And the Twain Shall Meet: Three Countries and Three Generations, a Doctor's Story

2014 | Biography

Set between three countries, Burma, India and England, and spanning three very different generations, And The Twain Shall Meet witnesses the tumultuous years from 1870 to 1977. Tracing India's journey towards Independence in 1947, Cartner's story explores racial attitudes under the influence of the Raj and highlights the complexity of the relationship between Britain and India, as the author contrasts her mother's generation with her own. An Indian Tamil born in Rangoon, Cartner recounts her unusual childhood, the Mandalay bombing of 1942, her coming of age at the end of the British occupation, and her remarkable experiences as a doctor and as a woman following India's independence, in both India and, later, 1960s England. Beginning with the extraordinary experiences of her mother, an ardent woman in many ways ahead of her time and a despatch rider for the British in Rangoon during the War, the narrative is deeply revealing of Indian women's struggles in this period of history, exposing the conflicts between adhering to traditional customs and individual fulfilment.

Cartner's dual perspective, as an Indian woman and as a medic, adds a new dimension, as she recalls her career in both deprived Indian communities and in the NHS. This poignant memoir offers an acute insight into life under the Raj, the racial prejudices of both British and Indian society, and the changing lives of women in this transformative period of history. Cartner's grandfather became a doctor against all the odds, but in her mother's generation, would she have achieved the same distinguished career? Her story will shed much needed light upon the lives of Indian women, the social transformations since India's Independence, and the challenges inherent in Britain and India's shared history.

Lindy Rajan Cartner (Author)