1780-BRITISH -Lady Impey supervising her household-.By the middle of the 19th century British colonalism intruded administratively into new public and private spheres but retreated culturally from indigenous recreational arenas where it had been active. In this period of cautious retreat into the exclusive and invincible colonial ghettos - the barricaded cantonment and civil lines, the picturesque hill resorts of Shimla and Mussorie - Britishers not only demarcated clearly their leisure spaces and forms from those of the vanquished "colonised," but also identified these divisions in racial terms.

In Calcutta, observers noted that the company servants now had 15 courses for both dinner and supper instead of their former diet of milk, fish and rice for supper. Also in Surat the English were most influenced by the Mughal custom of relaxing in "gardens, 'neath which rivers flow, with the help of arrack, punch and Shiraz wine."

the increasing presence of British women in India also initiated the gendering of leisure. Women were conspicuous by their absence at drinking parties - these remained the domain of the male. Very rarely did the women accompany the men on hunting expeditions. They generally stayed at home and directed the household of native servants, went out in the evenings on carriage trots, only to come back to a game of cards and music