Book
Review: Alex Rutherford’s Empire of the
Moghul: Traitors in the Shadows
Having successfully
completed a quintet of books skilfully chronicling the rise and fall of the
Moghul Empire, Alex Rutherford is back with Traitors
in the Shadows which examines the reign of Aurangzeb, one of the most contradictory
and vilified figures in Indian history. Rutherford is on familiar terrain and
his reverence for the historical material shines through in his narrative as he
paints an enduring portrait of the tyrant who was not without redeeming
qualities all though one clearly has to hunt for them with the help of a
powerful microscope!
Capable of unbelievable cruelty evinced by his
imprisonment of his father and sons, the ruthless hunting and killing of his
own brothers, his penchant for torture and careless imposition of the death
penalty, the emperor was also just a man haunted by the fact that those in his
line had always been forced to choose between Taktya Takhta – Throne or Coffin. Aurangzeb was a brave warrior and
a brilliant strategist, possessed of a subtle and devious mind. But those fine
qualities notwithstanding, he will always be remembered as a tyrant thanks to
his intransigence in all matters regarding religious beliefs.
A
devout Muslim, whose stern and extreme adherence to the strictures of his
religion saw him undo all the hard work put in by his ancestors like Akbar to
cultivate the bonds of brotherhood between those of all faiths by adopting a
policy of religious intolerance. Aurangzeb banned the celebration of Hindu
festivals like Holi and Diwali, ordered the destruction of temples and
re-imposed the dreaded Jizya – higher
taxation for all non – Muslims in order to drive home his power over them. His
actions were motivated by a misguided sense of political acuity as well and
intended to make a strong statement against rebels like Shivaji and later,
Sambhaji who were Hindus, the Jats, Rajputs and Sikhs, to discourage his other
subjects from throwing in their lot with them.
The
extremist policies forcibly implemented by Aurangzeb and the bad blood it
engendered opened up a chasm between the various religious factions in India
that has proved difficult to bridge to this very day. If his actions were hard
on his subjects they were even harder on those closest to him like his long
suffering sister Jahanara, his sons and closest, most trusted advisors like Wazim
Khan who bore the brunt of the hardness of character that saw him snuff every
threat to his power with a terrifying savagery reminiscent of equally
bloodthirsty ancestors like Genghis Khan.
Rutherford
has done a fair job by staying faithful to the material which is pure gold. The
historical facts are juicy and the pace is crisp, making for a riveting read
and yet it is hard to shake the feeling that something is missing. Despite all
the factors, going for it a certain dryness creeps in which has the result that
even when an orgy is being described, it is with so much blandness that it
detracts from the succulence of the story.
While
history itself is always fascinating, history textbooks are less so and this
book has some of the more tedious attributes of the latter. It merely touches
on the emotional core of its characters while shying away from plunging the
reader into the very depths which can be mildly frustrating. That minor grouse
aside, Empire of the Moghul is a triumph that brings to life one of the most
glorious epochs in all of history and is definitely worth a read.
This review originally appeared in the New Indian Express which you can read here.
This review originally appeared in the New Indian Express which you can read here.
