Tanushree Podder’s Shahenshahs, Begums and Shahzadis is proof that, despite misplaced attempts, the Mughals can never be jettisoned from collective memory as they continue to frustrate and fascinate. Calling herself a student of history rather than a historian, Podder sets out to reveal lesser-known stories about the Mughals, their wives, and their rivals.
Divided into three parts, the narrative focuses on the emperors, the begums, and themes of love and betrayal. The details of the Mughal rulers are consistently riveting, and history enthusiasts can seldom get enough of it. Although nineteen Mughal emperors ruled over India, only the first six are generally regarded as defining the empire through the strength of their rule and the splendour of their courts. Podder writes about them with gusto, drawing readers into the heart of the Mughal court and its imperial grandeur. However, she falters when recounting the empire’s decline after Aurangzeb.
The inconsistencies are too frequent to overlook. For instance, Podder writes, “His [Aurangzeb’s] eldest, Sultan, died behind bars.” Yet a few pages later, discussing the same heir, she states: “After 12 years behind bars, Muhammad Sultan was unexpectedly freed,” adding that the emperor restored his mansab and pension, honoured him with a pearl sehra, arranged strategic alliances, and even hinted that he might still have a chance at succession before he died at the age of thirty-seven. There is no mention of any subsequent imprisonment or death in captivity.
Similarly, the reader is informed that Jahandar Shah “was fatally strangled just a year into his ‘reign’,” only for the very next page to state that “He was kicked, beaten, and finally, beheaded.” Likewise, “Rafi-ud-Darajat died in prison” but also “Rafi-ud-Darajat died in June 1719 after only four months of rule. His early death was no surprise to those who had observed his failing health.” Even more confusingly, in the section on the begums, Podder writes that “Khanzada Begum, Babur’s aunt, negotiated with princes and generals,” when Khanzada Begum was, in fact, Babur’s sister. One wishes the author and editorial team had paid closer attention, as such lapses undermine the book’s credibility.
Podder also tends to take her fondness for misplaced metaphors and similes a little too far. Phrases such as, “Together, they ate luscious grapes from Kabul, savouring the sweetness as if it were a metaphor for life itself,” or “Every waterfall was a metaphor. Every fluttering chinar leaf was a simile,” do little to flesh out the portrait of Zeb-un-Nissa and instead distract from it.
In the third part, entire chapters revisit figures such as Jahangir and Nur Jahan, who have already received substantial attention. One is left wondering whether another chapter on the celebrated couple—or on other familiar personalities—is necessary.
In the end, the Mughals continue to reign in the public imagination for as long as their chroniclers keep their stories alive, even with varying levels of success.