In 1921 former princely state of Travancore was still ruled by an all-powerful Dewan. Local Hindus, Muslims and Christians pressed for greater participation in the state admin¬istration.The result was a strong communalism which the clever Dewan could make use of as part of a policy of divide-and-rule. Louise Ouwerkerk dwells extensively on these developments which led to the formation of the Travancore State Congress in which she was personally involved.

From 1929 to 1939 Ouwerkerk taught at the Maharaja`s Women`s College and Travancore University. Although a government servant, she threw herself into politics and tried to unite the communal leaders on a common platform for a more responsible government. As these attempts brought her into conflict with the Dewan, she was dismissed from service. In the early 1970s she wrote the text for this book, largely based on her own files and recollections, supplemented by interviews. She died in 1989.