Aurangzeb Reconsidered

Sir Jadunath Sarkar published his magisterial History of Aurangzeb in five volumes in 1924 and provided the dominant framework for understanding Aurangzeb ‘Alamgir. The sixth Mughal emperor who ruled for nearly half a century from 1658 till his death in 1707, was perceived a religious bigot who was responsible for the collapse of the Mughal Empire. Such narrative persisted with the bigot image till imperial historian Audrey Trushke dispelled it in Aurangzeb: The Man and the Myth in 2017 and found the emperor more pious than his imperial predecessors. 

Given the surge of Hindu nationalism any historic re-reading in favor of the bigot emperor is strongly contested or rejected, as Aurangzeb has been foregrounded as an archetypal evil Muslim. Aurangzeb and the Mughal Empire are treated so dangerous and vile that efforts to erase it from the public consciousness have escalated. The city named after him (the city of Aurangabad is now Sambhajinagar) has been rechristened, however, suggestions that his tomb be destroyed and his body disinterred continues to evoke sectarian interests. To get a sense of the man behind the emperor, historian Munis D. Faruqui cuts across many distortions to get a balanced account in his recently published Aurangzeb ‘Alamgir and the Mughal Empire. 

The book has been in the making for last thirty years, and for good reasons. It is deeply researched work that questions the early assessments of the emperor by historians. Sarkar’s views were broadly shaped by the Hindu-Muslim tensions of the 1920s and the distaste for Muslim nationalist politics. It extended legitimacy to Aurnagzeb as a religious zealot who undid much of what the third emperor Akbar had achieved. But a revelatory assessment has found in him an emperor in contrast, referred as a zinda pir who was accepted all across. However, many continue to accept the storyline peddled by colonial-era thinkers and historians while there is an untold side to him as an emperor who strove to be just.

Curiously, both sides rely on the same evidence to reach very different conclusions. Was he a great ruler who has been unfairly vilified? Should history not matter about what it has been? Faruqui steps in to rescue Aurangzeb from both praise and condemnation, restoring him to the complexity of his life and times. Drawing on multi-volume Akhbarat, the handwritten Persian news bulletins and newsletters, Faruqui brings the granular details of the tensions at the court and rumblings inside the harems. It helps to get a nuanced understanding of how the empire worked, what influence the harem and the eunuchate had, and how the legacy of the empire was conceived, and considered for posterity.

The answer, as it emerges, is genuinely complicated. The Akhbarat is the most elaborate bureaucratic information systems available to reveal the priorities and anxieties of the imperial state. Having referred particularly to the Akhbarat-i Darbar-i Mu’alla (News of the Exalted Imperial Court) and the Dastawizat (Documents from the Mughal Era), the book has expressed despair at weaponizing of a historical figure. Such materials have either been neglected or only selectively utilized by previous writers/historians. As a result, the fixation with religiosity has helped lose sight of the far more significant insights about Aurangzeb.   

Aurangzeb ‘Alamgir and the Mughal Empire insists that such fixation on religiosity and neglect of the Hindus obscured important dimensions of imperial governance. It further offers a persuasive new insight on the life and career of Aurangzeb, one of the most influential and debated kings. Such polarized views suited the colonialists, which encouraged them to portray themselves as enlightened rulers. On the contrary, the empire was managed for almost fifty years by negotiating internal rebellions and external invasions.   

Rather than settling the debate over the emperor, the narrative invites a rethinking on the Mughal regime of the time. How a talented administrator and a remarkable general came to be known as a bigot?  The book challenges existing writing on Aurangzeb and offers a fresh way of understanding him. It extends a much longer conversation about power, institutions, legitimacy and imperial decline within the Mughal world. Aurangzeb ‘Alamgir and the Mughal Empire reconsiders the much-studied details of Aurangzeb’s life and reign, in the hope of reviving scholarly attention to his complicated legacy. Credible archival research has painted a fresh portrait that will permanently change how we see the most infamous of the Mughals.

