Her hand trembled on the white pearl string she held close to her bosom. It had tiny red spots on it, which she could not help but assume to be blood. Some of the war, its reminders of the sins of her kin, had rubbed off on her hand now. She shivered a little, trying not to lose composure. She had lost everything that was not hers to begin with. No amount of praying could now heal her broken heart. She was mourning her love in secret because he was gone, but she was still alive. To be scrutinised for lamenting such a forbidden loss. As long as she was breathing, she had to make sure she played her pawns well. She had to reconcile with her siblings. She had to make friends with the enemies. Anything that would make her relevant, even when deep in her heart, she wanted to slip away into oblivion. The most powerful woman in the world spent the night in the darkness of her room, wine glass in hand, helpless and defeated in the hands of fate.
© Suranya
Context: On 29th May, 1568, the armies of Dara Shikoh and Aurangzeb clashed at Samugarh, some odd 10 KMS away from Agra, where an ailing Shah Jahan hoped to put his eldest son on the peacock throne. Jahanara Begum, the eldest child of Shah Jahan and Mumtaj Mahal, the Padshah Begum Sahib of the land, hoped and prayed in vain for a miracle that would deem Dara victorious. Alas, in the well-recorded account of the war, an incompetent Dara escaped to be on the run, chased by Aurangzeb's troops. Among the casualties on Dara's side was the Rao Raja of Bundi, Chatrasal Hada, killed by the cannons of Najabat Khan, Aurangzeb's close aide. On the day Begum Sahib received this news, she was on her way to talk peace with Aurangzeb, hoping that he would spare their father's life. She was ready to embrace the highest form of diplomacy against him and her sister Roshanara, who supported Aurangzeb to the throne and was set to be the Padshah Begum. Stripped of her titles and imprisoned in the fort, Jahanara inclined towards art and religion as her solace in the turbulent times. Once the most powerful woman on the land, she was now at the mercy of others. When we talk of war, we always remember the winners and martyrs. The stories of women who lost everything to these wars remain hidden between the pages of history.
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