Book review: The Shadow Princess

Shadow Princess

Some time back I wrote about the first two books in The Taj Trilogy by Indu Sundaresan: The Twentieth Wife and The Feast of Roses. Shadow Princess is the culmination of the saga. Indu portrays the story of Mughal India after the death of it's beloved begum, Mumtaz Mahal a.k.a Arjumand Banu.

The narration starts with the fourteenth child delivery by Arjumand Banu and her death during the process. She deserts this world leaving behind two daughters, Jahanara and Roshanara along with four sons. On the death of her mother, Jahanara becomes the Padshah begum sahiba of the imperial harem leaving behind Shah Jahan's other two wives in the run for the title. In the time of his beloved wife's death, emperor Shah Jahan depends dearly on his daughter for emotional support and matters of governance. Jahanara looks after her father and kingdom so well that the emperor grows extremely attached to his eldest child and refuses to give her away in marriage to anybody. Jahanara thus looses the chance to marry her love interest, a capable noble in her father's kingdom - Nazabat Khan. Thus sets the mood of longing and desperation in the book.

Jahanara supports her father's will in establishing Dara Shikoh on the throne of Hindustan while her sister Roshanara whose importance is whittled away in Jahanara's brilliance supports another brother Aurangzeb's accession to throne. The haughty pious prince, Aurangzeb longs and fails to attain his sister's Jahanara's affection. Jahanara on failing to receive the natural right to marry, took to immoral and unconventional ways of seeking love. She starts to smuggle in a man into the imperial harem to satisfy her. On discovering that Nazabat too loves her, she meets him secretly under the very nose of the emperor. Aurangzeb's struggle for gaining power is paralleled with his sister's attempts at gaining love. The book entails to describe the construction of Taj Mahal in painful details and there is an information overload.

While this third and last edition in the trilogy holds strong in expressing the author's brilliance in narration, it lacks in holding the readers's interest. Primarily the protagonist of the book, Jahanara Begum is not as impressive and authoritative as the protagonist of two other books, Mehrunnisa. Although the character building has come out substantially, the character in itself lacks any charisma. Secondly, the detail with which the author has described the construction of Taj Mahal is unappealing to a reader lacking architectural background. The story is a drag with nothing new to offer and the important historical incidents in the life of Aurangzeb have received lesser importance than they were actually entitled to. The perfidy and fratricide on Aurangzeb's part is chalked out much too feebly and the grandeur of Mughal rule is all repetitive.

All in all the climax of this trilogy is a disappointment and to be read only for curiosity. I read the book in sections-once starting from the last few chapters, once in the middle section, skipping many a few pages out of sheer boredom!! At last I finished the book and here I am recommending this to only those who have read the first two wonderful books in this trilogy.

Book review: The Feast of Roses

The Feast of Roses

I wrote about an enticing narration of Mughal story here, about the book 'The Twentieth Wife'. The tale goes on with the sequel as 'The Feast of roses' by Indu Sundaresan. While 'The Twentieth Wife' captures journey of Mehrunnisa into emperor Jahangir's heart and eventually into his harem (living quarters reserved for wives and concubines and female relatives in a muslim household), Indu's second book is Mehrunnisa's rule over Hindustan as Padshah Begum (the supreme empress) second only to the emperor himself. 

Mehrunnisa is conferred upon the title of 'Nur Jahan- Light of the world' by Jahangir after their wedding, a well deserved one for she was the most beautiful woman in Mughal empire at that time and by the virtue of her marriage and her husband's love, the most powerful Mughal woman of her time. The ambitious woman is not contended with a mere title but wishes for true power over the harem and also in the Mughal court. Although she was Jahangir's twentieth wife, Mehrunnisa was the most beloved of all and she establishes this fact by snatching away the position of 'Padshah Begum' from Jahangir's other wife - Jagat Gosini, mother of prince Khurram (later ruled as Shah Jahan). Mehrunnisa had to face the wrath of important amirs (nobels) at the court and women at the harem for she was the emperor's sole partner in ruling the kingdom and others had very less left to participate in. 

