Podcasts about Mughal

Provincial Metropolis: Intellectuals and the Hinterland in Colonial India (Cambridge UP, 2025) tells the story of Patna, in the north Indian region of Bihar, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A century and more earlier, Patna had been an important and populous city, but it came to be seen by many-and is still  seen today-as merely part of the mofussil, the provincial hinterland. Despite Patna's real decline, it continued to nurture a vibrant intellectual culture that linked it with cities and towns across northern India and beyond. Urdu literary gatherings and other Islamicate traditions inherited from Mughal times helped animate the networks sustaining institutions like scholarly libraries and satirical newspapers. Meanwhile, English-educated lawyers sought to bring new prominence to their city and region by making Patna the capital of a new province. They succeeded, but as Patna's political influence grew, its distinctive character was diminished. Ultimately, Provincial Metropolis shows, Patna's intellectual and cultural life thrived not despite its provinciality but because of it. * David Boyk is an Associate Professor of Instruction in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures at Northwestern University, where he teaches courses in Hindi-Urdu language and literature, and on South Asian literature, film, and history more broadly. My scholarly interests are focused on South Asia and include urban and regional history, film, food studies,and the history of language and literature. You can learn more about him on his website.  * Saumya Dadoo is a PhD candidate in the Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies (MESAAS) at Columbia University. Her dissertation focuses on the history of law, policing, and punishment in colonial Allahabad.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

Provincial Metropolis: Intellectuals and the Hinterland in Colonial India (Cambridge UP, 2025) tells the story of Patna, in the north Indian region of Bihar, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A century and more earlier, Patna had been an important and populous city, but it came to be seen by many-and is still  seen today-as merely part of the mofussil, the provincial hinterland. Despite Patna's real decline, it continued to nurture a vibrant intellectual culture that linked it with cities and towns across northern India and beyond. Urdu literary gatherings and other Islamicate traditions inherited from Mughal times helped animate the networks sustaining institutions like scholarly libraries and satirical newspapers. Meanwhile, English-educated lawyers sought to bring new prominence to their city and region by making Patna the capital of a new province. They succeeded, but as Patna's political influence grew, its distinctive character was diminished. Ultimately, Provincial Metropolis shows, Patna's intellectual and cultural life thrived not despite its provinciality but because of it. * David Boyk is an Associate Professor of Instruction in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures at Northwestern University, where he teaches courses in Hindi-Urdu language and literature, and on South Asian literature, film, and history more broadly. My scholarly interests are focused on South Asia and include urban and regional history, film, food studies,and the history of language and literature. You can learn more about him on his website.  * Saumya Dadoo is a PhD candidate in the Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies (MESAAS) at Columbia University. Her dissertation focuses on the history of law, policing, and punishment in colonial Allahabad.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Provincial Metropolis: Intellectuals and the Hinterland in Colonial India (Cambridge UP, 2025) tells the story of Patna, in the north Indian region of Bihar, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A century and more earlier, Patna had been an important and populous city, but it came to be seen by many-and is still  seen today-as merely part of the mofussil, the provincial hinterland. Despite Patna's real decline, it continued to nurture a vibrant intellectual culture that linked it with cities and towns across northern India and beyond. Urdu literary gatherings and other Islamicate traditions inherited from Mughal times helped animate the networks sustaining institutions like scholarly libraries and satirical newspapers. Meanwhile, English-educated lawyers sought to bring new prominence to their city and region by making Patna the capital of a new province. They succeeded, but as Patna's political influence grew, its distinctive character was diminished. Ultimately, Provincial Metropolis shows, Patna's intellectual and cultural life thrived not despite its provinciality but because of it. * David Boyk is an Associate Professor of Instruction in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures at Northwestern University, where he teaches courses in Hindi-Urdu language and literature, and on South Asian literature, film, and history more broadly. My scholarly interests are focused on South Asia and include urban and regional history, film, food studies,and the history of language and literature. You can learn more about him on his website.  * Saumya Dadoo is a PhD candidate in the Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies (MESAAS) at Columbia University. Her dissertation focuses on the history of law, policing, and punishment in colonial Allahabad.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history

Provincial Metropolis: Intellectuals and the Hinterland in Colonial India (Cambridge UP, 2025) tells the story of Patna, in the north Indian region of Bihar, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A century and more earlier, Patna had been an important and populous city, but it came to be seen by many-and is still  seen today-as merely part of the mofussil, the provincial hinterland. Despite Patna's real decline, it continued to nurture a vibrant intellectual culture that linked it with cities and towns across northern India and beyond. Urdu literary gatherings and other Islamicate traditions inherited from Mughal times helped animate the networks sustaining institutions like scholarly libraries and satirical newspapers. Meanwhile, English-educated lawyers sought to bring new prominence to their city and region by making Patna the capital of a new province. They succeeded, but as Patna's political influence grew, its distinctive character was diminished. Ultimately, Provincial Metropolis shows, Patna's intellectual and cultural life thrived not despite its provinciality but because of it. * David Boyk is an Associate Professor of Instruction in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures at Northwestern University, where he teaches courses in Hindi-Urdu language and literature, and on South Asian literature, film, and history more broadly. My scholarly interests are focused on South Asia and include urban and regional history, film, food studies,and the history of language and literature. You can learn more about him on his website.  * Saumya Dadoo is a PhD candidate in the Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies (MESAAS) at Columbia University. Her dissertation focuses on the history of law, policing, and punishment in colonial Allahabad.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/south-asian-studies

Provincial Metropolis: Intellectuals and the Hinterland in Colonial India (Cambridge UP, 2025) tells the story of Patna, in the north Indian region of Bihar, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A century and more earlier, Patna had been an important and populous city, but it came to be seen by many-and is still  seen today-as merely part of the mofussil, the provincial hinterland. Despite Patna's real decline, it continued to nurture a vibrant intellectual culture that linked it with cities and towns across northern India and beyond. Urdu literary gatherings and other Islamicate traditions inherited from Mughal times helped animate the networks sustaining institutions like scholarly libraries and satirical newspapers. Meanwhile, English-educated lawyers sought to bring new prominence to their city and region by making Patna the capital of a new province. They succeeded, but as Patna's political influence grew, its distinctive character was diminished. Ultimately, Provincial Metropolis shows, Patna's intellectual and cultural life thrived not despite its provinciality but because of it. * David Boyk is an Associate Professor of Instruction in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures at Northwestern University, where he teaches courses in Hindi-Urdu language and literature, and on South Asian literature, film, and history more broadly. My scholarly interests are focused on South Asia and include urban and regional history, film, food studies,and the history of language and literature. You can learn more about him on his website.  * Saumya Dadoo is a PhD candidate in the Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies (MESAAS) at Columbia University. Her dissertation focuses on the history of law, policing, and punishment in colonial Allahabad. 

