Author: Pushan Kumar Dutta
Amitava Mukherjee/
Translator(s): Amitava Mukherjee
Publisher: UBS Publishers
Year: 2005
Language: English
Pages: 180
ISBN/UPC (if available): 8174765093
Description
Relics of the Lesser Mughals-A Retrospect is a collection of reminiscences of the author, a senior government officer, who, after retirement, shifted to Bhagirath Palace in Chandni Chowk to pursue his writing career. In his study there, he was haunted by the ghosts of begums of later Mughal kings who gave him a glimpse of the blindings, tortures and sufferings inflicted on their sons and daughters. The present work is a reflection in stories of what the author saw in his dreams, and the narrations relate to:
Blinding of the ten-year old brother by the emperor and later the same treatment meted out to him.
Exploits inside Red Fort by Nadir Shah, Ahmed Shah Abdali and the decoit-king Ghulam Kadir
Fightinig and turmoil in and around Delhi during the Sepoy Mutiny and captivity of Badshah Bahadur Shah Zafar
The life and times of the poet-laureate Mirza Ghalib, and
The rise of Marathas and a graphic description of the Third Battle of Panipat.
Besides this, the book focuses on the activities of the musclemen and wrestlers of Delhi’s Chandni Chowk and gives a glimpse of the goings-on in the higher echelons of Delhi’s officialdom.
Contents
PREFACE
1. Delhi: Relic of the Mughal Empire
2. Legacy of the Mughal Empire
3. The Battle for Takht-e-Tous
4. The Sepoy Mutiny
5. The First Signs of Fissure
6. The Dacoit King in Red Fort
7. Elite of the Later Mughals
8. Mutiny: The First War of Independence
9. More about the Poet Laureate
10. Some More Personal Reminiscences
11. Invaders of the Mughal Era
12. The Exploits of Marathas in the Mughal Era
GLOSSARY
BIBLIOGRAPHY