The Glass Palace : Amitav Ghosh

The Glass Palace is a historic and  political novel by Amitav Ghosh which demonstrates the lives of the people during and aftermath of colonialism in Burma, India, Malaya and Thiland. This novel not only narrates the historical documents or events but also gives the vivid description of the peoples life, their growth in terms of culture, political awareness and ultimate downfall of the characters after different wars and mutinies.
Rajkumar Raha, the central character of the book represents the rise and fall of Indian entrepreneurs in Burma. He enters Burma as an accident as he says "when I was very young I used to work on a boat, a chittagong sampan. One day we were caught in the storm...it was before I went to Mandalay."
He was caught in a net with a tortoise and finally he was thrown in the bay of Bengal. Then he first time walked to the City of Burma called Mandalay, finds a half Indian woman Ma cho who gives him shelter and food. He was nicknamed Kala. He befriended with Saya John a foreign( Malayalam) entrepreneurs who sometimes comes to visit Ma cho, a distant lover.
During the same period the Britishers attacked Mandalay and put King Thebaw and Queen Supalayet in exile in Ratnagiri, Madras along with their maids and servents. Rajkumar meets Dolly when he was participating in loot9
ing the palace with Ma cho, falls in love with her and later becomes able to marrying her.
With the mentorship of Raha John, Rajkumar becomes a successful businessman of Timber and teak. With the help of Uma, Rajkumar  meets Dolly in Ratnagiri in a dinner party . Although Dolly declined his purposal  at the first hand, after a short drama, she married with Ramkumar and had two sons Neel and Dinu. Neel dies after he was trapped by a Timber tree. He was running father's business. After his death, his wife Uma commits suicide.
Another major character of the novel is Saya John from Malaya conducting business of Timber in Burma. He is the mentor of Rajkumar. He is once a prosperous businessman, whose family disintegrated and shattered by the impact of war in Burma. He dies in the time of Japanese attack on Burma. He had once romantic relationship with Ma Cho.
His Son Matthew dies in the car accident , Allison dies in the war and Timmy moves to America.
Uma Dey is a strong female character who represents the contemporary fashion of going to America for study or better life. She is also politically aware activist who had once dispute with Rajkumar on how people like Rajkumar are corrupted in Burma or India. She was a wife of Beni Prashad Dey, a district collector of Ratnagiri. He helped Ramkumar to meet Dolly unknowingly organising a dinner party. He dies in the sea. After his death Uma lives with Dolly briefly in Burma and then flies to America.
Arjun works for National Indian Army involving in the wars of Burma and Malaya and dies in the war. This was not the Army of Indian nationalists but operated by the East India Company. He was often criticized by Uma that how such Indian youths are manipulated by the Britishers for their own benifits. He achieved nothing more than a death in the war.
Towards the end of the novel, Ghosh shows most of the families shattered by the war and insurgencies in Burma and their plight. There is brief account of General Aung  Sang's movement in Burma, independence in 1948, rise of dictatorship, rise of ethinic insurgencies during 1950s Period.
The Glass Palace represents the Palace of Mandalay which was described in the first chapter of the book and also name of the photo studio built up from the remaining of the photography equipments carefully and chieply disposed by the Japanese after war.
The book offers varieties of knowledge in history, culture and political transformation in Burma, India and other countries in surroundings.
This is a very long and detailed book that might distract readers. It needs immense patience to complete in full.