Mehrunnisa forms a junta involving her father Ghias Beg, her brother Abul Hasan and prince Khurram to assist her in taking important decisions for state. From being a mere twentieth wife, Mehrunnisa enamors the emperor to such an extent that he crossed many royal etiquettes of Muslim world to accommodate the desires of his beloved wife and lover. Jahangir lets a royal woman's presence at the court (even when veiled, imperial women were forbidden to appear before other men), prints coins in name of 'Nur Jahan', consults her in all matters of statesmanship and breathes every breath in her presence. Prince Khurram is married to Mehrunnisa's niece Arjumand Banu (known to the world as Mumtaj Mahal) and Mehrunnisa's futile efforts to marry her own daughter Ladli to Khurram crushes her daughter's dreams miserably and becomes one of the reasons to cause a rift between the prince and the empress. Mehrunnisa then marries her daughter to Prince Shahryar and plots to place this weakling on the throne of Hindustan. What follows is a bloody rebellion from Khurram and the causal ouster of him and his wife from the empire. This woman who rules the empire for 16 long years is finally sent to Lahore in official exile on Jahangir's death when Shah Jahan becomes the emperor after slaughtering all his brothers and cousins who were contenders for the throne. 

Indu has painted the politics of Mughal court in lush words and emotions befitting a veteran writer. Indu's books provide a sensory treat of the historical events. The pure love between the emperor and Mehrunnisa is a wonder to know about. Jahangir keeps going back to Mehrunnisa in spite of his access to any woman in the world which speaks volumes about their love. His love is unflinching even when Mehrunnisa slaps him and they both fight like commoners in front of slaves and eunuchs. The power struggle between Mehrunissa and prince Khurram is worth every minute of reading. The affluence of Mughal empire brims through every page of narration and there is also description of the flight of an English ambassador to the Mughal court, Thomas Roe. The grandeur of a bygone era is there to relish all over the pages of this book. 

Reading this book has made me well versed with the history of the most powerful dynasty to rule over India. I will never forget the lineage of Moghul rulers, their architecture, their way of life, socio-political values prevalent over the 16th and 17th century India and the magnitude of Indian soil richness. This book is dear to me for another reason - it's strong and mesmerizing prose. Many a times I have forgotten whether I am reading a prose or a poem. The lull of a bedchamber, the tenderness of a girl's waiting for the lover, the manhood of a prince in the battlefield, the madness of love for a wife, the imperial power of a monarch, the arrogance of affluence, the subjugation of a kingdom's subjects - all these find new life in Indu's words. If this book is of any value apart from the history it depicts, then it is the bewitching use of words in prose. 

In comparison to the first book of any trilogy, the second one is always considered a drag but sparing a few repetitions of facts much needed for a strong narration, 'The Feast of Roses' is a historical and imaginative delight for the reader. I recommend this book to whoever is interested in knowing about

• the history of Moghul India in the disguise of a story
• the love story of one of the most powerful couples in the pages of Indian history
• the rise of a mere woman to the level of a Muslim monarch

Enjoy the beautiful prose by buying yourself a copy:

Book review: The Twentieth Wife

Since five days a princess, no a seductress, no an empress has absorbed my thoughts. Images of her alluring the emperor of Hindustan have constantly run through my mind. I am rejoicing my new found love for Urdu. I am speculating the riches of a bygone era, of a great ruler Hindustan ever witnessed and of the customs pervasive throughout the medieval ages of our Hindustan. Flashes of imperial gardens, traditions and royal mannerisms are distracting me ceaselessly. I want to know more, imagine more and be lost terribly in the world of imagination I swayed through for five days now. The book The Twentieth Wife by Indu Sundaresan has been more like a motion picture for me.

