Much has changed but much remains the same

In the re-reading of history, Aurangzeb gets a chance to clarify his position.

It is said that things about history need to be read or understood in conjunction with the context and time. The context helps place historical events in right perspective. Else, history passing through opinion(s) over time distorts facts to suit ideological predisposition. It is another matter that the subject of history has been a casualty of ideological biases in recent times. The one who has seemingly suffered the most from such biases has been Aurangzeb, the longest serving emperor of the Mughal dynasty. Should the trend persist, his half-a-century of rule will remain fodder for promoting divisive ideologies for several more centuries.  

Despite being known to have built temples for the Hindus, Aurangzeb continues to be discredited for destroying temples only. Vilified for taxing people to amass wealth, that Aurangzeb lived off the prayer caps he sold is willfully allowed to pass. Such has been the tirade against him that even Francis Bernier’s impressions that ‘the king governed his subjects with equity and impartiality’ doesn’t value any bit. Given the tumultuous years of his half a century of rule, Aurangzeb must have evolved from an aggressive king to a pragmatic ruler. Much has been written on him but nowhere the possible transformation of a ruler ever been thought about, much less considered.

History is always written by the victor, but the case of Aurangzeb is quite in contrast. With a city and many roads named after the king already erased from the map, efforts to annul his name from the history books is a work in progress. Had it not been for his long stint as an Emperor, Aurangzeb would have been relegated as a fringe ruler many centuries ago. While most only see an antagonist in him, but it is often ignored that Aurangzeb too may have been affected by the circumstances and legacy which were nowhere under his control. Conversations with Aurangzeb allows the long-dead Mughal emperor to clear several misconceptions about him. 

Based on historical facts but written as a genre-bending novel, the narrative positions history to counter ideological impulses of the time. Translated from the Tamil, it is a distinct form of telling a story that is funny and witty but reflective and entertaining. An Aghori summons into his body the spirit of Aurangzeb to speak to the interlocutor. Once the spirit manifests in the body, it introduces itself: “I, Alamgir, born Aurangzeb, have come before you.’ There is much misinformation in history about me, the spirit argues, that I wish to clarify and set aside.

Aurangzeb makes it clear upfront that he was not cast in stone. He lets it be known that his life had three distinct sections in accordance with his age – forty to fifty, fifty to eighty-five, and eighty-five to ninety. Each section reflected different persona. One can easily be anguished by what he did and be as painful for being victimized for something he was trapped into. Without any exception, he was certainly not secular in those times. The era might have changed but not the time – isn’t deep religious portrayal a social and political virtue now? 

Such is the narrative strength of the fact-filled story that neither will it find favor with the chest-thumping right wing not with the self-proclaimed liberals. Aurangzeb puts in right perspective the things reader believes because s/he wants to believe. In saying so, the spirit concurs with noted historian Jadunath Sarkar that Aurangzeb’s life was a Greek tragedy. In making a case for and drawing lessons from his tragic life, the spirit invokes the reader to connect the past with the present in unbiased assessment of the history that has been misinterpreted.  

Conversations with Aurangzeb is an interesting way of re-reading history. It is a groundbreaking book that rekindles interest on the life of an Emperor that has seemingly been long dusted. By drawing and equating the past with the present, the narrative at places could be alarming and frightening too. It places the past under tight scrutiny without drawing any conclusions. However, the spirit doesn’t shy away from admitting that it had sinned a great deal in its ninety years on earth. In doing so, the spirit also holds a mirror to the justifications unleashed by us to in favor of our own wrong doings, both socially and politically. If lust for power is what Aurangzeb has been accused for, the spirit questions if lust for money, lust for power, and lust for blood any less prevalent now. 

Charu Nivedita’s novel is a complicated but interesting and amusing undertaking to dispassionately view the subject that has been grossly misunderstood. It is part historical and part fiction but a satire, nonetheless. It is cult Tamil writer’s contribution in understanding history that is as much a biting commentary on our times.

Conversations with Aurangzeb
by Charu Nivedita
Translated by Nandini Krishnan
HarperCollins, New Delhi
Extent: 355, Price: Rs. 599.

First published in the Hindustan Times on April 27, 2024.

It may indeed be cheaper to save the world.

Have capitalists woken up to both the cost of inaction and the opportunity of action? 

Modern economic growth and rising demand for goods at relatively lower prices has led to inevitable exploitation of nature, and consequent climate change. There is no denying that unfettered capitalism has contributed to over extraction of natural resources and increasing emission of greenhouse gases. Should uncontrolled capitalism persist till 2050, the aim of restricting average global temperature within 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels may remain a pipe dream. Emitting billions of tons of carbon dioxide will see continued climate extremes leading to the loss of lives and livelihoods. No wonder, climate emergencies have become frequent.  

Many environmentalists believe that the long-term solution to tackling climate crises is to uproot capitalism because ‘we cannot solve the problem by what caused it’. It is argued that tackling the climate crises without replacing an economic system that is partially responsible for the excess greenhouse gases stuck in the atmosphere may remain elusive. General consensus is that without ensuring nature’s well-being, human well-being is unlikely to be achieved. However, with only few decades at hand in averting catastrophic climate change, the possibility of putting a new economic system in place may seem improbable. 

Despite capitalism being well entrenched, reforming capitalism seems the only practical way to avoid the system from collapsing. Passionate capitalists fear that policy reforms may kill the market. But policy shifts in favor of climate-oriented technologies and investments have created new business opportunities. Whether such efforts add up to make an impact at global scale has yet to be fully ascertained. Some trends are noticeable, the UK economy grew by 60 percent between 1990 and 2017 while its carbon emissions declined by 40 percent. The task lies in replicating and escalating such transformative processes and practices. Although climate financing may have been slow, the Paris Agreement has triggered a process of change. 

