Read Online Nurjahan's Daughter by Tanushree Podder - Free Book Online
Authors: Tanushree Podder
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with a wish.’
‘What did she wish for?’
Firdaus did not tell the child that Meherunnisa had wished to be married to Prince Salim.
‘I wouldn’t know that, you will have to ask your mother. Maybe she wished for a beautiful daughter like you and Allah granted her the wish. Anyway, wishes are supposed to be kept a secret.’
‘Yes, I think she asked for me,’ stated the child seriously. ‘She keeps telling me that I am a child of many prayers.’
‘We had just finished praying at the dargah and were walking out towards our palanquin when your father dismounted near the dargah. Just then a gust of breeze blew away your mother’s veil. As she struggled with the veil to cover her face, the Quran she was carrying in her hand fell down. In the holy book, there was a peacock feather that your mother considered lucky. Prince Salim had gifted it to her and she never parted with it. The wind blew it away and she ran to grab it.’
‘Can Ammi run as fast as me?’
‘Of course not. Anyway, your father also ran behind the feather. It was a hilarious situation. All three of us were running after the feather, which kept eluding our grasp. Suddenly, the feather got entangled in a bush and both your mother and father reached out for it. At that moment, your father saw her face and fell in love with your mother. Perhaps destiny wanted the two of them to meet at the saint’s shrine. He followed our palanquin to Agra and rode up to Mirza Ghias Baig’s house.’
‘Did he enter the house and meet grandpa?’
‘No, it would not have been proper for him to enter the house or ask for your mother hand without the formalities that need to be observed. He approached the Khan-é-Khanan Abdur Rahim to take a marriage proposal for her to her father’s residence. The Khan-é-Khanan was a friend of your grandfather and a very important man at the emperor’s court. The old man was delighted that Sher Afghan had finally decided to marry. For a long time, the Khan-é-Khanan and his wife had been pestering him to get married. They had brought many proposals for him but he had refused all of them.’
‘He couldn’t have married anyone else,’ Laadli’s explanation was simple.
‘The Khan-é-Khanan broached the topic with your grandfather but no marriage could be conducted until the emperor gave his consent.’
‘Why?’
‘That is the Mughal emperor’s order. The marriages of all important people in the Mughal court have to be held only after they have been approved by the emperor.’
‘Did grandfather seek the emperor’s approval for the marriage?’
‘No, it was the Khan-é-Khanan who approached the emperor for his consent. He mentioned to the emperor that Sher Afghan wished to marry Mirza Ghias Baig’s daughter. The emperor was delighted because he was very fond of your Abbajaan as well as your grandfather. Besides, the two families came from Persia and there could have been no better match for the Mirza’s daughter. The emperor blessed their union and the two were married.’
‘Did Ammijaan see Abbajaan before the wedding?’
‘She had seen him briefly at the dargah.’
‘Did she like him?’
‘That is a question you will have to ask your mother,’ Firdaus evaded the child’s queries adroitly. She remembered the heartache Meherunnisa went through when she learnt that the emperor had given his sanction for her marriage to the Persian soldier. Salim and Meherunnisa were passionately in love with each other and the prince had vowed to marry her after his return from Mewar.
Very few people knew that the emperor had sent the prince away deliberately so that Meherunnisa’s marriage could be solemnised without any hindrance. The hot-tempered prince was not likely to give up his ladylove to another man easily. Emperor Akbar knew that the prince wanted to marry Meherunnisa. He also knew that the Persian faction in the harem wanted to see the prince married to her. His own queen, Bilquees Begum, had been
‘What did she wish for?’
Firdaus did not tell the child that Meherunnisa had wished to be married to Prince Salim.
‘I wouldn’t know that, you will have to ask your mother. Maybe she wished for a beautiful daughter like you and Allah granted her the wish. Anyway, wishes are supposed to be kept a secret.’
‘Yes, I think she asked for me,’ stated the child seriously. ‘She keeps telling me that I am a child of many prayers.’
‘We had just finished praying at the dargah and were walking out towards our palanquin when your father dismounted near the dargah. Just then a gust of breeze blew away your mother’s veil. As she struggled with the veil to cover her face, the Quran she was carrying in her hand fell down. In the holy book, there was a peacock feather that your mother considered lucky. Prince Salim had gifted it to her and she never parted with it. The wind blew it away and she ran to grab it.’
‘Can Ammi run as fast as me?’
‘Of course not. Anyway, your father also ran behind the feather. It was a hilarious situation. All three of us were running after the feather, which kept eluding our grasp. Suddenly, the feather got entangled in a bush and both your mother and father reached out for it. At that moment, your father saw her face and fell in love with your mother. Perhaps destiny wanted the two of them to meet at the saint’s shrine. He followed our palanquin to Agra and rode up to Mirza Ghias Baig’s house.’
‘Did he enter the house and meet grandpa?’
‘No, it would not have been proper for him to enter the house or ask for your mother hand without the formalities that need to be observed. He approached the Khan-é-Khanan Abdur Rahim to take a marriage proposal for her to her father’s residence. The Khan-é-Khanan was a friend of your grandfather and a very important man at the emperor’s court. The old man was delighted that Sher Afghan had finally decided to marry. For a long time, the Khan-é-Khanan and his wife had been pestering him to get married. They had brought many proposals for him but he had refused all of them.’
‘He couldn’t have married anyone else,’ Laadli’s explanation was simple.
‘The Khan-é-Khanan broached the topic with your grandfather but no marriage could be conducted until the emperor gave his consent.’
‘Why?’
‘That is the Mughal emperor’s order. The marriages of all important people in the Mughal court have to be held only after they have been approved by the emperor.’
‘Did grandfather seek the emperor’s approval for the marriage?’
‘No, it was the Khan-é-Khanan who approached the emperor for his consent. He mentioned to the emperor that Sher Afghan wished to marry Mirza Ghias Baig’s daughter. The emperor was delighted because he was very fond of your Abbajaan as well as your grandfather. Besides, the two families came from Persia and there could have been no better match for the Mirza’s daughter. The emperor blessed their union and the two were married.’
‘Did Ammijaan see Abbajaan before the wedding?’
‘She had seen him briefly at the dargah.’
‘Did she like him?’
‘That is a question you will have to ask your mother,’ Firdaus evaded the child’s queries adroitly. She remembered the heartache Meherunnisa went through when she learnt that the emperor had given his sanction for her marriage to the Persian soldier. Salim and Meherunnisa were passionately in love with each other and the prince had vowed to marry her after his return from Mewar.
Very few people knew that the emperor had sent the prince away deliberately so that Meherunnisa’s marriage could be solemnised without any hindrance. The hot-tempered prince was not likely to give up his ladylove to another man easily. Emperor Akbar knew that the prince wanted to marry Meherunnisa. He also knew that the Persian faction in the harem wanted to see the prince married to her. His own queen, Bilquees Begum, had been
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