The reign of Mughal emperor of India Akbar the Great was more than four centuries ago, but for Dances of India President Nartana Premachandra, the story of his court — and its welcoming of all nationalities, religions and perspectives — is as salient as ever. She shares some of that history in her original dance-theater production, “Nine Jewels: Music, Art, & Splendor in the Court of Akbar the Great,” which takes the stage this weekend as part of Dances of India's 48th annual performance.

Historian William Dalrymple had a rarefied childhood on the windswept coast of Scotland. As an adult he fell in love with India, and later discovered his family's own deep ties to the country.Born into the Scottish aristocracy, William followed his three older brothers and left for boarding school at just 8 years old.  While still an university William set off to follow Marco Polo's journey across the width of Asia and he wrote a best-selling book about that adventure.But after then moving to India, William started to see the many gaps and biases in his understanding of history and ever since he's been working to find the stories and people his education had left out.William also began uncovering his own family's connections to India which stretched back generations and eventually a discovery relating to his own father's experience in India as a young man.  It seemed to answer the question of why his Dad chose never to go back.The episode of Conversations was produced by Jen Leake, the Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison.It explores history, Scotland, North Berwick, Marco Polo's journey to South Asia, India, Delhi, archaeology, witches, family history, aristocracy, partition, history writing, large families, family secrets, the golden road, Palestine, Ampleforth College, Catholic Education, Robbie Burns, travel writing, Scottish history. To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

As the capital of the world's largest democracy, Delhi embodies the essence of modern India – a vivid paradox of old and new, rich and poor, foreign and familiar. It's been fourteen years since my last visit and the economic transformation is ever-present. High rises, swanky malls and residential colonies housing the booming middle-class are mushrooming everywhere. As my engaging Wendy Wu Tours guide Girish remarked, as we were whisked into the city from the airport, “Delhi is more than a mere city, it has morphed into the national capital region.” With the metropolitan population now nudging 30 million, Delhi is a megalopolis and on-track to becoming the world's most populous city in three years' time. Our hotel was in New Delhi, the more modern, planned city within a city, that was built by the British in 1911 and replaced Kolkata as the national capital, twenty years later. In a city notorious for its air pollution, which is supposedly steadily improving, one of the great paradoxes of New Delhi is that it's also swathed in a sprawling green canopy. It's arguably the greatest legacy from British rule, because the new city was deliberately, meticulously planned to be nestled within a vast green cover, fanning out from Connaught Place on those broad long avenues. Large-canopy trees like banyans, mango, and pilkhans were selected by the British, while indigenous trees ideally suited to the climate have added to the canopy in recent decades. That sprawling tree cover is certainly a godsend from the fierce Delhi heat. Delhi's contradictions abound. You'll still see working elephants trudging along traffic-clogged roads, as fire-engine red Ferraris zip by. Handwritten posters singing out, “Customs confiscated goods sold here,” still compete next to glossy fashion billboards for Gucci and Prada. It's all part of Delhi's curious fabric. The city is littered with so many crumbling tombs and ruins, most of them are not even on the tourist map. But if you are a first-timer to the city, signature sights include marvelling at the sheer grace of the soaring Qutb Minar Tower. It was built 800 years ago by the Turkish Slave King Qutb-ud-din Aibak to celebrate his victory over the Hindu Rajputs. Wander through the sculptural Jantar Mantar, a huge, open-air astronomy observatory built in 1725 by Jai Singh, creator and ruler of Jaipur. Admire the 16th-century garden tomb of Mughal Emperor Humayun, precursor to the Taj Mahal, which was built by Humayun's great-grandson. Over in Old Delhi, two Mughal-era masterpieces, the imposing Red Fort (which was the Mughal seat of power for 200 years) and Jama Masjid, India's largest mosque. Both sandstone show-stoppers are definitely worth exploring. The mosque was commissioned by Shah Jahan in 1656 and it took 5000 labourers 6 years to complete. Within its hallowed walls lie sacred relics like Prophet Muhammad's hair. Beyond ticking-off the capital's great monuments, heading to Old Delhi is like a journey back in time. The beating, chaotic, carnival-like heart of Old Delhi is Chandni Chowk, Delhi's 400 year old marketplace that was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. The market has been redeveloped to tame some of the chaos, including some fully pedestrianised streets and non-motorised transport lanes. But as I gazed at the spaghetti-like tangle of street wiring that garlands the crowded market lanes, there's no denying the ramshackle, faded glory feels amid this pulsating hot-spot of old-school commerce. Be sure to get your fill of jalebis from a street food vendor. Made from a deep-fried spiral-shaped wheat flour batter, which is then soaked in a sugar syrup, a plate of piping hot, crispy, sticky jalebis is a very satisfying sugar hit. We enjoyed a classic rickshaw ride through the throng of traders, shoppers and wandering cows, all heaving in those pencil-thin lanes. Girish also led us through the Khari Baoli Spice Market in Chandni Chowk, positively bulging with so many spices, nuts, herbs, pickles, preserves, rice and teas. Renowned as Asia's largest wholesale spice market, it's an aromatic head-blast. Shops and stalls bulge with heaping mounds and baskets of over a hundred different spices, headlined by turmeric, cardamom, coriander, star anise, ginger and cumin. Just as they have for hundreds of years, shoppers, dealers and chefs converge here every day to haggle and hustle. Many vendors have been peddling their wares for generations. Dawdle too long in front of a stall, and traders with huge sacks of chilis or cardamom pods will soon bump you out of their way. One of the oldest and tidiest shops is Mehar Chand and Sons. They've been in business since Queen Victoria ruled over them. And it's a great place to stock up on packaged spices, tea and saffron. Anshu Kumar, who is part of the family that has owned the shop since its inception, tells me that one of their biggest sellers with international visitors is turmeric, powered by the world's booming love-affair with this powerful superfood and supplement. (Their packaged products are allowed in New Zealand – just be sure to declare them.) Heading back to the hotel, we also stopped by the Indian parliament and sized up the monolithic might of India Gate. Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, this monstrous landmark is more than just a stunning feat of architecture—it's a poignant memorial to the 70,000 Indian soldiers who laid down their lives during World War I and the Third Anglo-Afghan War. Beautifully illuminated after sunset, street food vendors and ice cream carts line the area, swathed in sprawling lush gardens. The great thing about a Wendy Wu Tours private holiday is that you have complete flexibility over how much temple-touring and sightseeing you want to do. Equipped with your own driver and guide, it's a stress-free way to tackle Delhi. The itinerary can be as active or as laid back as you are, with full flexibility over included meals and excursions. You'll be in the best of hands with Wendy Wu Tours. www.wendywutours.co.nz/india Nothing beats retreating to a leafy oasis of eminent comfort and style after a hot, sticky day intrepidly gorging on the city sights. Nestled along the tree-lined boulevards of Connaught Place, Shangri-La Eros New Delhi, is a five-star hotel with serious wow-factor. From the moment you step inside the grand art-filled lobby, you know you are somewhere special. Service is swift, sparkling, flawless and convivial. It's the epitome of affordable luxury, with sharply-priced room rates that won't blow your budget. Push the boat out and lock in a Horizon Club room or suite. That will give you access to the hotel's cherry on top, the 19th floor Horizon Club lounge, allowing you a quick check-in, breakfast, evening cocktails and light bites. Plus panoramic views of the city's skyline. The hotel's arsenal of dining venues is very impressive. Head to Mister Chai for some authentic Indian street food coupled with flavoured tea and coffee. There is Tamra serving European, Japanese, Indian, Thai and Southeast Asian fare from live kitchens. “Lavish” doesn't do justice to the expansive array of buffet options at Tamra for breakfast. Sorrento specialises in Italian food with a contemporary twist and Shang Palace offers flavours of Sichuan, Cantonese and Yunnan cuisines. This is a signature dining venue in Shangri-La hotels and Shang Palace is widely feted as the world's most loved Chinese specialty restaurant. Dining here was divine, noshing on prawn dumplings with caviar; Xinjiang spice twice cooked baby lamb ribs; and the Cantonese BBQ platter. Shang Palace is a must. Celebrating it's 20th birthday this year, Shangri-La Eros is not the sort of hotel to rest on its laurels. And with wellness offerings continuing to be increasingly sought after, the hotel recently unveiled a wealth of enticing new amenities. The Wellness Club boasts offers over 4,000 square feet of world-class fitness space, advanced recovery therapies, a 100-feet outdoor swimming pool, salon, spa, and a calming hydrothermal zone featuring a cold plunge, Himalayan salt sauna, whirlpool, and steam. What more could you want for personal pampering? The Wellness Club seamlessly blends conscious luxury with modern wellness. Designed by Dubai's Stickman Tribe, Dubai, the interior is bathed in natural hues and hand-painted art. Calming music sets the tone for a serene escape with gilded details and reflective surfaces lending a touch of grandeur to the venue. The Spa has become a runaway hit with custom-crafted amenities to indulge the senses. Signature rituals include the Taste of India Retreat, Signature Indulgence, and a Couple's Serenity Bath, crafted to nourish the body and calm the mind. But my favourite hotel feature is the enormous new pool. Tranquil corridors lead you outdoors to the gloriously leafy green space, crowned with that magnificent pool and elegant sun loungers. As black kites circled high above in the sky, and mischievous rhesus macaques swung between the trees – much to the annoyance of nesting rose-ringed parakeets, marinating myself in the hotel's glorious pool became a rinse-and-repeat prize draw. www.shangri-la.com From New Zealand, it's just a one-stop connection to a multitude of destinations in India, including New Delhi, with Singapore Airlines, on their various daily services from Auckland and Christchurch to Singapore. Enjoy well-timed connections for an easy transit in Singapore. Across all classes of travel, the award-winning carrier has not only fostered a world-beating reputation for its exceptional customer service and in-flight product, but also its innovation. Become a KrisFlyer member and enjoy complimentary in-flight WiFi. For best fares and seats to suit head to https://www.singaporeair.com Mike Yardley is our resident traveller on Jack Tame Saturday Mornings. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode we explore the aftermath of Banda Singh Bahadur's martyrdom and the Khalsa's response in 1724. Discover how non-Punjabi Sikhs traveled to Punjab to stand alongside their Punjabi Sikh brothers in a powerful show of unity. We debunk the Mughal propaganda that falsely labeled Banda Singh as a traitor and examine how Muslims and the Sanataan Vedic Hindu Khatris fabricated the myth that he claimed to be Guru—a deliberate strategy to fracture the Sikh community. Learn how the Khalsa saw through these divisive tactics and united to avenge their fallen leader, demonstrating the resilience and solidarity that defined this crucial period in Sikh history.

