The story passed for years from tea sellers to rickshaw drivers to shopkeepers in Old Delhi. In a forest, they said, in a palace cut off from the city, lived a prince, a princess and a queen, said to be the last of a Shiite Muslim royal line. Some said the family had been there since the British had annexed their kingdom. Others said they were supernatural beings.It was a stunning and tragic story. But was it real? On a spring afternoon, while on assignment in India, Ellen Barry got a phone call that sent her looking for the truth.In Chapter 1, we hear of a woman who appeared on the platform of the New Delhi railway station with her two adult children, declaring they were the descendants of the royal family of Oudh. She said they would not leave until what was theirs had been restored. So they settled in and waited — for nearly a decade. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
“Ellen, have you been trying to get in touch with the royal family of Oudh?” Our reporter receives an invitation to the forest. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Eric Arliguy
. k' du la la la. lnuit. on. la
Eric Arliguy
. k' du la la la. lnuit. on
Dan Yaklin
2W " .f😊d_,😊😊j😊&,. w. kt, t
trac
I'm also from bradford and stumbled across this podcast by accident. I've listened to it three times in a row, what an amazing and deeply moving story.
nikshikari
I'm from Bradford. This story really struck a chord. Partition devastated many lives. The pain is still felt in the community, generations later. We have a Peace Museum here as we have a wide diaspora of Muslim and Hindu families who emigrated here after the tragedies of Partition. We all work together to unite all people from across the world in times of struggle. peace be upon all.