Book Review : Akbar, The Great Mughal - A Definitive Biography

 

BOOK REVIEW : AKBAR THE GREAT MUGHAL

THE DEFINITIVE BIOGRAPHY, by Ira Mukhoty

 

THE BOOK

This is a book with a remarkably expansive scope, depth and breadth of coverage – it states itself as a biography, which it is; but is far more than that. This is a book on one of the greatest emperors India has ever had – Akbar The Great, and is a fully detailed exhaustive account of his entire life, covering a detailed perspective on every possible imaginable aspect of his life. It includes his conquests and the way he built his empire in full detail, including the political strategies employed as well as battle tactics and strategies. In these, as in everything else, it goes into stunning detail, giving a deep look at the entire scenario.

 

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What is special, or rather extra special about this book is it gives a deep understanding of both the times in which he lived, as well as remarkable details of the Mughal and Rajput etc societal structure, clans, relationships between clans, the reasons – politics – tactics – norms – pressures behind these, connecting how these impacted geopolitics of governance and expansion, as well as dictated moves on the chessboard of the geography of what is now India – Pakistan – Bangladesh – Afghanistan – Iran. This is what enables a deep understanding of and insight into the various moves by various players, right upto Akbar himself. This is history the way it should be told – painting a gorgeous kaleidoscope of exhaustive detail of interconnections of clans & people, their driving motivations, norms – all of which result in the visible impact of the movements of empires.

 

Add to the above potpourri the enchanting detailed and colourful coverage of the actual people themselves, and their families, with the roles played by various relatives to the key players. We know only the key names – here, you will find the people behind these key names, and how they impacted the moves by the key players, helping us visualize the extant power structures in the society as well as in the corridoors of power. This provides richness and texture, depth to the subject matter at hand.

 

As a sprinkling of icing on the cake, you have a fully detailed cultural account of those times in which these people lived – what clothes they wore & how they wore them; what their daily routine was like, where they lived, the décor of the palaces and homes, what food they ate, how this food was cooked and with what ingredients, their diet, their religious beliefs and the antecedents to those beliefs, the cities and towns in which they lived. The net result is a vivid landscape appears before our eyes as we read through the book, giving us a deep connect into the Mughal Era.

 

THE REVIEW – the many pluses

This book is literally full of plus points, and I cannot hope to list them all; I have already touched upon quite a few in the precis of the book contents above. But a few points need highlighting so that more people may be attracted to this tome, this awesome biography of one of the two most famous an best Emperors India had. First of all, it is a factual statement of events as they occurred – and the author has not shied away from raising negative aspects of Akbar. This is not an attempt to whitewash; rather, it is a scholarly work of deep study, analysis, and research.

 

Second, this book helps you appreciate what made Akbar Great, and understand him much better. You will understand both that he was a truly secular ruler, as well as learn to understand and appreciate why he did what he did, including his excesses which are also factually told. Third, the book is full of surprises of how Akbar balanced Hindu interests, and in fact promoted and helped them in many ways. It will help the reader look upon Akbar not as a Muslim ruler – but a ruler with a complex personal religious ethos which cannot be classified so easily in any doctrine. His deep engagement with all religions, as well as active rejection of many Islamic practices and power centers make that clear. His active following of Hindu worship like the Sun worship, also help strengthen this. As also his deep participation with Jesuits {and devotion for the Virgin Mary} and Jain practices also make it crystal clear. There are many other points,  but these stand out, and this is but a review.

 

THE REVIEW – THE MINUSES

There aren’t many minuses that I could spot; in fact – there is only one point here that I would like to bring to the attention of the Author, Ms Ira Mukhoty, as well as the publisher – Aleph Book Company. This book is exhaustive researched, and this comes out in the content; however, the sources and the endnotes are not appropriately presented and numbered. Ideally, a subscripted number of the specific endnote should be within the main content itself, and the detailed endnotes listed numberwise at the end of the book, or alternatively, at the end of each chapter. This is a key aspect, and absolutely vital for the serious readers, who like to check the veracity, antecedents and the key source of each point claimed. While endnotes are there, and in detail – they are not numbered in the main content. This makes tracing of the points slightly cumbersome.

 

CONCLUSION

I am genuinely surprised no one has attempted such a work before; this is a sorely needed intervention in this modern era. This is a must-read book for all, and makes for a deeply educative read. This is for the serious reader of history – but the real beauty of this book is in its appeal to even the casual reader. The writing style is engaging, the descriptions vivid, enticing and colourful, and the narrative is like a moving motion feature. You are taken on the ride of your life into the Medieval India of Akbar the Great, helping you get a deep connect with it.