Behramji Malabari was born in 1853, the son of a Parsi colonial bureaucrat. By the time Malabari left Bombay to travel to England in April 1890 he was already the author of a book of Gujarati poems, followed in 1877 with the publication of The Indian Muse in English Garb . In 1880 he became editor of the Indian newspaper the Indian Spectator.

Malabari travelled to Britain in the capacity of a social reformer, one of several who sailed to Britain in the 19th century, in order to lobby on the issue of raising the age of consent and also widow remarriage for women in India.

His journey to Britain and his observations of British life were recorded in The Indian Eye on English Life or Rambles of a Pilgrim Reformer, published in 1893 The witty and humorous tone adopted by the author proved to be a hit with the reading public, reflected by the fact that the book passed into three editions.

In chapter one of his book, Malabari describes various facets of life on board the Austro-Hungarian steamship Imperator. While Malabari claimed to enjoy the English meals provided, he found the ritual of dinner a 'tiresome affair' and the number of courses served excessive. He also commented on European eating and drinking habits:

The son of a poor acquaintance, nicknamed 'Crocodile' accompanied Malabari on his trip to Britain. Malabari passed his time on board by observing other passengers (a missionary and his large family was the subject of much amusement), walking on deck, reading or listening to the music provided onboard the ship. As the seas were calm, the journey proved to be relatively uneventful.

Having stopped at Aden the ship sailed through the Suez Canal, which Malabari found to be most impressive. However, the passage through it was described as 'dreadfully slow'. The next port was Port Said and then 'picturesque' Brindisi. 'The harbour is one of the prettiest I have seen,' wrote Malabari, 'it gives one a foretaste of European life and climate.'

London as seen through Indian Eyes in 1893. Moving Here catalogue reference (BL) 10348.e.25 A

After disembarking at Venice, Malabari and Crocodile boarded a train to Lucerne. No doubt motivated by a craving for a taste of home, Crocodile opened a tin of Indian sweetmeats or barfi, given as a present by a friend at Surat, and shared it with Malabari, as well as some of the train's staff.

The train journey was not without incident. Malabari and Crocodile had a dispute with the railway guard when he demanded additional payment from them. Malabari concluded: 'This is our first encounter with a railway sharper in Europe. I find travelling very expensive, more than three times what we have to pay in India; very inconvenient at times, and very annoying besides.'