NARRATING THE INDIAN NATION A NON- INDIAN PERSPECTIVE: A STUDY OF WILLIAM DALRYMPLE'S THE LAST MUGHAL AND RUDYARD KIPLING'S KIM Syamala Kallury2 and Suman Sigroha3 Abstract: This paper deals with tile issue of tile rise of nationalism in Indian context as a result of tile events of 1857. and attempts to study the perspectives of two non-Indian writers interested in Indian nation. namely Rudyard Kipling and William Dalrymple in tlleir novels Kim and The Last Mughal respectively as opposed to tile Indian nationalist perspectives seen and portrayed in later narratives by Indians. Thefonner is afictional representation of the mutiny of 1857 whereas tile latter is a fictionalized historical account. Published almost a hundred years apart. and coming at different defining moments in India's history. the two novels Kim (/901) and The Last Mughal (2006). both talk of a common set of events. It is one endeavor to see the different dimensions explored by these two writers. Key words: India. nationalism. Kim. The Last Mughal This paper has been presented at the International Seminar on Culture. English Language Teaclling and Literature organized by the English Department, Faculty of Letters, Soegijapranata Catholic Uiversity, Semarang on 16-17 January 2008. Dr. Syamala Kallury ph: +9810263803. is a staff member of the SSO I, Department of HUSS, lIT Delhi, India. Analyzing I iterature is one of his interest. Suman Sigroha, M.A. ph: +9810750600is a master of English and Psychology. He is currently a Research Scholar (English) at the Department ofHUSS, liT Delhi, India. S. Kallury and Suman, Narrating the Indian NationNon-lndian Perspective 41 that shook the foundations of East India Company and led to the advent of British imperial rule in India. The paper attempts to give an idea ofa nation that existed in the minds of the people of the times and to see whether there was any existence of an Indian national identity, of which the Revolt of 1857 could have been the genesis. Though this analysis is rather limited, it has managed to make clear that both works are in agreement as to the superior nature ofthe British rule, that law and order under the native rulers was in a poor state, and that common people were constrained to favor the imperial rule because of these reasons. It is interesting to note that a beginning for national identity emerges from the writings ofthese non-Indian accounts-fictional as well as historic. Regional identities of caste and class and religion were strong at the time of the narratives. The notion of one nation was beginning to be fonned as a result of the common British rule. However it can be said that the national identity did find a beginning in these events but was not very pronounced as it provided only the genn of the idea that spread widely during the successful struggle for independence that was to follow. BIBLIOGRAPHY Anderson, Benedict. Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread o/Nationalism. London: Verso, 199 I . Dalrymple, William. The Last Mughal. The Fall 0/0 Dynasty. Delhi. /857. New Delhi: Penguin, Viking, 2006. Kipling, Rudyard. Kim. London: Wordsworth Editions Ltd., 1994. Misra, Amresh. "An agitpropped 1857". In Sunday Hindustan TImes, New Delhi, 29 July 2007. Ozkirimli, Umut. Theories 0/ Nationalism: A Critical Introduction. London: Macmillan Press Ltd., 2000. logo: