The Imitation Englishman
India

The Imitation Englishman

by Devki Pande

Family & Heritage Historical Fiction Fiction 2026

Summary

In 1916, as the First World War reshapes the world, Madhusudan Chandra Joshi, a young Indian clerk from the Himalayan town of Almora, travels to Heidelberg to study law and secure a better future. His plans take an unexpected turn when he meets Amir Farooqui, a mysterious revolutionary who draws him into the Hindu–German Conspiracy, an international effort by Indian nationalists in exile to overthrow British colonial rule. As the war makes Germany increasingly dangerous for Indian students and activists, the two men embark on separate journeys: Madhusudan heads to London to continue his education, while Amir travels to San Francisco to reconnect with fellow revolutionaries. In London, Madhusudan encounters the racism and inequalities underpinning the British Empire, forcing him to question his ambitions and his understanding of identity. Moving between India, Europe, and America, Devki Pande’s historical novel explores the complicated relationship between colonialism, education, belonging, and resistance. Inspired by the author’s own family history, it is a story of political awakening, personal transformation, and the search for freedom in an unequal world.

Reviews

Login to leave a review.

No reviews yet. Be the first!

You might also like

A History of Burning
A History of Burning
Janika Oza
A Thread of Light
A Thread of Light
Neema Shah
The Strangling Fig
The Strangling Fig
Fauzia Musa
The Story Hour
The Story Hour
Thrity Umrigar
Country
India
Asia
About the author
Devki Pande
Devki Pande

Devki Pande is an Indian writer and film producer whose work spans literature and screen storytelling. She studied urban design before earning a Master of Fine Arts from Columbia University, where she was a Felipe P. De Alba Fellow. She also received an International Fellowship from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. Pande works in the Indian film industry as a writer and producer, with credits including the television series City of Dreams (2019), Criminal Justice (2019), and Rudra: The Edge of Darkness (2022). Her debut novel, The Imitation Englishman (2026), grew out of her curiosity about her great-grandfather’s largely unspoken years studying law in Europe during the First World War. Drawing on historical research and family memories, Pande explores Indian identity, colonialism, racism, and the experiences of Indians living abroad in the early twentieth century. Her fiction combines international historical events with intimate questions of belonging, ambition, and personal transformation.

View author page
Details
Published
2026
Author
Devki Pande