CHANDIGARH: "If Indians can claim Kohinoor, then it can be claimed by Taliban, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan as well," said
William Dalrymple
, author at the launch of his book 'Kohinoor: The Story of the World's Most Infamous Diamond' in Chandigarh on Thursday.
Kohinoor came to India after a lot of struggle. It actually went through a number of hands before it was brought to India by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. According to the authors, the diamond was a centre of unbelievable violence. It was claimed after a lot of torture, blood-shedding and violence.
"The reason for unveiling the book in Punjab first was that the history of Kohinoor is closely tied up with Punjab," said
Anita Anand
, who is the co-author of the book.
William said, "It is completely false that Kohinoor was gifted to the British by Maharaja Ranjit Singh." Misleading and untrue information is what prompted William and Anita to write a book on the history of one of the World's most talked about diamond. Through this book, they want to brush away the cobwebs. Most of the people all over the world have a perception that Kohinoor is the largest diamond in the world but while writing their book, William and Anita came across the fact that Kohinoor is actually the 90th largest diamond in the world.
Another interesting fact about the diamond is that it always proved to be a curse for its owner.
For instance, Anita pointed out at the launch that the ship in which Kohinoor was being brought to Britain was hit by a typhoon. After it was claimed by Queen Victoria, it was seen as a symbol of her reign over India.
This book takes its readers through the journey of Kohinoor from the time it was embedded in the
Peacock Throne
to having a place in Queen Victoria's crown.
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