"You think Nehru is a powerful man?" Barron asked in an uncertain tone as he crossed his fingers together.
"Yes, Sir Barron." Alan Wilson nodded solemnly, "Nehru's own ideas are more to be reckoned with than Gandhi's, who has been thinking of an idyllic life."
Ellen Wilson's voice was not loud, but unmistakably firm. In fact Nehru, now the leader of the Congress Party, and Ali Jinnah, the leader of the PML-N, are both very formidable political figures.
On his own, Nehru is a man who the latter-day Modi old fairy simply cannot match. Ali Jinnah, who represented the other faction, was also a thoroughly secular political figure, whether Hindu or peaceful, a tool in the hands of two men who had no trace of religion in themselves.
More than Nehru, the PML-N leader, Ari Jinnah, was a thoroughly pro-Western leader, and even the religious claims of the PML-N were not on Ari Jinnah's radar for a long time.
Still, as a minority, Ali Jinnah was inevitably influenced by the PMLN, and his ill health saw the PMLN, and Pakistan, move rapidly down the path of religiosity after his death.
Nehru of the Congress Party was a different matter altogether. Nehru paid lip service to Indian culture, but was unambiguous when it came time to strike. During his time in office he carried out land reforms and defeated Pakistan externally, reversing the world's perception of Hindus as cowards in battle. The recovery of Portuguese Goa boosted India's national self-confidence.
Ultimately, Alan Wilson believes that this had a huge amount to do with Nehru having been to the nascent Soviet Union once when he was young. The emergence of the Soviet Union was a godsend to the whole world and it was only natural that it would have had a huge impact on Nehru at the time, leading to Nehru adopting a lot of Soviet solutions to things at home after India's independence.
If there hadn't been that war, Nehru might have actually built India into a reputable power.
Listening to the young man standing in front of him with a straight face, answering his own question, Barun nodded in satisfaction, a strange emotion welling up in his heart, it was hard to imagine such an understanding, coming from a young man in his early twenties.
"We are at war and many departments are in need of talent." Sir Barron spoke after a moment of contemplation, "Your father did a great deal of work in Calcutta during the Battle of Imphal, both in the theatre, the Governor's Office and the Colonial Department, and we have to consider the views of those who have merit."
With Barron's words, Alan Wilson grew more and more cautious, knowing that his path was all at the other man's whim.
"Tell you what, Bombay, Calcutta and even Delhi are a little too conspicuous, considering your age. It's not the right job for you to start within the seventeen provinces of India right now. But for your father's sake, I can get you started in an easy position, one that is not low status." Barun thought as he said, "What do you think about being the Hyderabad Commissioner?"
"Eh? Thank you Sir Barron." Alan Wilson froze for a moment and settled back to thank the surprise in his heart.
There were seventeen provinces in British India administered by the Viceroy's Office and the British Commissioners, occupying a total of two thirds of what is now British India, with the remaining third of the land spread over five hundred and sixty native states. The smaller states were simply larger landowners, while the larger ones were treated with great respect in Britain as heads of state.
The most powerful of the 500-odd states was Hyderabad, as Sir Barron called it, the largest of British India in terms of area and population, and far stronger than Kashmir, which later caused many Indo-Pakistani wars.
While Allen Wilson was still thinking about it, Sir Barron was already talking to himself, "Although Hyderabad is not actually under the control of British India, it is no less important than the provinces under the control of the Viceroyalty. Of the five hundred or so native states, Hyderabad may be regarded as a windfall, so you must not be apprehensive, the importance is the same."
Still feeling a little disappointed by Alan Wilson's arrangement, Sir Barron explained the importance of Hyderabad, mentioning, "The ruler there now is Mir Osman Ali Khan, a ruler respected by London, and communication with him is no less important than working within the provinces under our control."
It might have been more comfortable to go into the Indian provinces to increase work, but given Alan Wilson's age, Sir Barron was not in a position to go too far out of personal friendship, and by giving the other man a position of good standing among the Indian native states indirectly ruled by the British Empire, he would not appear too conspicuous and would not be caught by others.
It was, after all, the time of the Great War, and some of the old rules could be broken, but a certain amount of fire had to be mastered.
Alan Wilson was not displeased by this, and he knew that the Sir Barron before him had done his best and could only do so much within the current rules.
"Your father helped me a lot at the time of the Battle of Imphal, maintaining the stability of India." Finally Sir Barron mentioned the past and Alan Wilson took it to heart.
To say the least, Alan Wilson's father, the elder Wilson, since fleeing to India, soon found the door to continue his career in the civil service, eventually gaining a foothold in Calcutta.
Calcutta was the capital of British India before New Delhi, and Britain operated in Calcutta for half a century before putting its capital in New Delhi thirty years ago, in an era when it was unquestionably the second largest city in India.
After the Burma Campaign, this centre of Bengal was even more directly exposed to the Japanese threat until the outbreak of the Battle of Imphal. As for old Wilson it was in the midst of this time that Calcutta was kept running, as Sir Barron had instructed.
But this was not Sir Barron's intention, and the main reason why Allen Wilson was held in high regard was the outbreak of the Great Bengal Famine, which always broke out in British India, but the Bengal Famine of two years ago when over three million people were starved to death, just around the time of the Battle of Imphal, for which old Wilson could be blamed, and equally blameworthy was Sir Barron, the British Indian who worked in the Viceroy's head of the civil service.
Alan Wilson was relieved that he had finally got what he wanted here in the Viceroy's House because of his father's relationship, and just then Sir Barron spoke, "Don't be too happy yet, I only have the right to recommend candidates, you should know that the final decision is still in the hands of Governor Wavell, and without any surprise, I will inform you of the good news after some time. "
"Thank you, Sir Barron." Alan Wilson held out a gold coin and said to himself, "I obtained this from a merchant, and I personally hope that Sir Barron will not be concerned with his metal composition, but will see in it precious Indian history, as in the academic problems studied by the Oriental Institute, the wide Eastern world."
"Precious historical value, I think so." Sir Barron heartily reached out and took it, glancing at it against the sunlight coming through the window, and seemed rather to marvel at the pattern on it.