Summers have reached its prime, I was sitting in my veranda, reading from my mother’s old novel Pakeza, fan is running as fast as it could, with occasionally cool breeze coming from the nearby room, where my grandmother had turned on water cooler and a voice came, what we going to cook today…, which interrupted by “Masoor ki Daal”.
These words brought a time machine along them, and they transported me to the last quarter of 18th Century, in to the humble and heartbreaking scene in some confinement of Rangoon, Burma, when a low born jailer mocked our Padshah Bahadur Shah Zafar, “Yeh Muh Or Masoor Ki Daal”, after inquiring about the His Highness’s choice of today’s lunch. Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last King of Hindustan, who was captured along with royal family by William Hodson on 19th September 1857.
Today societies call him a weak Emperor, but that weak Emperor laid the foundation of Independence from the British, he appeared as a prominent face of India’s First War of Independence. However, I agree with their saying, he was weak because he was left alone. Yes, you are reading it right Alone, by all the Nawabs, Rajas and Ranas, who were busy licking British Boots in the lust of some opportunities. Today, their children swollen with pride tell the bogus tales of their valour; such a laughing stock.
My gentle reader let me take you to a little farther in 16th Century, towards the root-cause of this disorder of Empire, from the Court of Shah Jhaan The Magnificent, towards the Battle of Samugarh, leading to the Death of Akbar’s Hindustan, to the story of Dara and Aurangzeb with which a few of you would be familiar.
Dara Skukoh the Crown Prince of Mughal India has almost been wiped out from our history books, the Prince receives only inconsistent, sporadic commemoration. The last biography of Dara Skukoh in English was first published in 1935. It was one of the two important books on the Prince to appear during the first of the 20th Century. Kalika Ranjan Qanungo author of the biography and Bikrama Jit Hasrat of the other, symbolized Dara a lost possibility of Hindu-Muslim concord that needed to be recovered. Moreover, it would be hardly an exaggeration to say that anyone who intends to take up the solution of the problem of religious peace, must begin the work where Dara had left it.
Aurangzeb had no vision, only ambition; no reach, only grab, in fact he who is responsible for the fracturing of our greatest Kingdom. However, it is true that in his region India was largely conquered however on the cost of the Akbar’s principles which gave way to dismantling of once integrated nation. The Rajputs who were the wheels of Mughal Empire, were cast aside, the old ties of friendship and harmony were broken, the foundation of unity was shaken, Hindus were treated with contempt, all the imperative positions were taken back, it was the time of great oppression, even a Mahratta factor wrote to Aurangzeb that, Where God said that, am God of only Muslims but, He is “Rub ul Allameen”, Lord of all”. There was violation in the socio-political system which obviously effected the economy. Let’s say Bengal which yielded a net revenue of 1.7 million rupees during the region of Shah Jahan, in Aurangzeb region yielded no more than 500,000 rupees. All administration disappeared, which paved the path for English expansion of India. However, this was predicted two decades later on August 30, 1659, the night of execution of Dara, when Jahanara Beghum, Daughter of Emperor Shah Jahan, who along with the Emperor were imprisoned in Jasmin Tower, Agra Fort writes in her memoir, “A cold gust of wind sweeps in from the West and I shiver. It is the herald of storm, of seas of blood…”
The reign of Aurangzeb was among the longest of Mughals, however world has not become richer in any way by the long reign of Aurangzeb; but it would have been certainly poorer without Dara Sukoh.
Dara’s promise was of a humane, progressive future. When he was executed, what was involved was not just the death of a prince, but the death of a future.
