When history comes calling one can only be astounded. This happened last week when Peter Fanthome, a former MLA from UP, arrived in Delhi from Lucknow on one of this rare visits. Peter — a descendant of the Anglo-Indian writer J.F. Fanthome, who authored the book Mariam, A Story of the Indian Mutiny, — was on his way to Jerusalem for a pilgrimage.

Peter is keen on acquiring a copy of J.F. Fanthome’s book, which was published in Benaras in 1894, and is now out of print. He would love to even just scan through one if it’s available in some library.

Perhaps he may find one in the library at St John’s College, Agra, as his grandsire was long associated with the institution. The author, who was born in the reign of the last Mughal emperor, died on April 17, 1914 and was buried at St Paul’s Church there.

Family connections

The Fanthome family, whose antecedents in India go back some 250 years, is mainly remembered now because of Mariam and its author. . Fanthome was a distinguished honorary magistrate, when Delhi, besides being the seat of the Mughals was also the cultural capital of India.

Ghalib, Zauq Tichna, and Momin held sway then. Not counting Mirza Fakru, the emperor’s son, who was more famous as Mirza Chappati than a poet, as he was in charge of the distribution of rotis in the harem. Sir Charles Metcalfe, and his brother Sir Thomas, were also lovers of Urdu. As were the Fanthomes and other Anglo-Indians, one of whom was Alexander Heatherley Azad, a pupil of Zainul Abadin Khan Arif, Ghalib’s nephew. But he and his ustad both died young.

Fanthome’s book, was once the prized possession in Nawab Mohammad Faiyaz Khan of Datoli’s private library. The memories that form part of the magistrate’s magnum opus give a wealth of information on life in the medieval zenana. There was neither electricity nor radio nor TV in those days, and to entertain themselves the ladies narrated tales in the evening by lantern light, which generally began with the words, “Aap biti kahoon, ya jag biti?” (should I relate a personal or general experience).

An insight into the times

In the book, one begum speaks of the time when the site of the Red Fort was littered with the ruins of an Afghan fortress; and another about Badalgarh, where later Agra Fort was built by Akbar. “Djinns”, says the begum, “threw big stones at each other and at passers-by, after luring them with haunting music, and the Great Moghul lost two of his sons, Hassan and Hussain because of their mischief.”

A story of Hindu-Muslim camaraderie in 1857 states that a Pande and a Sheikh, making their way over the Ridge with looted arms came across a snake. The Sheikh first picked up a stone to kill it and then drew his sword, but the Pande asked him to spare ‘Nagraj’ (since the cobra was associated with Shiva). At a Sayyid Baba’s grave, the Sheikh offered fateha while the Pande did pranam. Then, under a peepal tree, the latter lit a diya and his companion stood with folded hands. The two fed pigeons afterwards — the birds are regarded as Sayyids by some Muslims and sacred birds of Mahadev by Hindus — before rushing to join the rebel sepoys.

Magistrate Fanthome had studied Indian social mores at close quarters. He was a sympathetic chronicler and supplemented his knowledge through bazaar news from servants. This included inputs about impending attacks on the sahibs.

Deep rooted

Mary Lavatar, or Mariam’s family were descendants of a Royalist of the time of the 1789 French Revolution. They were also related to the Gardners of Kasganj, to which the author Fanthome was also linked.

Francis Fanthome (second from right), seen at the inauguration of National Conference of the Anglo Indians, 2006   | Photo Credit: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

In the conclusion to his novel, Fanthome wrote that Mariam lived for 35 years after her rescue from Mangal Khan’s house. She used her savings, and small pension that she was given, to survive in Banaras, She passed away there on Novement 25th, 1892. However, her grave does not find mention in the book Christian Tombs and Monuments of UP, as it is untraceable. J. F. Fanthome, who died 22 years later, was so well-versed in Indian folklore that the appendices to his novel delineate the names of the 12 Archangels presiding over the Urdu alphabet. They even have notes on Jinns, Churails, Aghoris, Cow-worship, Dervishes, hair-dressing, and much more.

His descendant, Francis Joseph Fanthome was a well-known face in Delhi. He had been an M.P. and also the Chief Executive of the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination. According to Prof Sydney Riberio of the Delhi University, Francis , as an M.P., had once addressed Parliament in chaste Hindustani, saying that though his mother tongue was English, he could speak the language just as well, a trait obviously acquired from ancestors who were like the Mariam of the novel. Francis died in Dehra Dun in 2013. Now, six years after Francis’s death, Peter is probably the most prominent Fanthome descendant alive.

The author is a veteran chronicler of Delhi