The novel begins with the depiction of a famished and penniless Persian family in a caravan, when the lady of the family gives birth to her fourth child Mehrunnisa, meaning the 'sun among women'. Birth of Mehrunnisa brings uncanny twist to the fate of her father Mirza Ghias Beg who is blessed with good fortune of being a nobleman in auspicious court of the Mughal emperor Akbar. Mehrunnisa is brought up in the affluence of court blessings and at the age of eight she witnesses prince Salim's wedding and eyeing his charm and beauty for the first time then, Mehrunnisa decides that she would one day become a wife of Salim and thereafter the empress of Hindustan. Akbar's principal wife, Padshah Ruqayya Begum takes special interest in this inquisitive child and lets Mehrunnisa attend to her in the zenana or the royal harem (living quarters reserved for wives and concubines and female relatives in a Muslim household). The Persian beauty Mehrunnisa grows into a young lady in the atmosphere of imperial harem absorbing the culture, gossips, politics and practices of the powerful women behind the veil. Mehrunnisa grows old to be still obsessed with marrying prince Salim.

In tandem, stories of Mughal politics are woven into the story with much convenience of an adept storyteller. Indu Sundaresan has mingled historical facts of power play into the backdrop. Much detailing is given to the bloodshed conspiracy of prince Salim trying to snatch away the throne from his father. Cruelty, politics and statesmanship find improved standards of description in the novel. Indu takes the readers through milieus of political turmoil during the last decade of Great Akbar's life. When Mehrunissa's love interest Salim is busy with conspiring against his father, Mehrunissa is able to make Salim notice her and long for her companionship. Much to her dismay, emperor Akbar unaware of the budding romance commands Mehrunissa's hand in marriage to a brave soldier of his kingdom, Ali Quli. Mehrunissa enters into a matrimony devoid of love and respect, for this learned lady doesn't find a capable partner in a mere soldier. A period of childless marriage and a decade long separation from Salim bring in a lot of changes in Mehrunissa's life and also in the rule of Hindustan. Akbar dies away giving the throne to his rightful heir, Prince Salim who then transforms into Nuruddin Muhammad Jahangir Padshah Ghazi.

Several obstacles face Mehrunissa and emperor Jahangir's union. A girl child from Ali Quli, Jahangir's son Khusrau's rebellion for throne, politics of emperor's cohorts and his empress Jagat Gosini, Mehrunissa's Islamic duty as a wife to her husband all come in the way of Mehrunissa achieving the marital status with Jahangir. How Jahangir thwarts his son's attempt at dethroning him, how the emperor as well as Mehrunissa remember each other, how the emperor's new rule thrives in Hindustan, how Ali Quli gets out of the scene for Mehrunissa to unite with the emperor, does Mehrunissa's desire to become an empress get fulfilled- all these questions make reasons for a thrilling read. How Mehrunissa turns into Nur Jahan to rule the vast Indian empire is a story worth reading. The delicate weaving of history into fiction is spellbinding.

Though her debut novel, the author Indu Sundaresan has achieved the veteran talent of picturing landscapes through her words. The blossoming spring and the scorching summer get new freshness in Indu's descriptions. The colours and odours of the imperial harem all get new charm through the author's narration. It is a treat for the brain to get flown into the world of Mughals which Indu paints before us. There is never a scene which is described dully and provided lesser importance. Be it the erotic sensual acts in the harem or the bravado in battlefield, every emotion is worth involving with. Through the end of the novel I found myself holding onto my breath to know whether Mehrunissa accepts emperor's woes and what happens to the throne that is always feeble under successors' plots.

I strongly recommend this book to those who have an interest in knowing history, in getting a peek into Mughal durbars and harems. This book written with a non-Islamic perspective shows what the mannerisms of Agra court meant to an outsider. If you are wondering what influence veiled Muslim ladies had on their emperors, this is the right book for you. Do cultures of a bygone era, another religion and another outlook excite you? Then indulge in this fictional read of 375 pages. If you want to enjoy the delicacy of Urdu words thrown in casually into the story then this is the fiction for you.

I parted with the book with a comfortable feeling that I stay in times where women either Hindu or Muslim do not have to solely depend on their men to provide food and dignity in society.

This book is a part of the Taj Trilogy. The other two books are ‘The Feast of Roses’ and ‘Shadow Princess’. It is the first in the series.