A Tale of Saffron and Strife (Guide)

This is a guide to A Tale of Saffron and Strife, an original story by TurquoiseEmber. It contains information about Hindi terms used in the story, a bit of historical background for the setting, and just general knowledge that has to do with it...

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Dictionary
Throughout AToSaS, there are a smattering of Hindi words and terms, so here is a guide to those:

It will be updated as the story progresses.

CHAPTER ONE:

 * Didi - (dhi-dhi) Older sister, in Hindi. This term is only used by the younger sibling to their elder sister, however. For example, my younger sister sometimes calls me didi (when she wants to be nice, that is).
 * Saree - (sahr-ee) a garment consisting of a length of cotton or silk elaborately draped around the body. Sarees are incredibly uncomfortable (in my opinion) and poke and prod in the worst places. Heck, I was grateful for my T-shirts after wearing a saree.
 * Aishwarya - (eish-wahr-ya) a popular Indian name meaning "prosperity"
 * Aditi - (ad-ee-ti) a popular Indian name meaning "boundless"
 * Rudrakan - (rudh-ra-khan) a made-up name from TurquoiseEmber, who thought it sounded cool. It is the name for Aish's kingdom.

History/Background Information
As stated in the Author's Note at the beginning of the story, AToSaS is heavily based on historical events and is therefore a work of historical fiction. At the time where it is set (early 1800s), India, like may other nations, was facing colonization by the British. So here's a little history lesson for anyone who cares.

'''DISCLAIMER: I do NOT mean to demonize or deprecate the British in any way. They are good people and in this day and age, they truly offer a lot to the world. Whatever has been stated here is an objective summary of British powers in the past in India, and I have kept my opinions out of it.'''

It all began in the early 17th century.

As the Mughal Empire disintegrated, and then as the Maratha Empire became weakened after several battles, many relatively weak and unstable Indian kingdoms which emerged were increasingly open to manipulation by the Europeans, through dependent and submissive Indian rulers.

Fast-forward to the later 18th century. Great Britain and France, the main European powers at the time, struggled for dominance, partly through proxy Indian rulers but also by direct military intervention. The defeat of the formidable Indian ruler Tipu Sultan in 1799 marginalized the French influence. This was followed by a rapid expansion of British power through the greater part of the Indian subcontinent in the early 19th century (this is about the time period when AToSaS was set and Rudrakan was facing colonization). By the middle of this century the British had already gained direct or indirect control over almost all of India.

So, now we're in the mid-1800s. India is now called British India. Consisting of the directly-ruled British presidencies and provinces, and containing the most populous and valuable parts of the British Empire, India became known as "the jewel in the British crown".

Until this time, India had been ruled by the East India Company government (a group of British officials). The East India Company officers lived like princes, the company finances were in shambles, and the company's effectiveness in India was examined by the British crown after 1858. As a result, the East India Company lost its powers of government and British India formally came under direct British rule, with an appointed Governor-General of India. The East India Company was dissolved the following year in 1858. A few years later, Queen Victoria took the title of Empress of India, officially making India 100% under British rule.

Why this was so horrible for India was because of the way that the citizens were being treated. The citizens, the former royals, everyone was starving and on the streets. There were famines because the British weren't letting Indians take care of crops. At least ten million people died.

Slowly, India began revolting. The slow but momentous reform movement developed gradually into the Indian Independence Movement. During the years of World War I, the "home-rule" movement was transformed into a popular mass movement by Mahatma Gandhi, a pacifist.

But if you look, you can see British influence in India in this day and age, too. And there are some good things the British added. Indians use British English instead of American English, and they are still educated (in most schools) on how to speak English.

Whew, that was long. But I hope you learned something. If not, well, thanks for listening!