The Twentieth Wife
- Indu Sunderasan
This was my first experience with historical fiction (other than 'Memoirs of a Geisha', which I had thought to be an auto/biography earlier), and I think that this was an excellent introduction to the genre.
It is a great saga that wonderfully weaves the historical facts from the Mughal reign in India in 16th/17th century, into the story of Mehrunnisa - from her birth in tragic conditions in Afghanistan until her marriage to the Mughal Emperor Jahangir and receiving the title of Nur-Jahan.
Nur-Jahan was known for her beauty, intelligence and ambition, and the author has built up the picture gradually and beautifully. She became Jahangir's twentieth and the last wife, and the only one he married for love. After reading this book , I felt that history books have been rather unkind to her, projecting her as a scheming and power-hungry woman. I wonder if this depiction is rooted in gender bias - it is quite evident that she was a force to reckon with; it was, and still is, difficult in our culture to find acceptance for such power being wielded by a woman. However, here the author portrays her in a different shade - she has to struggle against her personal tragedies, she is dejected at times but her inner spirit never dies, she is vulnerable at times, and determined to achieve what she desires, at others.
The book confirms to the facts to a large extent, though it has been quite dramatized and romanticized - but I am not complaining in the least, since that is what makes it so very compelling. I was aware of at least the "highlights" of the story, having read about it in history in school, and a few story books. So it was not the anticipation of what happened next that kept me hooked on to it. Instead it was the way the events unfold in the book, the intrigues and subterfuges, an insight into the thoughts and motivation of numerous characters, and complex maze of relationships between them.
Throughout the history, any contention for a throne has been fraught with greed, hate and blood, and I think that the battles for Mughal throne have been bloodier than most. In this aspect, a story about these times has enough of background "masala" to generate an interest. The author has enriched it by focusing on a parallel politics that goes on in the "zenana", detailing the conventions, customs and culture of the time, and bringing forth the picture of the grandeur, opulence and power that the Mughal royalty lived in.
What I couldn't digest was Mehrunnisa's single-minded determination to marry Prince Salim, right from the age of eight! Seriously, how many eight year olds would dream of marriage to a prince charming (literally!), even in those times, and how many of them will sustain this juvenile fantasy till the ripe old (old as per the times, that is) age of 34! Further, she is said to be attracted to Salim because of his good looks, and later, also because of his sophisticated tastes. But is that enough for an intelligent and mature woman, when there is little that is redeemable in him - he is weak in character, easily influenced, unstable and inconsistent (he even forgets about her for years, and not just once, after professing his unending love), and is addicted to alcohol and opium.
The story is essentially a romance, but the romantic scenes were rather sloppy - in fact they were the only cringe-worthy parts in an otherwise gripping and fast-paced narrative.
It is a great saga that wonderfully weaves the historical facts from the Mughal reign in India in 16th/17th century, into the story of Mehrunnisa - from her birth in tragic conditions in Afghanistan until her marriage to the Mughal Emperor Jahangir and receiving the title of Nur-Jahan.
Nur-Jahan was known for her beauty, intelligence and ambition, and the author has built up the picture gradually and beautifully. She became Jahangir's twentieth and the last wife, and the only one he married for love. After reading this book , I felt that history books have been rather unkind to her, projecting her as a scheming and power-hungry woman. I wonder if this depiction is rooted in gender bias - it is quite evident that she was a force to reckon with; it was, and still is, difficult in our culture to find acceptance for such power being wielded by a woman. However, here the author portrays her in a different shade - she has to struggle against her personal tragedies, she is dejected at times but her inner spirit never dies, she is vulnerable at times, and determined to achieve what she desires, at others.
The book confirms to the facts to a large extent, though it has been quite dramatized and romanticized - but I am not complaining in the least, since that is what makes it so very compelling. I was aware of at least the "highlights" of the story, having read about it in history in school, and a few story books. So it was not the anticipation of what happened next that kept me hooked on to it. Instead it was the way the events unfold in the book, the intrigues and subterfuges, an insight into the thoughts and motivation of numerous characters, and complex maze of relationships between them.
Throughout the history, any contention for a throne has been fraught with greed, hate and blood, and I think that the battles for Mughal throne have been bloodier than most. In this aspect, a story about these times has enough of background "masala" to generate an interest. The author has enriched it by focusing on a parallel politics that goes on in the "zenana", detailing the conventions, customs and culture of the time, and bringing forth the picture of the grandeur, opulence and power that the Mughal royalty lived in.
What I couldn't digest was Mehrunnisa's single-minded determination to marry Prince Salim, right from the age of eight! Seriously, how many eight year olds would dream of marriage to a prince charming (literally!), even in those times, and how many of them will sustain this juvenile fantasy till the ripe old (old as per the times, that is) age of 34! Further, she is said to be attracted to Salim because of his good looks, and later, also because of his sophisticated tastes. But is that enough for an intelligent and mature woman, when there is little that is redeemable in him - he is weak in character, easily influenced, unstable and inconsistent (he even forgets about her for years, and not just once, after professing his unending love), and is addicted to alcohol and opium.
The story is essentially a romance, but the romantic scenes were rather sloppy - in fact they were the only cringe-worthy parts in an otherwise gripping and fast-paced narrative.
No comments:
Post a Comment