This MBM conversation is with Nadira Khatun, author of the book ‘Postcolonial Bollywood and Muslim Identity: Production, Representation, and Reception'. Through this book, Nadira traces the representation of Muslim characters within Hindi cinema in post-partition India, and how the socio-political and economic factors have contributed to varied representations across decades.We discuss the influence of Bollywood on our own personal upbringings, how cinematic representations contributed to the majoritarian perceptions of the Muslim identity and its interactions with us. From films like Mughal-e-Azam and Mammo to Gully Boy and Superboys of Malegaon, we talk about the evolution of Muslim characters and what would it take to make a movie with a truly effortless Muslim representation that does not fulfil any expectation or stereotype.We also discuss the many failings of Hindi film-makers in representing Muslim women - who were either exoticised or oppressed, leaving us with the hope that there is a whole world to cover when it comes to exciting possibilities in the space of truly bebaak representations.About Nadira KhatunNadira Khatun is associate professor at School of Communications, XIM University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha. She was visiting assistant professor at McMaster University, Hamilton from January 2021 to January 2022. She has contributed to academic journals and edited volumes on social media, Bollywood and Muslim identity. Her book tilted, Postcolonial Bollywood and Muslim Identity: Production, Representation, and Reception was released in August 2024 with Oxford University Press, UK. Email address of corresponding author: nadira.khatun@gmail.comEpisode notes:* ‘Exoticised, alienised, villainised': A book looks at how Muslims have been portrayed in Hindi films (Nandini Ramnath, Scroll, June 2025)* Ghettoisation, Crime and Punishment in Mumbai (Abdul Shaban, Economic and Political Weekly, 2008)* Jain, Ranu, and Shaban, Abdul (1999). Socio Economic and Educational Status of Muslims in Mumbai. A Research Report, Submitted to the Maharashtra State Minorities Commission. Mumbai: Government of Maharashtra.* Bombay Cinema's Islamicate Histories (Edited by Ira Bhaskar and Richard Allen, The University of Chicago Press, 2021)* To Be Seen Whole: Blackness, Muslimness, and the Politics of Art (Topibechwa's Substack, May 2025)* Links to certain films discussed in the conversation:* Mammo (1994)* Garm Hava (1974)* Mughal-e-Azam (1960)* Umrao Jaan (1981)* Pakeezah (1972)* Bebaak (2018)* Dhadak 2 (2025)* Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro (1989)* Gully Boy (2019)* Darlings (2022)* Superboys of Malegaon (2024)* Supermen of Malegaon (2008)* Jawan (2023)* Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011)* Coolie (1983)MBM visual identity design by Shazia Salam || Music by Jupneet Singh This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mainbhimuslim.com

