July 29th, 2001

When empires collapse and disintegrate historians, like schoolmasters correcting tutorial essays award grades to rulers.

The British chroniclers of Indian history pronounced judgement on the House of Amir Timur (Teymour : Tamerlane, or the iron man with a game leg). The first six Emperors to rule India, Babur, Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan and Awrungzeyb won “Great” Mughals status while their successors were relegated to the low status of “Later Mughals”.

This sorry lot made the entry of the British necessary for the “good of India”. Religion and community were given a status never before enjoyed by them in the politics and history of India. The decline and disintegration of the Mughal Empire was blamed on religious bigotry, particularly that of Awrungzeyb Alamgir 1558-1707.

Our current experience of a communal, RSS government of India following a crypto communal Hindu Congress government demonstrates that the cause of governments failing lies in poor administrative skill and bad governance and not communal preoccupations.

Awrungzeyb was a poor administrator. We illustrate with a case history from near contemporary chronicles.

The Maasir-ul-Umara (maasir =the good relics/deeds of + Umara= nobles) is a compendium of biographies of Mughal nobles. Entry number 195 is of “Marhoom Muhammad Kaazim Khan Maghfoor”.) The Late Muhammad Kaazim Who has achieved Salvation

“He was the real (huqeeqee) grandfather of the scribe, writer author (raaqim) of these lines Samsaamuddowlaah Shah Nawaaz Khan.”

“When his father, Mirak Muinuddeen Amaanat passed away, in pursuit of the object of doing the right thing (Huqq shinaasee) the discerning and talent rewarding (qadr daan) Emperor Aalamgeer (Awrungzeyb) enhanced the rank the well behaved and well bred sons of the deceased held in government service.

Muhammad Kaazim was, at the beginning of his youth, appointed to Bijapur in the finance department (bayoutaatee) and later to the faujdaaree of Jaalnaa pargana. When the Emperor was at Brahampuri Kaazim was appointed to the Deewaanee of Lahore.

In those days great attention was paid and grace and favour bestowed on persons considered to be khaanaazaad. This lot was favoured over all others.
Khaanaa = house + zaad = born. Khaanaazaad means born and bred in the shadow of the emperor. In earlier times we see Jahangir very proud of the excellence displayed in painting by Abul Hasan. This remarkable artist was the son of Aaqaa Rizaai” a renowned painter.

In his Memoirs Jahangir says “His work was perfect and his picture (which formed the frontispiece of the Memoirs or Jahangirnama) is one of the masterworks of the age. At the present time he has no rival or equal. If at this day the masters “Abdul Hayy and Bahzaad were alive they would have done him justice.

His father, Aaqaa Rizaai of Heart joined my service when I was a Prince. He (Abul Hasan) was a khaanaazaad of my court. There is however no comparison between his work and that of his father. One cannot put them in the same category. My connection was based on my having reared him. From his earliest years up to the present time I have always looked after him, till his work has arrived at this rank. Truly he has become Naadiruzzamaan “Wonder of the Age”.

Samsaamuddowlah Shahnawaaz Khan continues his account of the life and career of his grandfather Kaazim Khan

“At this time the aforementioned Kaazim Khan developed an addiction to alcohol. The Reporter of Occurrences and Happenings ( suaanh nigaar) at Lahore, a grandson of Wazir Khan Shahjahaanee included a mention of the addiction of

Kaazim Khan to alcohol in his report along with other happenings and occurrences of note.

The Imperial Superintendent of the Daak or Information by mail department provided a gist of the report in the august presence of the Emperor.

The emperor checked the matter out with Kaazim Khan”s brother-in-law Irshad Khan, Deewaan Khalisaa or Accountant General of the Privy Estates of the Emperor.

The Emperor commented that although this kind behaviour appears odd and strange when manifested by the progeny of Amaanat Khan ; but was likely to be true as the reporter waaqiaanigaar is also khaanaazaad. Despite his own straitlaced orthodoxy of the Emperor restrained himself and took the late father’s and Kaazim Khan’s standing into account. He told the Imperial Superintendent of the Mail {daaroaghaa daak} to respond to state that it was not proper for one khaanaazaad to report bad and unpleasant matters about another khaanaazaad”.

Thus Awrungzeyb showed lack of an ability to rise above personal considerations in matters administrative and showed himself weak in the area of governance.

Kaazim Khan came into his own when Awrungzeyb”s grandson Muizuddeen was appointed governor of Multan. The Prince stopped over in Lahore where Kaazim made a deep and lasting impression. On representations made by Muizuddeen, Kaazim was made Diwan of Multan Tthatthaa, Bhakkar and Siwistaan.

On the death of Awrungzeyb’s son Bahadur Shah Shah Alam, Muizuddeen became Emperor Jahandar Shah. He led a low and depraved life and was once found dead drunk in the rear of a bullock driven chariot along with his courtesan wife Laal Kunwar. Apparently the charioteer had also joined in the drunken orgy and passed out and the bullocks had returned to the stable without him unaware that the Emperor and consort were lying insensate inside. A desperate search by personal staff led to the discovery of the couple. Jahandar Shah was deposed within the year but gave all Later Mughal a bad name.

Awrungzeyb’s fatal weakness was not religious bigotry but blind spots for faults in Princes and khaanaazaads.