Narrative Indian history poses a challenge to the prevalent practice of historical writing which, by and large, is the prerogative of scholars and academicians.

These writings, due to their complex interpretations and jargon, are not easily comprehensible to the common reader and this issue raises serious concern about the relevance of history in popular discourse or public knowledge.

In fact, very few historians have abstained from ideological or historiographical debates and have written for common readers; making the events of the past alive. William Dalrymple’s White Mughals (2002) and The Last Mughal (2006) were pioneering works in narrative history that appealed to common readers without compromising with the magnitude and quality of research.

Ruby Lal’s study of harem and the role of women (Domesticity and Power in the Early Mughal World: 2005) is a significant work for general readers as well. Abraham Eraly is another historian of the same ilk who believes that, “History is not brain surgery. It is all about people and their experiences, and historians should bring these alive.”

Eraly’s earlier two books are less publicised. These are— The Last Spring: The Lives and Times of the Great Mughals (1997) and Gem in the Lotus: The Seeding of the Indian Civilisation (2000). His latest book, The Mughal World: Life in India’s Last Golden Age is a panoramic account of  Mughal society.

Sharp divide

His study is largely based upon medieval sources like writings of foreign travellers such as Manucci and Bernier, courtiers and court scholars, besides contemporary studies. Eraly has emphasised the sharp divide between the ruling class and the subject that encompassed all aspects of Mughal society. Eraly starts with the social composition at large and moves on to the royal class. He gives an account of the disciplined life of the emperor and the outlandishly lavish life in the harem.

In general, the women were denied public role but, “The begums were a potent, though invisible, power behind the throne.”

Eraly discusses the institutions of marriage, divorce and Sati and also trivia like beverages and cuisines in the same breath. In other places, he discusses leisure, architecture, calligraphy, linguistic development, Christianity and Sikhism etc.

He concludes that there was a lack of economic and technological development due to the typical Hindu social structure. Hindus, being the producer class, were bound by the caste system.

The caste system discouraged any innovation in the archaic mode of production due to social immobility and economic stagnation. The population growth was very slow due to frequent famines and pestilence yet there was no surplus because of agricultural stagnation owing to high taxes.

There was no investment in irrigation or technology. Eraly says, “The overall Mughal ambience was not congenial to scientific or technological revolution, not only because of the despotic-theocratic nature of the Mughal government and the depressed state of the Indian economy, but also because of the pre-existing institutions, folk ways and values of India that desiccated human spirit and throttled enterprise.”

The Mughal empire, according to Eraly, disintegrated because it had overgrown its capacity to govern and also due to the high cost of governance. It was ‘golden’ only for the elite unlike the golden period of the Guptas in ancient India that had transformed all facets of life and all segments of society for the better.

The book is an interesting read as it gives a sweeping and balanced account of the entire Mughal period which is indeed a tough job for any historian  given the sheer vastness  and complexity of the subject.

Title: The Mughal World: Life in India’s Last Golden Age
Author: Abraham Eraly
Publisher: Penguin India
Year : 2007
Price: Rs. 495
Pages: 420