Personal biography: Rajwati Seth, born in Lucknow in 1896, is delighted by Calcuttan cosmopolitanism

In due course Rajwati moved with her son Raghu to Calcutta where Shivraj had been transferred from Gurumahisani. Calcutta was the liveliest city and till recently the seat of the British government in India. It was regarded as the crown of the British Empire and was a bustling cosmopolitan city. To Rajjo’s delight Calcutta was then and continues to be even today, the provider of the most delicate and delicious varieties of sweets. Something like what Vienna can boast of in Europe. The elite and aristocracy of Bengal had evolved a culture covering music, poetry, literature and cuisine which Shivraj began to savour and to which he gradually introduced Rajjo. He even learnt some Bengali songs which caught his fancy and he sang them to her. Rajjo could not be persuaded to sing. What she agreed to do in those heady romantic days, as she discovered the various sides of Shivraj, was to learn to drive a car.

Cars were still a rarity in those early years of the twentieth century. There must have been some women in Bombay who drove cars and Rajjo must have belonged to that minority. Shivraj enjoyed all varieties of cuisine. Rajjo was a super cook. She...

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