When it comes to grand gestures, painting your entire city in the one colour is quite something. So much for painting the town red. How about pink? Jaipur beckons as one of India's most enchanting destinations, where the Old City is harmoniously bathed in the same pink hue. The elegant capital of Rajasthan was painted in pink stucco in 1876 to welcome Albert Edward, the Prince of Wales, who was the son of Queen Victoria and later became King Edward VII. Jaipur's Maharaja chose the colour because pink symbolises hospitality in Rajput culture, and the gesture impressed the Prince so much that he nicknamed the city the "Pink City." The name – and the stucco - has stuck ever since. A year later, a law mandated that all future buildings in the Old City must be painted pink. As I swept into Jaipur on a private holiday Wendy Wu Tours, there's no denying how that welcoming palette sweetly seduces even the most jaded of travellers. Jaipur effortlessly casts you under its spell, as you delve into its rich history and treasury of enticements. There is an unmistakeable magic about the place. Nearly 300 years ago, an enlightened maharajah with a penchant for jewels and a keen eye for architecture built this planned city, wedged between the arid hills of northwest India. Built in the form of a rectangle, Jaipur was divided into nine blocks, seven for public use and two reserved for the state's most prestigious palaces and buildings. The entire city was girdled by a formidable protective wall. Called Jaipur after the city's founder, Jai Singh II, the planned city soon gave rise to astonishing royal palaces and vast workshops of artisans recruited to establish a new commercial hub. These days, gem cutters, jewellery designers and garment-makers are still doing a flourishing trade in Jaipur. And the royals still occupy a wing of the majestic City Palace, while gleaming mid-rise towers and a new subway system anchor Jaipur's forward march. But for all the contemporary progress, it's the architectural grandeur, proud sense of place and thriving craftwork traditions that make this destination so infectious. Street markets are splashed in colour and handicrafts, and Hindu temples can be found nearly every 100 metres. Though the streets heave with beeping and belching traffic, aimless tourists and dung-dropping cows, there is a charm and charisma to the carnival of commotion. Close to City Palace, my wonderful Wendy Wu Tours guide Vipin treated us to some sizzling old-school retail therapy. We walked under the peeling pink porticos of the roadside bazaars which were emblazoned with everything from puppets to pyjama pants; passing by carts of fried chickpea cakes, and marble-lined shrines with statues of Hindu gods. Garment-hunting was high on the agenda, for gifts to take home. Vipin led us to his favourite shop, where an explosion of colourful fabrics heaped in piles and stacked to the ceiling soon greeted us, as attentive staff served us Masala chai. Whether you're after local, authentic t-shirts, shirts, trousers, scarfs, saris, rugs, cushion covers, towels or table-cloths…this is textile and garment-shopping heaven. As my sister snapped up some sensational saris, I haggled down the price on a sublime tablecloth with block-printed red elephants. The other boom retail business is jewellery, because Jaipur is a global centre for cutting and polishing precious and semiprecious gems. Head to Jewels Emporium's stately white building and take a tour of the workshops, where cutters shape facets, and men at workbenches adorn gold settings with jewels, and rinse the gold dust from their hands in wash basins. That water is later sold to extraction companies. The quality of the workmanship is second to none, true Rajasthan's abiding legacy. Jaipur's Pink City bragging rights is best epitomised by the Hawa Mahal, or Palace of Winds. We stopped by to pose in front of this five-story palace façade, constructed from pink sandstone. Built in 1799, its iconic facade features 953 small windows which allowed royal women of the court to observe street processions without being seen while also creating a natural cooling effect. The palace's architecture is a blend of Rajput and Mughal styles, ornately designed with protruding bays of lattice stonework and cupolas mimicking Krishna's crown. Could there be a more glorious façade in the world? City Palace is a stirring complex to leisurely explore, peppered with mouth-watering architecture, tranquil courtyards and lush gardens. The prize draw is the Palace of the Breeze, a triumph in building design, whereby the air circulates so efficiently that it keeps the occupants cool even in the extreme summer months, when the mercury can nudge 50 degrees. The on-site museum is studded with royal treasures, costumes and curiosities. Out in the courtyard, I admired some massive silver vessels that carried the Maharaja's drinking water from the Ganges River to London in 1902 for Edward VII's coronation. You can see the royal reception rooms that are still in use, where Jaipur's royal family entertain guests in an ornate dining room and parlour, where chairs have silver lions for armrests. The walls are painted with gold dust and extracts of rubies and emeralds. Yipin pointed out where the royal family reside. There's a lot of tabloid tattle about Jaipur's current Maharaja, Pacho Singh. He's only 27, quite the polo-playing playboy and is currently living in the palace with his French girlfriend. But it's fully expected he cannot marry her, in deference to royal tradition and Rajasthan's adherence to arranged marriages and astrological alignment. Beyond the Old City, no visit to Jaipur is complete without savouring the sky-piercing magnificence of the four-hundred-year-old Amber Fort. (Pronounced Ah-meer.) Sprawling across the upper reaches of a hillside like a scene out Return of the Jedi, this fortress was previously the seat of power for the Rajput kings from 1599, before relocating to Jaipur's Old City just over a century later. En-route to the fort, Vipin led us to the most dreamy viewpoint, on the shores of Lake Maotha, where we gazed up in awe at this hilltop colossus. Brightly dressed elephants lumbered by, readying to carry visitors up the slope to the fortress. I had previously taken an elephant ride up to Amber Fort, but I've put weight on since then and am more mindful of animal welfare. We opted for a jeep ride through the skinny lanes snaking their way up to Sun Gate. From here, we marvelled over the China Wall-esque fortifications, the Amber Wall, riding across the ridgelines as far as the eye can see. ( It's 12km in length.) But this Rajput stronghold hooks in the tourist hordes principally for its gobsmacking array of palatial buildings and extravagant ornamental gardens. In shades of honey and rose stone, white marble and gilt decor, it's a frothy fusion of ornate Hindu and Islamic design. Amber Fort's exquisite craftsmanship is best exemplified by the Mirror Palace, or Sheesh Mahal. Candlelight dinners would have been next-level. A single lit candle spangles the beautifully cut Belgian glass panels and mirror mosaics that festoon the walls of the banquet room, transforming the space into a night-sky kaleidoscope across the walls and ceiling. Apparently, this room was made by the Maharaja so that the Maharani (queen) could see the stars at night, as she was not allowed to sleep in the open. Other highlights include the many-pillared Diwan-i-Am, the Hall of Public Audience; the Jal Mandir, or Hall of Victory, which features carved marble panels, a mirrored ceiling, and expansive views over the ramparts of the fort. The Sukh Niwas, the Hall of Pleasure, is another drop-dead-gorgeous marble room that was cleverly cooled with water. Here, the Maharaja reportedly relaxed with his ladies. Amber Fort is a resplendent blockbuster, reverberating with the glory days of Rajput rule in Rajasthan. Jaipur residents are rightly proud of their architectural showstoppers. One of the signature attributes to the city is the fact that some historic palaces, no longer required for the affairs of state, have been reimagined as beacons of hospitality. But I stayed at a brand-new luxury build that is a grand triumph of contemporary construction, fully inspired by Jaipur's landmarks and Rajasthani finesse. Introducing Anantara Jewel Bagh Jaipur. Whether it's for a big bling-bling Bollywood wedding or for immersive luxury experiences away from the heaving throng of Jaipur's tourist spots, this hotel delivers a tour de force in lavish Rajasthani living, with a contemporary take. It is splendour defined. As our Wendy Wu Tours driver pulled into the entrance, a troupe of Rajasthani dancers and costumed drummers serenaded our arrival in spectacular, effervescent style. Unfurling over 5.5 lush acres, the grand hotel's money shot is its sensational main façade, drawing rich inspiration from Amber Fort and Rajasthan's royal palaces. Features include majestic arches, intricately designed jharokhas (bay windows), and graceful chhajjas (overhanging eaves) and detailed carvings. It was thoughtfully painted in the same colours as Amber Fort's walls during golden hour. Rajputana history and heritage permeates the hotel. You'll notice it in the materials—yellowstone from Jaisalmer, marble from Banswara and Makrana, and locally sourced timbered. There's the treasury of sublime artworks, notably including portraits of Rajput warriors and royalty. Peek inside the Rang Mahal ballroom, where the walls are completely covered with celebratory nods to the state's heritage. It was handpainted over two-and-a-half years by third-generation artists. Delicate thikri glasswork, hand-carved wood accents, and intricate gold leaf detailing abound across the hotel. Amer Bagh garden venue unfurls like a verdant blanket at the base of the hotel – and is a stirring outdoor venue. Jai Bagh (victory garden is the main outdoor space for guest and I was absolutely enthralled delving into the daily bazaar that is staged here in the afternoon, complete with puppeteers, block printers, bangle makers and astrologers. Anantara's core DNA is to create hotels steeped in local elements and the Jaipur addition excels at delivering exactly that. You can even go chowk-hopping, vegetable shopping and cooking with local women. The hotel boasts 150 rooms and suites, layered across five categories, with most overlooking the inner courtyard or Jai Bagh. We stayed in the Anantara One-Bedroom Terrace Suite, which is kitted out with its own outdoor Jacuzzi and expansive terrace. I was transfixed here watching muscular monsoon thunderstorms tear up the sky and soak the land! Guestrooms do not skimp on celebrating the sense of place, with sumptuous comforts and artful design elements, from the zardozi on the pillows, thikri work on the headboards, wooden jharokas by the window nooks, and Mughal miniature art on the walls. If that's not enough to tempt you, Anantara's first outpost in India will enchant you with its gastronomic verve. Led by Executive Chef Sunil Jajoria, Sheesh Mahal is a pinch-yourself jewel box of a venue, to experience the true essence of Rajasthan with exquisitely fitted out with glittering mirror mosaics, dressed in 350,000 pieces of glass, inspired by the legendary Mirror Palace. Coud there be a more wondrous place to savour the true essence of Rajasthan's culinary brilliance? The menu marries traditional Rajasthani delicacies with global influences, paired with signature cocktails like the Jewel of Jaipur. Jajoria, a Rajasthan native, has been researching local cuisine for the last seven years. Perfected over 20 trials, his menu dives deep into how maharajas entertained. His tasting menu kicks off with hummus that tastes like Bikaneri bhujia, moving on to ker sangri kebabs, besan kebabs mimicking paneer (as there was no paneer in the history of Rajasthan, says the chef), and Shekhawati maas tacos. The menu is handwritten by the chef himself, on vintage paper he has been collecting since his he was a boy. Pair this menu with the ‘Echoes of Distillation' spirit tasting of heritage liquor from the royal family of Mahansar. It's mixology at its finest, with no shortage of artful theatre thrown in. Another cracking experience is Amrit Mahal, the vibrant all-day dining venue, which presents a diverse array of international and Indian specialties. There were too many highlights to recount, but the lamb baos, edamame truffle dimsums, lotus root on fire, Cantonese buttermilk prawns, soba noodles, and Japanese caramel cheesecake were all pleasurably devoured. The buffet breakfast here is like a royal banquet! The spa experience is a signature feature pillar of any Anantara property, and resident experts were brought in from Thailand to train the Jaipur team. The treatment repertoire remains consistent with their global spa menus—a mix of Ayurveda, Thai massages, and western therapies. I deployed my sister to the spa for some personal panel-beating and she is still buzzing about the deep tissue massage she savoured. She rates it as the best massage of her life, “life-affirming, age-reducing and liberating.” Another starring attribute of the hotel is its genuine sense of connection with the community. As a part of their grassroots outreach, the hotel works with local women to make the rotis on their menu on a chulha or traditional clay stove. You can take an early morning trip to the flower market or a guided farming experience. Even better, take a private visit to Hathi Gaon, which is a community of rescue elephants residing in their natural habitat. Or partake in a local culinary class. I was particularly impressed that the hotel takes care of their staff's accommodation needs, building nearby apartments to ensure they are well-housed. Hospitality is as sparkling as the palace-like hotel itself - faultless, ultra-attentive, charismatic and truly unforgettable. Treat yourself to a remarkable Jaipur escape at Anantara Jewel Bagh. You'll be royally treated from the moment you arrive. You will not want to leave. www.anantara.com Delve into India and the Golden Triangle with the award-winning tour specialists across Asia and beyond. I chose a tailor-made Classic India private holiday, that enables you optimise your itinerary and accommodation preferences, as much as you wish. The itinerary can be as active or as laid back as you are, with full flexibility over included meals and excursions. You'll be in the best of hands with Wendy Wu Tours. www.wendywutours.co.nz/india From New Zealand, it's just a one-stop connection to a multitude of destinations in India, including New Delhi, with Singapore Airlines, on their various daily services from Auckland and Christchurch to Singapore. Enjoy well-timed connections for an easy transit in Singapore. Across all classes of travel, the award-winning carrier has not only fostered a world-beating reputation for its exceptional customer service and in-flight product, but also its innovation. Become a KrisFlyer member and enjoy complimentary in-flight WiFi. For best fares and seats to suit head to https://www.singaporeair.com Mike Yardley is our resident traveller on Jack Tame Saturday Mornings.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

