Essentials of Colloquial Hindustani

Book, entitled ‘Essentials of Colloquial Hindustani for Jute Mills and Workshops’ by Mohiuddin Ahmad, published in Calcutta, 1947. Written to help Europeans working in the Indian jute mills, in fact the author is quoted as saying ‘I may say it is just the book which is wanted by the Sahibs (Hindi word for proprietor) in the mill area'.

The rise of the Indian jute industry at the turn of the century, due to the lower labour and transportation costs, brought about the eventual decline of Scottish jute production. Many Dundonians went to Calcutta to work in the mills to teach their skills and for a better quality of life.