The definitive guide to understanding Aurangzeb - and a few further comments

 A few comments on Aurangzeb would be proper here. 

In the interest of dispassionate academic discussion, I did not discuss too much Aurangzeb's personality or his proclivities Now, here's the thing about Aurangzeb: no way how you look at it, there is no getting away from the fact that Aurangzeb was a very cruel man, as such fact-based writers as Francois Gautier have observed.

    

Aurangzeb at a Family Gathering - what happens when you accidentally turn your throne into a demolition site and still wonder why the family gatherings are so awkward. #EmpireRenovations #AwkwardFamilyMoments

In the Facebook post below, Gautier argues, in fact, that Aurangzeb, the Mughal emperor, was a particularly harsh ruler. He notes that Aurangzeb meticulously documented his orders, which are preserved in archives. Gautier criticizes historians who, according to him, have not reviewed these documents. He claims (quite correctly, I might add) that Aurangzeb, unlike what some might think, was not the eldest or favored son of Shah Jahan. To become emperor, Aurangzeb killed his brothers, imprisoned and later killed his father, and had his own son imprisoned.

The Role of Big Government in Mughal India -- Part 3

 The Role of Big Government in Mughal India -- Part 3

The legacy of the Mugal Empire

Following Aurangzeb's reign, the Mughal Empire experienced a gradual decline marked by weak successors and internal strife. Successive emperors lacked the military prowess and administrative acumen of their predecessors, leading to a fragmentation of central authority. This fragmentation created power vacuums that regional rulers and foreign invaders exploited, contributing to the empire's disintegration.

The Role of Big Government in Mughal India -- Part 2

The Role of Big Government in Mughal India -- Part 2

What may be said about Aurangzeb as a person? Aurangzeb, as an individual, was deeply religious but it must be said that he also comes across as someone who was quite smart and, at the same time, grounded in reality. Also, a cruel, cruel man. (Yes, he was also an exceedingly cruel person, and that has come down in history as his reputation, but more on that in a later post.) In terms of public policy, it is perhaps accurate to say that he was misunderstood. Aurangzeb's public policy, as evidenced by a nishan sent to Rana Raj Singh of Mewar, emphasized tolerance (in principle - not arguing that it was actually practiced) and condemned intolerance that could lead to conflict and harm to the people. Despite ideological portrayals, the struggle for succession was not about religious orthodoxy versus liberalism but rather a question of political power—who would ascend the Mughal throne, Dara or Aurangzeb?

The Emperor Alamgir on Horseback - The Cleveland Museum of Art

The debate surrounding Aurangzeb's intentions—establishing dar-ul-Islam, rigid adherence to shari’a, or triumphing Muslim theology—remains contested. However, his commitment to territorial expansion and consolidation, evident in the increase in Rajput mansabdars in his administration and the prominence of figures like Raghunath Ray Kayastha, challenges simplistic narratives. The very idea that statist power should be used to simply create a larger empire ought to be challenged by liberals and libertarians alike; however, in the current political milieu, it is only the libertarians who remain to challenge the idea that emperors should even be forgiven their abuses of power. Almost every historian, including Audrey Truschke, has conveniently forgotten that the aim of statist power is to advance the interests of the people, and that such interests can never be protected as long as it is under the control of monarchs. Thus, it is only libertarians who, today, consistently and cogently make the case against the abuses of power of such monarchs as Auangzeb.

Aurangzeb's patronage of Hindu religious institutions, including temples and maths, suggests a nuanced approach to governance. Land grants were renewed, gifts offered, and Madad-i ma’ash grants continued, indicating a policy of religious inclusivity. However, the attack on certain temples, like the Vishwanath temple at Kashi and the Keshav Dev temple at Mathura, raises questions.

These attacks were not mere acts of iconoclasm but responses to rebellion or political misconduct. For instance, the destruction of the Vishwanath temple followed suspicions of aiding Shivaji's escape, while the attack on the Keshav Dev temple in Mathura was linked to a Jat rebellion and the killing of a patron of the local mosque.