Aurangzeb Alamgir
by Munis D. Faruqui
Juggernaut, New Delhi
Extent: 384, Price: Rs. 999.

First published in raagdelhi.com on July 28, 2026 

From seed to shade

Certain trees have stood well beyond their botanical existence as emblems of profound human experience and milestones. Amongst them, an apple tree inspired Isaac Newton to formulate his theory of gravity and a peepal tree under which Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment. These iconic trees continue to stand as a living testimony to pivotal moments in history. Come to think of any tree, it stands as a living testimony at the juncture of both science and spirituality, and ecology and eternity. Who else would have known it better than Peepal Baba, who got a popular identity for his relentless campaign in planting and nurturing millions of trees over past five decades. Ghosts on Peepal Trees is the memoir of Swami Prem Parivartan, alias Peepal Baba, which offers an absorbing tutorial on every aspect of tree, from seed to shade.

Drawn from handwritten notes and scattered observations written over years , the author pools together the stories of his intense engagement with a wide diversity of trees in his journey across country’s 21 states and 226 districts. Under the aegis of Give Me Trees, a movement has been generated as an act of eco-philosophy – ‘we inhale what the trees exhale, and humans live because trees exist’. Not without reason the trees exist long before humans and may do so till all lifeform persists. With a background in literature, the author’s curiosity of living things got rhythmic observation.   

At such times when development juggernaut accounts for chopping trees to erect concrete jungles, planting and nurturing trees can be a humble vocation that can be rightfully pursued by able-bodied individuals. But it is not a simple timepass but a vocation that connects science with spirituality. Ghosts on Peepal Tree is more than a memoir; it is a transformative narrative that connects and inspires. It educates the reader that a tree is a living piece of ecological infrastructure, that offers free climate regulation and biodiverse services.

While the peepal as a tree is revered all across, the awe for the species is based on scientific facts. It is perhaps the only tree species that emits oxygen during night. Unlike other trees, the peepal doesn’t rest. A special adaptation measure called Crassulacean Acid Metabolism helps absorb carbon dioxide during night. As the sun rises the next day, this stored carbon dioxide is used for photosynthesis. This makes peepal scientifically extraordinary, a keystone species in tropical ecosystem. In addition, it absorbs as much as 20 kilograms of carbon dioxide during the year and releases no less than 300 liters of oxygen daily. Not only that, but this tree is also distinct for its ability that combines three types of rooting systems that makes it a living cathedral of wood and wisdom, sustaining under diverse situations. 

Influenced by the teachings of Osho, the author dismantles many myths around trees with logically argued facts. It celebrates trees as natural creativity. The myth about ghosts on peepal were actually lessons in how faith protects forests. It further proves how simple acts of care protects trees, even when there no formal mechanism or structure to do so. These messages reach out to millions through the author’s social media platforms. 

Ghosts on Peepal Trees is a veritable treatise on trees, that cultivates empathy and sensitivity towards trees. Walking under the canopy of trees, little gets realized that one is walking under a cathedral of oxygen. Each story in the book reads like a research paper. It connects with the virtues of trees and inspires reader into the act of raising trees. It is an experiential writing at its best which educates and inspires. It is more than a book of stories.

The stories in the book are symbols of our existence, woven through our culture, scriptures, myths and memories. At this time when greens are restricted on our computer screens, reading stories in Ghosts on Peepal Trees helps us fall in love with greens and biodiversity, to take small steps that generate greenery. In authors own words: ‘It is a memoir of exploration, of ghosts and angels, of trees and teachers, and of the quiet miracle of existence’.  

Ghosts on Peepal Trees
by Peepal Baba
Ebury/Penguin RandomHouse, New Delhi.
Extent: 296, Price: Rs.399.

First published in the Hindu BusinessLine on July 20, 2026

What if, Dara Shukoh...