Climate Capitalism is about how to transform world’s dominant economic system while ensuring that the wheels of progress don’t come to a halt. From renewable power to green cement, from electric cars to carbon capture – emission-reducing technologies have tossed new opportunities for private capital and government regulations to work in tandem. The process to harness the forces of capitalism to achieve zero emissions has already begun. Although these are still early days for capitalism to wear a natural look for addressing impending climatic concerns, a faint ray of optimism seems to have been generated. 

It has been over two decades that industrial capitalism has been critiqued for neither pricing nor accounting its negative externalities. It liquidates natural capital and calls it profit, undervaluing both natural resources and living systems. Akshat Rathi chronicles the political maneuverings that made possible China’s lead in building fleet of electric cars, India’s success in promoting solar power, America’s success with reversing climate damages in the oil industry, and the Danish quest for pushing wind turbines. All such initiatives combined; it has been estimated that 2% of global GDP is enough to make the carbon dioxide problem go away! Far from being linear, however, there are disruptive elements that play upon power politics to brittle the path to zero emissions. Politics, technology and finance would need to align in the right direction. 

With climate emergencies threatening life, public perception on the global climatic accords and green initiatives remains grossly skeptical. Holding an optimist position, Akshit argues that we cannot insulate ourselves from the transformation - from fossil fuels to clean energy – coming our way. From the bureaucrats to the billionaires, and from the doers to the enforcers, there are multiple actors on the capitalist platform who would need to merge differences in reforming the economic system towards shaping a climate-conducive capitalism.

Climate Capitalism conveys optimistic narrative which contends that it’s cheaper to save the world than destroy it. It goes without saying that the time for uncontrolled capitalism is long over. What kindles a ray of hope is that capitalists themselves have woken up to both the cost of inaction and the opportunity of action. 

Climate Capitalism 
by Akshat Rathi
John Murray/Hachette, London
Extent: 260, Price: Rs. 699.

First published in The Hindu on April 19, 2024.

No iffs, only butts

We are humans, thanks to our butts. 

Rarely is the derriere taken seriously enough to be written about, but there have never been any ifs about butts. People with big butts are as worried as those with small, as both want to suit the size they deem fit. The entire health industry with its gadgets and diet plans is geared to fulfil such body-reshaping desires. But a butt always remains what it is. If it were not butts, evolutionary biologists explain, humans would neither have traversed long distances nor escaped predation. ‘We are humans, thanks to our butts’. Butts: A Backstory traces the evolutionary biology and cultural relevance of this enigmatic body part.

Cheeky and entertaining, Heather Radke presents the cultural history of a body part that has long been perceived as an indicator of women’s nature – from femineity to morality. It offers a perspective-shifting reading on a body part, from mania for Sarah Baartman’s butts during 18th century to fetish for Kim Kardashian’s backsides in the 21st. The deeply researched narrative examines society’s obsession with derrieres and elaborates what butts are and what butts mean.  Within butts’ cultural histories are embedded stories of tragedy, anger, obsession, lust, and joy. It turns out to be an absorbing reading on a subject so familiar as to be practically invisible. 

The objectification and commodification of butts has remained a work in progress. Fascinating is the fact that all throughout modern history women have found their butts under influence of male gaze. No wonder, Kate Moss’ small butts were once the gold standard in femineity and few years later big butts of Jennifer Lopez were glorified. The story of butts is all about male fascination and obsession for a body part that female have continued to pay dearly to avoid being shamed for carrying the size and shape not in vogue. The book makes significant contribution to the complicated discussion around women’s bodies.  

Radke raises question on why have women been enamored by male gaze to take evolution into their own hands - by hiding, accentuating, ignoring or sculpting their butts. ‘In the process, not only do women harm others, but harm themselves by never really understanding where the shame comes from.’ Butts are essential for being human, but during last two centuries women’s butts have been talked around the ideas of race, gender, fitness, fashion, and market. No wonder, feelings about butts are trapped in ideas and prejudices. 

The cheeky peach emoji on the cover may hold a sales-pitch but the book is a curious but intelligent peep into the world around butts. The narrative offers more than what any reader may have expected, raising empathy on physical suffering butts were once subjected through bustles and corsets. Such stuff has long been dusted but fashion freedom has now subjected women to wear the flapper dress to demonstrate masochistic ‘self-control, or even self-harm.’ Plastic surgery is for those who wish to burn their butts to conform to new body shape.  

Butts: A Backstory chronicles each change in social consciousness around butts that drove the market for women in the last three centuries. It is intriguing how this human body part came to be on the receiving end of so much attention. Placing her own body in the center, the award-winning essayist and journalist concludes that howsoever women may have treated their butts, our bodies have their own agenda not to obey us. Whether one wants it big or small, a butt always remains what it is. The human body stubbornly refuses to oblige. 

Deeply researched and ingeniously written, Radke argues that the cultural history of butts has a enduring message for everyone to not only understand past mechanisms on body-shaming but develop new meanings on how our bodies ought to be seen. The author leaves reader with the answer she offers those who ask ‘your butt is too big’ – compared to what?  

Butts: A Backstory
by Heather Radke
Simon&Schuster, London
Extent: 310, Price: Rs. 599.

First published in Deccan Herald on April 7, 2024