pWotD Episode 3093: Diwali Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 407,031 views on Monday, 20 October 2025 our article of the day is Diwali.Dipavali (IAST: Dīpāvalī), commonly known as Diwali (English: ), is the Hindu festival of lights, with variations celebrated in other Indian religions such as Jainism and Sikhism. It symbolises the spiritual victory of Dharma over Adharma, light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. Diwali is celebrated during the Hindu lunisolar months of Ashvin (according to the amanta tradition) and Kārtika – between around mid-September and mid-November. The celebrations generally last five or six days.Diwali is connected to various religious events, deities and personalities, such as being the day Rama returned to his kingdom in Ayodhya with his wife Sita and his brother Lakshmana after defeating the demon king Ravana. It is also widely associated with Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity, and Ganesha, the god of wisdom and the remover of obstacles. Other regional traditions connect the holiday to Vishnu, Krishna, Durga, Shiva, Kali, Hanuman, Kubera, Yama, Yami, Dhanvantari, or Vishvakarman.Primarily a Hindu festival, variations of Diwali are also celebrated by adherents of other faiths. The Jains observe their own Diwali which marks the final liberation of Mahavira. The Sikhs celebrate Bandi Chhor Divas to mark the release of Guru Hargobind from a Mughal prison. Newar Buddhists, unlike other Buddhists, celebrate Diwali by worshipping Lakshmi, while the Hindus of Eastern India and Bangladesh generally, celebrate Diwali by worshipping the goddess Kali.During the festival, the celebrants illuminate their homes, temples and workspaces with diyas (oil lamps), candles and lanterns. Hindus, in particular, have a ritual oil bath at dawn on each day of the festival. Diwali is also marked with fireworks as well as the decoration of floors with rangoli designs and other parts of the house with jhalars. Food is a major focus with families partaking in feasts and sharing mithai. The festival is an annual homecoming and bonding period not only for families, but also for communities and associations, particularly those in urban areas, which will organise activities, events, and gatherings. Many towns organise community parades and fairs with parades or music and dance performances in parks. Some Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs will send Diwali greeting cards to family near and far during the festive season, occasionally with boxes of Indian confectionery. Another aspect of the festival is remembering the ancestors.Diwali is also a major cultural event for the Hindu, Sikh, and Jain diaspora. The main day of the festival of Diwali (the day of Lakshmi Puja) is an official holiday in Fiji, Guyana, India, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, and is symbolically recognized by some US state governments.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 03:24 UTC on Tuesday, 21 October 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Diwali on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Bluesky at @wikioftheday.com.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Brian.

