Relics of the Lesser Mughals: A Retrospect

Relics of the Lesser Mughals: A Tetrospect 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.