I. (Cont.)
All the subjects in this state are aboriginals, divided into various ethnicities and had ethnolinguistic differences too. Because of geological inaccessibilities and distance, Vedic civilisation has hardly had any effect on these regions. In modern times, foreign influences of Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and most recently- Christianity have seeped into the stage, and academic education as a result of all these; yet their obedience to native languages and cultures remains firm. The royal family although, is always busy about proving their Aryan Hindu heritage. Maharaja Birchandra Manikya's favourite language is Bengali, and for a long time Bengali has been the official language in the state of Tripura. Keeping up with the latest fashion, some royal secretaries have even learned a page or two of English. They went as far as to imply the proposition of English in court affairs to the king, although all that returned was scorn and thus a swift end to that implication. After the Sepoy Mutiny, the British queen has strengthened the chokehold in India almost ubiquitously, when it comes to ultimate governance; but just like the state of Tripura was never a subject to the Mughal empire, the same degree of submission, or more euphemically, "allegiance" has maintained its chain to the British empire. Maharaja wants to be free of the British empire as much as possible, in cultural influence and governance alike.
Be that as it may, he has an obsessive addiction to a certain British product: camera. Even thirty, fourty years ago no one had heard even its name, and the very concept of it seems to be alien to this day. The connoisseurly Maharaja has, over the years, brought many top-of-the-line cameras from Britain and France; learned both the practice of photography and the development in the dark room.
Many instances of him stunning his queens and princes by making them portraits exist, but photographing his subjects might be akin to an ordeal at times. A few years ago, he had went on a hunting trip to Sonamura, with the entire entourage of cameras at his disposal. Upon seeing a Kuki youth there, a thought had sprung onto his mind: "the existence of such body must be very rare among humans". "As if a god made of pitch black darkness". Not only his physique was flawless, he had a certain tender contrast on his face to complete the look. Even in front of the king himself, he had no confusion, flattery, exaggerated respect— as if he was seeing the world for the very first time. Instinctively, the Maharaja had a deep desire to photograph him and show it to select individuals.
Cuntitled #21
In memoriam Vern Rumsey & For Justin Trosper and Sara Lund I / Lady Elect