The Rajah’s 86 luxury cars embody the extraordinary wealth that colonialism produces for a select few bureaucrats, shareholders, and local rulers—but only by brutally exploiting the vast majority of Indians. Flora Crewe first hears about the Rajah’s cars when she attends a party at the British Jummapur Club. When the Rajah first visits and tries to woo Flora, he brings along several of his cars and has his (nameless, faceless) servants drive them by her bungalow. She is stunned at their beauty, but she also realizes that one of them used to belong to her wealthy but odious ex-fiancé. (The Rajah explains that he won it gambling.)
The Rajah thinks that his car collection makes him an impressive connoisseur, but Flora isn’t entirely fooled: she recognizes that it reflects good luck, not good taste. He was born into the monarchy and made the unscrupulous decision to enrich himself by working with the British. When he insists that the independence movement is dangerous because common Indians could not possibly govern themselves, Flora sees right through the baseless claim: she recognizes that it’s just a self-serving excuse. In contrast, her relationship with Nirad Das—an educated, culturally elite, but socioeconomically middle-class Indian—shows her how the colonial order exploits most Indians. After all, even decades later, when Eldon Pike and Dilip visit Jummapur in the 1980s, most Indians can scarcely dream of buying one car.
The Rajah’s Cars Symbol Timeline in Indian Ink
