KOHINOOR
The Story of the World’s Most Infamous Diamond
William Dalrymple and Anita Anand
Juggernaut
239 pages; Rs 499
Picture this: One owner had his face eaten by maggots, another had her brains bashed in by her handmaidens. One owner was forced to give it up when he was a mere child; another had a black eye from a murderous attack when she finally received it. When it was being transported by sea, a cholera epidemic killed off all but five sailors on board. Wherever it went, the Kohinoor symbolised ultimate power (except when it briefly served as a heedless mullah’s paperweight) — but
