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A young British officer deserted during the First Afghan war (1839-42) and went to ground in the wilds of Tehri Garhwal. Frederick ‘Pahari’ Wilson changed the face of the region forever and became a Himalayan legend. He played a daring role in the Great Game, was witness to the Anglo Sikh War of 1845 – when the British nearly lost India – and became a pioneering force in the great Indian Railways adventure. Capturing the humour of the petty world of officers’ clubs in Meerut, Mussoorie, and Shimla, the chill of stiff winds on the high passes into Tibet, and the hardships of life in the remote valleys of Garhwal, The Raja of Harsil is a thrilling account of that tumultuous and exciting period.
Driven by personal ambition, Fredrick Wilson introduced commercial timbering to the Himalayas and became India’s first timber magnate. An avid hunter, ornithologist and botanist, he settled at Harsil, and shared the lives and destinies of the Garhwali people. He acquired enormous wealth – becoming the richest man in Northern India – and fame as ‘raja’ of Harsil before falling into disfavour – a pariah for plundering Garhwal of its wildlife and natural resources.
ISBN - 9788174367969
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Pages : 290
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