Khushal Khan Khattak, the fierce Afghan warrior-poet, voiced Pashtun unity and pride through his bold verse. He blended poetry with patriotism, resisting Mughal rule while celebrating honor, courage, and freedom.#78years78heroes

Iconic. Few world landmarks exemplify the full meaning of that word quite like the Taj Mahal. I've just enjoyed freshly communing with the wondrous masterpiece in Agra, as part of a private tour of Classic India with Wendy Wu Tours. Four hours drive from New Delhi, Agra is rough and ready in places, much like the driving standards on India's roads. As my delightful Wendy Wu Tours driver Mr Singh observed, “There are three golden rules when driving in India. You need a good horn, good brakes and good luck.” Before savouring the gleaming Taj, my Wendy Wu Tours guide Nadeem led us on an enlightening tour around Agra Fort. En-route, we passed a decrepit sandstone building that Nadeem remarked had become nicknamed the “Monkey House” by locals. Apparently a vast tribe of 200 Rhesus macaques inhabit the crumbling building, running riot on the adjoining road when they head out to find food. Agra Fort is a marvel, a mighty red sandstone fortress overlooking the Yamuna River. It was established by the Mughal emperor Akbar in the 16th century, who was a descendant of Genghis Khan. The sprawling fort served as a military base and a royal residence, as well as the seat of government when Agra was the capital of the Mughal Empire. The complex is a delight to explore, radiantly reflecting the architectural grandeur of the Mughal reign – a fusion of Persian and Indian design flourishes. Highlights include the Pearl Mosque, constructed by Shah Jahan. This tranquil and perfectly proportioned structure is made entirely of white marble. The splendid Palace of Mirrors (Sheesh Mahal), had its walls and ceilings inlaid with thousands of small mirrors. The fort also served as a prison and Nadeem led us to gaze at where Shah Jahān sadly spent the last eight years of life, in his gilded cage. Aurangzeb, his son and successor as emperor, incarcerated him there in 1658. At least Jahan could gaze across to his finest triumph, his sublime Taj Mahal, rising proudly on the horizon, around the river bend. Another headline sight at Agra Fort is the Tomb of I'timād-ud-Daulah in Agra, India. Nicknamed the baby Taj, it's considered a precursor to the Taj Mahal. It was built 30 years earlier, for the father of the Mughal Empress Nur Jahan. The alarm clock was set for an early wake-up the following morning, to witness the Taj Mahal at sunrise. The last time I visited the Taj fourteen years ago, we timed it for sunset – but the crowd crush detracted from the experience. Wendy Wu Tours strongly recommended a sunrise visit – and they weren't wrong. There were barely a hundred people on site for the dawn of a new day and the absence of crowds enhances the encounter immeasurably. (Nor will you battling extreme heat.) After duly posing for photos on the marble bench immortalised by Princess Diana's visit, it was positively soothing to size up this colossal marble mausoleum from every angle and vantage point, as a yolky sunrise stamped its presence on proceedings. I felt lost in awe-inspired reflection in the ornamental gardens. Built as a memorial by Shah Jahan for his third wife, who died giving birth to their 14th child, it is arguably the world's greatest monument to love. The emperor was apparently so heartbroken by her death, his hair turned grey overnight. Construction of the monument began within 12 months, with the bulk of the building taking 8 years to complete. 20,000 people from India and Central Asia worked on the building, while specialists from Europe were brought in to produce the exquisite marble screens and inlay work. Much of the gold and precious stones were later looted by British soldiers. Following his death, Shah Jahan was buried here, alongside his third wife. There are so many touches to his masterpiece to admire. Look closely and you'll notice that the four soaring minarets are all subtly tilted away from the main building, so that they won't fall on it, in the event of a major earthquake. I love how the building was purposefully positioned pointing north, so that it is bathed in maximum sunlight from dawn to dusk, heightening the creamy lustre of the marble. And nothing detracts in the background. Built on a raised platform with its back to the river, the backdrop is only sky – a masterstroke in design, which adds to its timeless enchantment. It was striking how serious they are taking the threat of air pollution around the Taj mahal, with an enormous perimeter area, clamping down on vehicle use and the forced closure of factories in proximity to the monument. Previously, the Taj Mahal has been spruced up with an ancient face-pack recipe known as multani mitti. This blend of soil, cereal, milk and lime beautifies the skin. I must try it. They're very proud of all things Mughal in Agra so why not tuck into some Mughlai cuisine? This rich, meaty and aromatic culinary style blends Indian flavours with Persian, Turkish, and Central Asian influences. It is known for its creamy, rich gravies, elaborate dishes, and the liberal use of aromatic spices, almonds, cashews, dried fruits, and dairy products. Famous dishes chicken biryani, chicken korma and rogan josh. A decadent dessert steeped in Mughal Empire tradition is Shahi Tukda. Translating as royal bread, this version of bread pudding consists of crisp, fried bread slices soaked in sugar syrup and adorned with a creamy blend of milk, cornflour, spices, and nuts. Delicious! Great street snacks include peitha, a square sweet made from pumpkin and glucose and flavoured with rosewater, coconut or saffron. Also try gajak, a slightly spicy sesame-seed biscuit strip. I sampled some great local dining while staying at the Grand Imperial Hotel, in the heart of Agra. Standing proud since the early 1900s, this British colonial-era property with its soothing arches and colonnades and sprawling garden is a haven of elegant heritage and affordable luxury. It was built for the British as the Colonial Hotel and the property is steeped in period furnishings. This heritage gem gracefully merges historical charm with contemporary comfort. Every corner of the property reverberates with history's echoes and nods to ancient royalty, adorned with plush Lahori bricks, regal arches, and exquisite paintings. The sparkling swimming pool and lush gardens are a serene sanctuary to unwind the body, after a hot, sticky day of sightseeing. Hospitality is flawless and you'll be pleasantly surprised at the bargain accommodation rates. Strike it lucky and the hotel may well be hosting a bling-bling Indian wedding, while you're in-house. That is quite the spectacle! Delve into India with the award-winning tour specialists across Asia and beyond. Choose a tailor-made private holiday to optimise your itinerary and accommodation preferences, as much as you wish. The itinerary can be as active or as laid back as you are, with full flexibility over included meals and excursions. You'll be in the best of hands with Wendy Wu Tours. www.wendywutours.co.nz/india From New Zealand, it's just a one-stop connection to a multitude of destinations in India, including New Delhi, with Singapore Airlines, on their various daily services from Auckland and Christchurch to Singapore. Enjoy well-timed connections for an easy transit in Singapore. Across all classes of travel, the award-winning carrier has not only fostered a world-beating reputation for its exceptional customer service and in-flight product, but also its innovation. Become a KrisFlyer member and enjoy complimentary in-flight WiFi. For best fares and seats to suit head to https://www.singaporeair.com Mike Yardley is our resident traveller on Jack Tame Saturday Mornings.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if the Sikh Empire wasn't born on the battlefield, but in the library?

