LAHORE: A live online session was held by the Lahore Literary Festival (LLF) on Friday to discuss a book on Mughal Emperor Jahangir.

Moderated by art historian Mehreen Chida-Razvi, the guest was Associate Professor of History at Rice University in Houston, Texas, Lisa Balabanlilar – author of the book under discussion, The Emperor Jahangir, Power and Kingship in Moghul India.

On what made her write about Jahangir, Prof Balabanlilar said she found him to be a very compelling character. While he is generally known as the son of Akbar the Great, or the father of Shah Jahan who built the Taj Mahal, or the husband of the headstrong and powerful Queen Noor Jehan, he also wrote a rich and complex memoir, Jahangirnameh, which offers a window into his idea of himself and the world around him.

She also highlighted why it was important for her to keep Jahangir the focal point of her book. She observed that most historical writings on Jahangir from that time were tainted by different agendas of the respective authors, like members of Shah Jahan’s court or early European travellers.

They also discussed Jahangir’s rebellion during Akbar’s reign and why the king did not squash it outright. In Prof Balabanlilar’s view, Akbar let Jahangir establish his parallel court and declare himself king to give him some hands-on experience for when he eventually would inherit the throne.

Another topic of discussion was Jahangir’s sense of identity as the first Mughal ruler of India. His mother and uncles were Indian Rajput nobles, and even though there is no suggestion either in Jahangirnameh or other historical Jahangiri texts, the notion of his Turkic-Mongol versus Indian identity impacting his rule or personality is compelling enough.

The epic scale of the Mughal empire and Jahangir’s lifestyle was also discussed that Prof Balabanlilar has highlighted in her book. She said that Jahangirname his full of vivid descriptions, and that Jahangir is always on the move or in action. She added that Jahangir was rooted in the land of India unlike any of his forebearers or son. He drinks, stops to fish, throws lavish parties, has a harem and loves the landscapes.

Prof Balabanlilar mentions that her favourite part from Jahangirnameh was where he’s heading to Kashmir with his full court. The weather is horrible and it’s extremely difficult to move on, but they don’t stop. The purpose of their visit was to behold the flowers blooming when spring arrives.

Another aspect of Jahangir’s life that Prof Balabanlilar shed light on is his relationship with Noor Jehan. He speaks of her often and clearly loves her that the author found extremely touching and feels humanises the emperor.

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2020