How did a British officer living in India during the Raj live? What did his schedule look like? What does he do for entertainment and in the evenings. If anyone could also shed some light on diet what the officers meals were and how did they perceive the natives it would definitely be an added bonus! :D
Hey there, while you're waiting, you might be interested in this thread:
What did the British colonial administrators eat in India during the days of the Raj? by /u/lordneobic
No one has answered this so far, so I'll take a stab at it, although I encourage anyone with more knowledge to add on.
Most of the information presented here comes from William Dalrymple's "The Last Mughal" and "The White Mughals." As such, most of what I'm going to describe pertains to the early days of colonial rule, during the last years of the East India Company.
We can broadly divide colonial officials into two categories, those who mixed fully into local Indian culture (including those who took Indian wives and the children of mixed marriages) and those who stood strictly to Western customs. Most officials fell somewhere into this spectrum, although the position of the majority depended heavily on the time period. The very early days of Company rule were dominated by the former group, while the latter years, all the way up to the end of British rule were largely characterized by the latter. I will speak mostly about the second group, however, I can also write a bit about the first if you would like.
Schedule As you might imagine, one's schedule depended heavily upon his exact occupation. A military officer led a very different life from a bureaucrat. The majority of English officials didn't exactly adore their time in India, and instead hoped to return home with their accumulated savings. As such, most of these men didn't bring a whole lot with them and didn't live quite as lavishly as one might assume (although their standard of living was nonetheless much higher than the average Indian). Military officers were the first to wake up, getting out of bed at around 3:30 AM, and waiting to be shaved and dressed by their native servants. These officers would spend the better part of the morning in their cantonments, drilling and marching their soldiers. Most officials woke up later, around 5 or 6 AM. Waking up early served a very practical purpose, allowing officials to avoid the scorching sun during their morning horse rides, church services, and commutes to work. By about 11 or 12 AM, the soldier's day was already mostly complete, the daily drills and chores were largely over, and the only thing left to do was spend the day "reading, lounging and sleeping." Most (but far from all) bureaucrats and administrators ended their day shortly after noon, and most headed back home in carriages (or in other modes that shaded them from the sun).
Unfortunately, I can't really tell you much about the activities of the afternoon, as I haven't read very much about it. Avery specific example I can give you, however, is that of Sir Thomas Metcalfe, a bureaucrat who worked at the royal durbar of the Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar. Metcalfe had a very strict daily schedule, and usually ate dinner at 3 PM. Most British officials spent these hottest hours indoors, playing cards, relaxing, smoking, etc. Sunset signaled the end of the day for Company Officials (although Indians continued to work and socialize until much later). This was also the customary time to socialize with one's friends, and officials often visited each other's houses for dinner. After dinner entertainment varied from city to city, with places like Meerut being famed for their lavish balls and galas, and other, smaller stations having comparatively little to do.
Entertainment Most entertainment and relaxation for British officials took place either during the afternoon or at night, after dinner. As previously discussed, most officials idled at home during the hot afternoon, playing cards, smoking, and generally lounging. Soldiers in the cantonments often complained of this time of day, as the brick cantonments got extremely hot during by mid-day, leaving little for officers do except lie in bed, being fanned by their servants. Light sports and horse riding took place largely in the early mornings, prior to the arrival of the hot sun (women were encouraged to ride early in the mornings, as it protected their complexion). Most officials socialized and practiced their various (sometimes eccentric) hobbies after dinner. A very common pastime was studying, reading history or philosophy, or whatever else interested the particular individual. Letter writing (and, in a few cases, book writing) were also common pursuits. Thomas Metcalfe, who we have referred to already, was a good example of this sort of activity, as he patroned the "Delhi Book," a collection of oil paintings and descriptions he intended as a gift to his daughter back home in England. Music was also a common part of socializing, and philharmonic societies and choirs existed in almost every city with European influence.