RANKOPAN6.mp3 - The Great Divergence, Coal Location, and Global Climate Shocks Peter Frankopan | The Earth Transformed: An Untold History The Great Divergence seeks to explain how Europe accelerated scientifically and technologically after 1500 to dominate global empires. A key factor was location: England benefited from coal fields situated close to London and easily transportable by sea, unlike China's distant resources. Climate shocks created opportunities for European powers. Severe famines and droughts in India (such as the 1770s Bengal famine that killed 30 million) shattered the Mughal state's ability to collect revenue, facilitating British control. Additionally, the 1783 Laki volcanic eruption caused a climate shock affecting Egypt's Nile, diverting Ottoman focus southward and enabling Catherine the Great to annex Crimea.

Dr. Subha Dayal recently joined the New Books Network to discuss her new work Between Household and State: The Mughal Frontier and the Politics of Circulation in Peninsular India (U California Press, 2024). Her book makes a crucial intervention by moving beyond conventional dynastic narratives of the Mughal past to emphasize the role of elite household and family networks in peninsular India. Her approach defines the Mughal Frontier as a mobile entity. The empire was continuously remade and transformed through its interactions with ordinary itinerant subjects, such as scribes, soldiers, and labourers, who served under elite households and participated in imperial institutions like the army or bureaucracy. Dayal employs a bottom-up, granular portrait of this dynamism, returning to the tradition of social history to understand what the empire meant to ordinary people. The central organizational concept of the book is Ghar, defined as a continuum of relations that is neither restricted to sociological kin nor strictly bound to territory or space. While Ghar traditionally means "home" or "household," it also refers to a "slot or a single cell or receptacle," signifying an entity that functions as part of a larger unit. Dayal posits that the question of belonging can never be separated from the question of inequality. Belonging within the vertical hierarchy of a Ghar was inherently a form of privilege. The concept is fundamentally tied to the process of caste (jati) formation in pre-colonial India. Ghar was evoked by thousands of ordinary soldiers performing service (naukari) under a lord to signify affinity to a city, descent, or region. The internal politics of a Ghar often compelled household heads to forge alliances (sometimes across religious or kin divides) while simultaneously forcing them to enforce boundaries of status and caste to secure their grip over offices.  Dayal chose the term Mughal frontier over "borderlands" to highlight the politics of circulation across the peninsula. This frontier is defined as a complex set of processes through which social formations, personnel, and resources came to overlap and be shared across northern and southern India. Circulation itself is defined not as a unidirectional mobility (like invasion), but as the back-and-forth movement of pre-modern actors between sites, including courts, battlefields, and port cities. This constant exchange caused these sites to develop overlaps and codependencies. Focusing on circulation helps Dayal collapse the spatial boundaries between northern and southern India. The household both anchors this circulation and is, in turn, reconfigured by it, creating new forms of affinity, belonging, and social exclusion. Dayal's research bridges two distinct scholarly lines of inquiry: the Persian ecumene (which focuses on court and cultural history) and Indian Ocean studies (which often relies on European-language materials). She utilizes a massive documentary deposit of low-level Persian administrative materials from the moving Mughal frontier, reading them alongside vernacular narrative poems and the correspondence of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) along the coast. The VOC records, she notes, often use the term "huijshouden/huijsheid" to identify independent households and gauge their autonomy from imperial capitals. By working across these genres, Dayal affirms the radical equality of literary and non-literary sources for the study of pre-modern India. Dr. Dayal's next project involves writing the Islamic port city into global history. This comparative study of the bureaucratic and scribal cultures of three port cities—Bandar Abbas, Surat, and Masulipatnam—moves from the sea to the land. This work utilizes bilingual documents in Persian and Dutch to trace how indigenous templates and scribal cultures shaped the terrain on which transnational companies operated, creating a kind of prehistory of orientalism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Dr. Subha Dayal recently joined the New Books Network to discuss her new work Between Household and State: The Mughal Frontier and the Politics of Circulation in Peninsular India (U California Press, 2024). Her book makes a crucial intervention by moving beyond conventional dynastic narratives of the Mughal past to emphasize the role of elite household and family networks in peninsular India. Her approach defines the Mughal Frontier as a mobile entity. The empire was continuously remade and transformed through its interactions with ordinary itinerant subjects, such as scribes, soldiers, and labourers, who served under elite households and participated in imperial institutions like the army or bureaucracy. Dayal employs a bottom-up, granular portrait of this dynamism, returning to the tradition of social history to understand what the empire meant to ordinary people. The central organizational concept of the book is Ghar, defined as a continuum of relations that is neither restricted to sociological kin nor strictly bound to territory or space. While Ghar traditionally means "home" or "household," it also refers to a "slot or a single cell or receptacle," signifying an entity that functions as part of a larger unit. Dayal posits that the question of belonging can never be separated from the question of inequality. Belonging within the vertical hierarchy of a Ghar was inherently a form of privilege. The concept is fundamentally tied to the process of caste (jati) formation in pre-colonial India. Ghar was evoked by thousands of ordinary soldiers performing service (naukari) under a lord to signify affinity to a city, descent, or region. The internal politics of a Ghar often compelled household heads to forge alliances (sometimes across religious or kin divides) while simultaneously forcing them to enforce boundaries of status and caste to secure their grip over offices.  Dayal chose the term Mughal frontier over "borderlands" to highlight the politics of circulation across the peninsula. This frontier is defined as a complex set of processes through which social formations, personnel, and resources came to overlap and be shared across northern and southern India. Circulation itself is defined not as a unidirectional mobility (like invasion), but as the back-and-forth movement of pre-modern actors between sites, including courts, battlefields, and port cities. This constant exchange caused these sites to develop overlaps and codependencies. Focusing on circulation helps Dayal collapse the spatial boundaries between northern and southern India. The household both anchors this circulation and is, in turn, reconfigured by it, creating new forms of affinity, belonging, and social exclusion. Dayal's research bridges two distinct scholarly lines of inquiry: the Persian ecumene (which focuses on court and cultural history) and Indian Ocean studies (which often relies on European-language materials). She utilizes a massive documentary deposit of low-level Persian administrative materials from the moving Mughal frontier, reading them alongside vernacular narrative poems and the correspondence of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) along the coast. The VOC records, she notes, often use the term "huijshouden/huijsheid" to identify independent households and gauge their autonomy from imperial capitals. By working across these genres, Dayal affirms the radical equality of literary and non-literary sources for the study of pre-modern India. Dr. Dayal's next project involves writing the Islamic port city into global history. This comparative study of the bureaucratic and scribal cultures of three port cities—Bandar Abbas, Surat, and Masulipatnam—moves from the sea to the land. This work utilizes bilingual documents in Persian and Dutch to trace how indigenous templates and scribal cultures shaped the terrain on which transnational companies operated, creating a kind of prehistory of orientalism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Subha Dayal recently joined the New Books Network to discuss her new work Between Household and State: The Mughal Frontier and the Politics of Circulation in Peninsular India (U California Press, 2024). Her book makes a crucial intervention by moving beyond conventional dynastic narratives of the Mughal past to emphasize the role of elite household and family networks in peninsular India. Her approach defines the Mughal Frontier as a mobile entity. The empire was continuously remade and transformed through its interactions with ordinary itinerant subjects, such as scribes, soldiers, and labourers, who served under elite households and participated in imperial institutions like the army or bureaucracy. Dayal employs a bottom-up, granular portrait of this dynamism, returning to the tradition of social history to understand what the empire meant to ordinary people. The central organizational concept of the book is Ghar, defined as a continuum of relations that is neither restricted to sociological kin nor strictly bound to territory or space. While Ghar traditionally means "home" or "household," it also refers to a "slot or a single cell or receptacle," signifying an entity that functions as part of a larger unit. Dayal posits that the question of belonging can never be separated from the question of inequality. Belonging within the vertical hierarchy of a Ghar was inherently a form of privilege. The concept is fundamentally tied to the process of caste (jati) formation in pre-colonial India. Ghar was evoked by thousands of ordinary soldiers performing service (naukari) under a lord to signify affinity to a city, descent, or region. The internal politics of a Ghar often compelled household heads to forge alliances (sometimes across religious or kin divides) while simultaneously forcing them to enforce boundaries of status and caste to secure their grip over offices.  Dayal chose the term Mughal frontier over "borderlands" to highlight the politics of circulation across the peninsula. This frontier is defined as a complex set of processes through which social formations, personnel, and resources came to overlap and be shared across northern and southern India. Circulation itself is defined not as a unidirectional mobility (like invasion), but as the back-and-forth movement of pre-modern actors between sites, including courts, battlefields, and port cities. This constant exchange caused these sites to develop overlaps and codependencies. Focusing on circulation helps Dayal collapse the spatial boundaries between northern and southern India. The household both anchors this circulation and is, in turn, reconfigured by it, creating new forms of affinity, belonging, and social exclusion. Dayal's research bridges two distinct scholarly lines of inquiry: the Persian ecumene (which focuses on court and cultural history) and Indian Ocean studies (which often relies on European-language materials). She utilizes a massive documentary deposit of low-level Persian administrative materials from the moving Mughal frontier, reading them alongside vernacular narrative poems and the correspondence of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) along the coast. The VOC records, she notes, often use the term "huijshouden/huijsheid" to identify independent households and gauge their autonomy from imperial capitals. By working across these genres, Dayal affirms the radical equality of literary and non-literary sources for the study of pre-modern India. Dr. Dayal's next project involves writing the Islamic port city into global history. This comparative study of the bureaucratic and scribal cultures of three port cities—Bandar Abbas, Surat, and Masulipatnam—moves from the sea to the land. This work utilizes bilingual documents in Persian and Dutch to trace how indigenous templates and scribal cultures shaped the terrain on which transnational companies operated, creating a kind of prehistory of orientalism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/south-asian-studies

