LAHORE: A session on a book by Miles T aylor, titled Empress Queen Victoria and India, attracted a fairly large audience on the second and last day of ThinkFest.

Mr Taylor shed light on his book portraying the days of the queen and what role she played in the Indian subcontinent. The moderator of the session was F.S. Aijazuddin.

Sharing details of his book, Taylor also displayed rare portraits of Queen Victoria, saying she was `phenomenal`.

He also talked about the culture of loyalism developed during her reign on the subcontinent. The queen, he said, developed an iconic stature in the region and, in fact, enjoyed the status of `mother of India`. He said many Muslim reformers saw her as a champion of minority rights.

The writer also shared how the queen handled her audience, how she governed the people and became a source of respect for the colonial lot. The book could be dividedinto three portions, he said: the agency of the queen and what role monarchy played; how being quite popular in India the queen`s name and fame was used by the government, how the rich and influential used to get concessions from the queen and how the viceroys were her eyes and ears; and the reasons and situations which provedinstrumental in dispersal of Queen Victoria`s largerthan-life presence and the introduction of Indian political culture.

He also talked about how the queen`s image strengthened after becoming a widow. After her death in 1901, her imprints were seen everywhere across India. He also talked about the times before the rolling off the Raj. She also had notable relations with leading Indian women, adding that it was the success of the queen that she was so popular in India and took full interest in the affairs of the subcontinent.

Mr Taylor said that some 200 biographies were published on the queen in India, adding that during her time vernacular print culture got a boost.