The legacy surrounding him have far outlived Dara Shukoh, inspiring historians to reconstruct the unusual persona of a prince who ‘what if’ could have been an Emperor? It was indeed his intention to reconcile the Vedic with the Islamic schools, ‘what if’ Dara had been able to do so? Perpetually caught in a ‘what if’ whirlpool – Dara lay trapped in the binary of good Muslim/bad Muslim, poet/bigot, dreamer/strategist with Aurangzeb. The ‘what if’ moment for Dara hangs in the air and will continue to be so – for it is a battle between the pen and the sword. 

Dara Shukoh was a visionary thinker, a talented poet, a prolific writer, a theologian, a calligraphist and a warm-hearted family man, the eldest son and chosen successor of Mughal Emperor Shahjahan held a bundle of virtues like none other but could not breach the war of succession that had come to symbolize the ruling dynasty. Yet, the tragedy of this multifaceted visionary continues in our own times too.

Dara is a classic Shakespearean tragedy hero, who fits into Aristotle’s idea of catharsis through tragedy. Dara was a great unifier of religions and essayed his brand of religious liberalism at a time when orthodox Sunni faith was on its ascendancy. In retelling of a somewhat decisive period in medieval history, literary historian Amit Ranjan presents Dara as a scholar-philosopher who may not have been any match to his three brothers, but his scholarly erudition was to become a legend in history. Dara’s translation of the Upanishads into Persian is one among his works that continues to engage a generation of Indologists. 

Packed with a nuanced portrait of the prince, Dara Shukoh is a sensitive and touching re-examination of the life and times of the poet-prince to whom history remained kind in parts. While he did not live to attain the imperial status, Shahjahan had ordained for him, his legacy resonates far and wide even after little over four centuries. That the prince pursued the path of religious tolerance in the volatile times of power politics is enough to remind us not to lose out to the forces who are condemned to repeat history. It seems there is more to Dara Shikoh then there ever was, relevance of his vision and philosophy has persisted over time.

Ranjan claims that the question that haunted Aurangzeb was: will Dara dead turn out more powerful than Dara alive? The popularity of the slain prince was too great to comprehend, leaving him alive was too costly a proposition. Aurangzeb not only had a strange grudge against Dara but also against those who supported his spiritual disposition. His pathological, visceral hatred for Dara was recorded in history because Aurangzeb never wanted a martyr out of his elder brother. To keep his throne intact, he eliminated his father, his brothers, and his sisters. And he didn’t even spare Sufi-poet daughter Zeb-un-Nissa, who had to rot for twenty years in prison.

Historians have gone at length detailing dynastic wars. Dara’s head had rolled in the pursuit of power, but the succession war was far from over. Head-hunting had become a private obsession with Aurangzeb, and many heads were to roll who gave company to the slain prince. But why did he persist tooth-and-nail to wipe Dara’s legacy remains a mute question? It seems the threat perception was overwhelming, and so were deception and betrayal as its governing tools. It is another matter that this weakened the empire. 

Dara Shukoh is a brilliant exposition of the bygone era, which presents the enigmatic prince as a mystic with ecstatic assertion about his spiritual vision. Written with poetic empathy, it brings to light the philosophical insights of the person who remained in pursuit of truth all his life. If he is the person who could have changed the course of our history, then it will be prudent to preserve his wide ranging works as a historical heritage. Amit Ranjan’s meticulously researched and pictorial biography of the slain prince presents him as a syncretic scholar of extraordinary genius. 

Dara was ahead of times in expressing love, compassion and tolerance towards other faiths. In discussions with the learned men of all faiths, Dara had concluded that apart from the manner of exposition of the doctrines there was no difference between Islam and Hinduism. Dara’s abiding interest in Gnosticism and monotheism continues to endear till this day. However, for the crown prince the search for spiritual truth was for his personal redemption. 

Dara Shukoh
by Amit Ranjan
Penguin Random House, New Delhi
Extent: 277, Price: Rs, 799. 

First published in raagdelhi.com on July 8, 2026.

