofa family in Calcutta. Starting life as a khansama in an Englishman's house in 1900, Dipendra Nath Lahiri dreams of acquiring the wealth and status of a zamindar.His wife Pritilata's skills as a seamstress-much sought after by the memsahibs-become the means, and by 1919, their tailoring business, Lahiri & Sons, has madethem fabulously rich and they've bought a grand mansion, Lahiri Bari. Theirprogeny can live a life of leisure, at par with the white sahibs Dipendra Nath andPritilata had once served.But with time, Lahiri Bari also becomes the house of many secrets and contestedlegacies: of injustice, betrayal, love and pain. What was the unmentionable 'thing'that happened between Neelratan Lahiri's wife Ishwari and the black-as-a-crowKanailal-the revolutionary who wanted to burn down the Raj? Two generationslater, what is the mysterious connection between Pixie and the maid's daughter, Ayesha, who grow up like sisters? And what was the oldest secret of them all-what turned the demure Pritilata into a rebel who rode out of her mansion on amagnificent horse one day-never to return.Set against the backdrop of the freedom struggle, the Bengal Famine andPartition, this sprawling family saga explores the insidious implications of classand caste through the lives of people thrown together by blood ties and fate lines.At the heart of the story is the idea that everything which happens in the presenthas its roots in the past-every generation will be shaped by the legacy it hasbeen bequeathed.With a rich cast of characters and lyrical prose, Ramona Sen takes us on anexhilarating roller-coaster ride through the trials and tribulations of one family-and the passionate loves and bitter enmities that shaped their fortunes.