The Role of Big Government in Mughal India -- Part 1

 The Role of Big Government in Mughal India -- Part 1

In examining the complexities of Mughal rule in India, it becomes apparent that the central issue transcends simplistic narratives of Hindu versus Muslim or Aurangzeb versus Dara Shikoh. Rather, at the heart of the matter lies the broader question of the role of government and the consequences of centralized authority. The Mughal Empire, like many other historical empires, grappled with the challenges of governance and the balance of power between the state and its subjects. Since the era was so much before formal political theories were introduced into India, it is not fair to blame either Aurangzeb and Dara Shikoh, personally speaking. However, looking objectively, it is hard not to see the overreach of statist power repeatedly and consistently over extended periods of time in the context of the Indian subcontinent under the rule of the Mughals.

At its core, the Mughal Empire was characterized by centralized authority and a strong bureaucratic apparatus. Emperors wielded immense power, both politically and religiously, exerting control over vast territories and diverse populations. This concentration of authority enabled rulers like Aurangzeb to implement policies that reflected their personal beliefs and political ambitions, often at the expense of individual freedoms and religious pluralism. 

However, the problem transcends the religious divide between Hinduism and Islam or the rivalry between Aurangzeb and Dara Shikoh. Instead, it lies in the inherent dangers of unchecked state power, whether exercised through totalitarianism or religious orthodoxy. When governments possess absolute control over their citizens, regardless of religious affiliation, the potential for abuse and oppression becomes all too real.

Ode to the Unbroken Spirit

Next up - a poem on Covid in the style of Walt Whitman.

[~]

Ode to the Unbroken Spirit

O human spirit, resilient and wide,
Emerging from the shadowed halls,
The great cities, the quiet towns,
Where once the streets lay still, silent as the early dawn—
I sing of you, vast and unyielding, rising like the sun,
Beyond the masks and murmurs, beyond the parted crowds,
In the heart of each, a drumbeat, a song,
A knowing that we are bound together,
Threads of a grand, endless fabric.

O nurses, doctors, healers with weary eyes yet steadfast hands,
I see you, bending not to fear,
But to the call of the bedside and the cry of the needy—
You are the arms that hold the world,
The fierce and gentle guardians of hope,
And I, one of many, salute you,
From my window, my porch, my heart,
O spirit that defies the stillness, the sickness, the night.

Another poem in the style of Mayakowsky

 Another poem on eradicating illiteracy in the style of the Marxist poet Mayakowsky

~

Words Like Weapons

Illiteracy!
A prison with invisible bars,
Trapping minds in the dark,
Choking thought before it blooms,
Turning hearts into barren wastelands.
I rage against it!

You, with your gilded speeches,
Do nothing but spit into the wind!
Let your words be action, sharp as a blade—
For every unread page is a bullet unfired,
A war left un-fought!

In the alleys, the fields, the factories,
Our brothers and sisters sit in silence,
Not by choice, but by force—
The force of neglect, of a system that fears
The power that knowledge ignites.

Eradicating Illiteracy

 Eradicating Illiteracy

(In the style of Walt Whitman)

O voices of the earth, rise up!
Each one, untamed, each one free, yet all together—a multitude,
We march, not in battle against flesh,
But in a war against darkness, the silent chains of the mind.
Children of the streets, workers in factories,
Mothers, fathers, the old and the young,
You shall be heard! No longer silenced by the unseen barriers,
No longer left behind by the great river of words that flows,
Let the light of learning sweep the plains, the cities, the hills.

Books for the hands of all! Not just for the chosen few.
The ink of knowledge, vast as the sea, must reach every soul,
No more will ignorance bind us,
No more will blank stares meet the beauty of language,
We build a nation with every letter learned,
With every page turned, with every voice raised in understanding.