A positive look at failure

No self-respecting individual, be a leader or a follower, wants to admit failure. Simply put, most are wired not to accept failure. Because the fear of failure gets drilled into us at the schools itself. Consequently, there is an innate tendency to shy away from talking or discussing failures. Sigmund Freud argued that there is a huge stigma around discussing any kind of failure in society. Failure is a dirty word. To rise up the ranks one has to be invincible, with an unblemished record of success. No wonder, politicians are worst at admitting failures in public.  

The classic work of corporate gurus like Peter Drucker emphasized optimizing personal behavior to achieve individual and organizational peak. It laid emphasis on success as the guiding mantra to surge ahead. Nobody wants to appear failed or defeated, the fear of becoming the outcast is inherent in human psyche. Thanks to social media, however, the fear of failure has now heightened – this is something people growing up have never faced in the past. Too many young people find themselves at risk of fearing failure.

With so many shifts already around, it is perfect time to rethink failure as a subject to be seriously looked into. Failure has taken many forms. There are intelligent failures that one experiments deliberately to learn lessons from. What takes us by surprise are basic failures which include mistakes and slips; and complex failures when a mixture of factors is at play, over which there is not much immediate control. Business journalist Dougal Shaw draws on conversations around failure with entrepreneurs and business leaders to look at these failures in a more positive light. 

To build a positive culture around failure, Shaw lists seven lessons drawn from countless discussions with entrepreneurs and business leaders. It includes mental strategies to rebuild confidence; recalibrate thinking to address crises; insights into turning negative customer reviews; tips to create breakthroughs in failures; and, finding new pathways to success as a team. Overarching key message is that failure can be a signpost to success, only if one would have grit, agility and ambition to seize the opportunities failure presents. 

Fail Smarter is a valuable resource on lessons from failures that could eventually help entrepreneurs carve out huge successes in their ventures. It helps understand and appreciate failure better, and harness the creative opportunities that failure unfolds. Despite increase in number of failures among prospective entrepreneurs, the desire to create a start-up has only increased. The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor has surveyed societies’ attitudes to entrepreneurship for a quarter of a century and has found that fear of failure among prospective entrepreneurs has sharply increased since 2019. 

Shaw met numerable business leaders who value failures for its harboring learning lessons that can lead to personal growth and resilience. “I wish that I’d known earlier in my career just how important it is to be prepared to fail,” Josh Bayliss, CEO of The Virgin Group said, “because I think that’s when you learn the most.” Dealing well with failure and learning from it is what makes winning entrepreneurs because an entrepreneur is a risk-taker by definition.

Fail Smarter is a veritable meditation on failure, building a positive culture around failure and encouraging people to shift from blame and shame to acceptance and resilience. Since most of what Shaw has been able to capture in the book are soundbites of personal experiences by leading entrepreneurs in dealing with failure. It is indeed an exploration of what took entrepreneurs and business leaders learn from things that go wrong. The most successful leaders seem to focus on what went wrong while building their businesses. 

There is little denying the fact that failure is 90 percent of the journey. Not long ago at the Global AI Summit in 2023, a fireside chat with delegates from Silicon Valley concluded ‘give up the security of the regular pay cheque and be comfortable with failing.’ This is one bitter pill that can help swallow the change. And if a more mature attitude on failure is adopted, accepting failure will generate new ideas in making a good business sense. Fail Smarter enlists many such ideas. The successful leader must lead by example under the situation and lead by example at both receiving and delivering feedback about failure.

The setbacks, failures and difficult moments are often the experiences that shape the biggest breakthroughs. So why is there a stigma around openly talking about them? That’s exactly what Shaw has explored in his book that combines personal stories with practical insights on resilience, growth and learning. Failure can be a key character in the story, but it should not be the narrator.

Fail Smarter
by Dougal Shaw
Profile/Hachette, New Delhi
Extent: 255, Price: Rs, 499.

First published in the Hindu BusinessLine on June 29, 2026.