KARACHI, Sept 18: British officers living in the subcontinent had adapted to the South Asian way of life in a big way — chiefly through intermarriage — but this aspect of English history was obliterated by the Victorians.

This was the central theme of the talk award-winning writer William Dalrymple gave at a function organized by The Citizens Foundation on Wednesday evening.

Showing pictures of British officers dressed in Moghal frippery, Mr Dalrymple, author of The White Mughals, observed that the Victorians had been embarrassed about this cultural intermingling. “That is why we do not read about this period — when the twain had met — in history books. This is a very crucial period of history to recover,” he said.

Earlier, Muneeza Shamsie introduced the author. Ehsan Saleem of The Citizens Foundation gave an update on the activities of the non-governmental organization. The deputy high commissioner of the United Kingdom, David Pearey, also spoke.