Title :
Mistress of the Throne
Author :
Ruchir Gupta
Publisher
: Srishti Publishers and Distributors
ISBN
: 9789382665076
Mughal
period is one of the periods that keeps beckoning authors of almost every
generation to come back to it to unravel the mystique behind the opulence that
this era was known for. Though the royal emperors - Akbar, Jahangir, Shah
Jahan, Aurangzeb have long been resting in the annals of history, yet their
styles, their sensibilities for art and culture, their harems, food,
generosity, ruthless machinations and brutal lust for power - entreat many to
dig deeper. Many books written by contemporary authors like William Dalrymple
and Indu Sundaresan have already been reviewed here on Literary Sojourn.
'Mistress
of the Throne' picks a small timeline starting from the year 1631. This was the
year when the beloved queen Mumtaz Mahal, of emperor Shah Jahan breathed her
last during one of the childbirths. Going against the tradition of passing the
title of Queen to one of his other wives, Shah Jahan chose to anoint her
eldest daughter Jahanara with this royal honour. The new seventeen year old
queen found herself shouldering responsibilities on personal, familial and
public fronts. She dedicated herself to keeping the family united but her
efforts fell short in front of towering egos, jealousies and scuffles for
supremacy and power. The power tussle between the extremist Aurangzeb and the
mild tempered Dara was apparent right from the very beginning of their getting
together. Though Dara Shikoh was the favoured son of emperor Shah Jahan and was
the heir apparent, he lost his life in a bitter battle with Aurangzeb for the
imperial throne.
Mistress
of the Throne is the first person account of Jahanara through which readers are
given a peak into the functioning of Mughal empire and the political games that
were played on either sides of the veils. Author Ruchir Gupta sensitively
brings out the inner turmoil that the young queen went through when she understood the implications
of the harsh reality of living life alone. Though she very closely witnessed
the love between her parents which Shah Jahan tried to immortalize in the form
of Taj Mahal, she knew she would never be able to experience that emotion all her life. Her only fault was that she was a Mughal
emperor's daughter.
Ruchir
Gupta has done a commendable job in bringing back the bygone era intricately in
the book. The scene setting is done in such a way that one becomes a part of
the fast paced and engaging narrative. Language is simple to follow and flows
lucidly. The characters are built slowly but with utmost care, especially that
of Aurangzeb. The ruthlessness and fundamentalist attitude of Aurangzeb is very
well documented in course books and other texts but this is the first time that
one gets see and understand his personal side as well. Spending his childhood
in a hostile exile, away from the love and warmth of his benevolent mother
scarred his soul. Unfortunately he did not get much time with Mumtaz Mahal to
savour the essence of unconditional affection and love. His insecurities,
vulnerabilities and yearning to be the good son and good brother touch the
chords at various places as the story progresses.
As far as
the character building of Jahanara is concerned, Indu Sundaresan's adaptation wins over Ruchir Gupta's. Had I not read any of the books written by Indu, I
would have enjoyed reading 'Mistress of the Throne' without any comparison in
mind. But the images of Mughal queens that Sundaresan creates in her Taj
trilogy remain firmly etched in the readers' minds and any other replacement
will run the risk of appearing wane in comparison. They are just a tad short of
flesh and blood otherwise she has done all to breathe life in the characters.
Well, there is a difference in portraying a woman and being one.
The book was sent to me by
The book was sent to me by
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