“That is all I can ask.”
We chat for a while, Leo loosening up, until finally the carriage stops and he goes back to looking nervous.
“Where are we?We were traveling for a while.”
“Earl’s Court.”
Earl’s Court.1895.“Shut up.Are you taking me to the Empire of India Exhibition?”I stare at him for a few seconds while he stares back at me.So still, like he’s a bunny and I’m a hawk and he doesn’t want to risk moving and catching my attention.
He’s a hundred percent right.I will hate it personally and be very interested in writing about it.
Organized by Imre Kiralfy, the burlesque and spectacle producer, the exhibition is meant to show scenes of Indian past and present, from landscapes, history, food, animals, art and industry.With an emphasis on howBritainwas responsible for any good that comes out of India.
It’s going to be educational to see the way this British exhibition tries to shape an Indian identity, for Indians in England and those in India.And what they say about themselves as they try to shape other identities.
It’s also going to be infuriating.Because these are actual humans they’re fetishizing and condescending in there.Some maharajas even acted as patrons, which seems even more messed up after the Crown took their authority but let them keep a meaningless title with a pension that the government decreased whenever they felt like it.
Leo relaxes now that I’m not raging.I look up at his too-handsome face, wondering how he got to know me so well in such a short time.By paying a lot of attention, I guess.My heart aches inside my chest, wanting so badly to tell him how I feel, but knowing there’s no use.In fact, it will make everything worse.
“You’re right.And it’s a good choice.Not a good thing, but something I need to see,” I say instead of what I want to say.Which is,I love you.I don’t know how, since it’s a terrible idea.I’ve spent more time reminding myself of all the reasons I can’t love you, but nothing is convincing.I’m so in love with you.
But that wouldn’t help anyone.
Now Leo’s smiling.“Thank god.”He opens the door.“Shall we?”
I nod, not speaking because the only thing I want to do is to yell over how much I love him.Since I can’t do that, silence is the better option.
He leads me to the exhibition space, a Mughal-inspired building erected specifically for this exhibit.Which means a lot of domes and multifoil arches.Inside is booth after booth of what England thinks India is, including food vendors and Indian craftsmen that fit their narrative.
We wander the stalls, and, as expected, England is taking credit for anything positive that happened in India, which is not great.If anything, it should really be called the British Exhibition, because it says more about them than India: their priorities, their interests, and their rewriting of both past and present to fit the colonial narrative.
Leo takes me on the Great Wheel, a giant Ferris wheel that looks down on the exhibition space.They’re still a new invention, so it takes a lot of trust to get on this one, and I clutch Leo’s hand the entire time, our connection hidden by my cloak.
It’s not enough contact, but it’s all I can have.
After the ride, we go back in the exhibition building for some Indian food.I can’t complain about its authenticity, because it’s cooked by legitimate Indian chefs and the spices they brought with them.I eat a lot, because it’s closer to home than the dishes Victoria’s chefs make, and I’m missing my mom’s cooking.Just like I’m missing my mom.
After I eat my body weight in Indian food, Leo extends his arm and I take it without any reservation.He walks us to the Empress Hall, the theater space built specifically for this show, “India: A Grand Historic Spectacle.”
“There isn’t much written about exactly what is in this show besides ‘elaborate costumes and songs and dances,’ so this is interesting for me.From an academic perspective.”The racism will not be interesting, personally.
“Just remember how much I’ve evolved since I met you.”
“Noted.”
The curtains start to rise, cutting off further conversation.And then the spectacle begins.Even with the wonder of television, movies, and even Broadway, it is quite the spectacle from a purely entertainment/technological standpoint.The backdrops and costumes are vibrant and elaborate.And there are lots of song, dance and even mime numbers.
But everyone is played by an Englishman, including all the Indians.And the play focuses on England being the heroes, saving people in need of their “civilization” efforts.Ew.
At the end of the show, they get a B for presentation, F- for content.As a professor, I have many comments on how they could improve the historical accuracy without sacrificing entertainment, but I left my red pen in 2025.Lucky them.
After the historic spectacle, which is light on history and heavy on spectacle, is over Leo leads me back to the carriage.
“Indians actually had a lot more leeway in defining themselves before the British Raj.There was nothing like this then, back in the 1600s,” I say.
“What changed?”Leo asks.
“Empire.Once the East India Company shifted from trading to taking over and then the British government started taking over as colonizers, they had to paint Indians as less than, of needing their rule.To justify stealing people’s land and their homes and their rights.”