ORIGINAL UNBELIEVABLE  1/4: The Pirate King: The Strange Adventures of Henry Avery and the Birth of the Golden Age of Piracy Hardcover – April 2, 2024 by  Sean Kingsley  (Author), Rex Cowan  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/Pirate-King-Strange-Adventures-Golden/dp/1639365958/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Henry Avery of Devon pillaged a fortune from a Mughal ship off the coast of India and then vanished into thin air—and into legend. More ballads, plays, biographies and books were written about Avery's adventures than any other pirate. His contemporaries crowned him "the pirate king" for pulling off the richest heist in pirate history and escaping with his head intact (unlike Blackbeard and his infamous Flying Gang). Avery was now the most wanted criminal on earth. To the authorities, Avery was the enemy of all mankind. To the people he was a hero. Rumors swirled about his disappearance. The only certainty is that Henry Avery became a ghost.

ORIGINAL UNBELIEVABLE.  2/4: The Pirate King: The Strange Adventures of Henry Avery and the Birth of the Golden Age of Piracy Hardcover – April 2, 2024 by  Sean Kingsley  (Author), Rex Cowan  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/Pirate-King-Strange-Adventures-Golden/dp/1639365958/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Henry Avery of Devon pillaged a fortune from a Mughal ship off the coast of India and then vanished into thin air—and into legend. More ballads, plays, biographies and books were written about Avery's adventures than any other pirate. His contemporaries crowned him "the pirate king" for pulling off the richest heist in pirate history and escaping with his head intact (unlike Blackbeard and his infamous Flying Gang). Avery was now the most wanted criminal on earth. To the authorities, Avery was the enemy of all mankind. To the people he was a hero. Rumors swirled about his disappearance. The only certainty is that Henry Avery became a ghost. 1841

ORIGINAL UNBELIEVABLE.  3/4: The Pirate King: The Strange Adventures of Henry Avery and the Birth of the Golden Age of Piracy Hardcover – April 2, 2024 by  Sean Kingsley  (Author), Rex Cowan  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/Pirate-King-Strange-Adventures-Golden/dp/1639365958/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Henry Avery of Devon pillaged a fortune from a Mughal ship off the coast of India and then vanished into thin air—and into legend. More ballads, plays, biographies and books were written about Avery's adventures than any other pirate. His contemporaries crowned him "the pirate king" for pulling off the richest heist in pirate history and escaping with his head intact (unlike Blackbeard and his infamous Flying Gang). Avery was now the most wanted criminal on earth. To the authorities, Avery was the enemy of all mankind. To the people he was a hero. Rumors swirled about his disappearance. The only certainty is that Henry Avery became a ghost. 1850

ORIGINAL UNBELIEVABLE.  4/4: The Pirate King: The Strange Adventures of Henry Avery and the Birth of the Golden Age of Piracy Hardcover – April 2, 2024 by  Sean Kingsley  (Author), Rex Cowan  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/Pirate-King-Strange-Adventures-Golden/dp/1639365958/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Henry Avery of Devon pillaged a fortune from a Mughal ship off the coast of India and then vanished into thin air—and into legend. More ballads, plays, biographies and books were written about Avery's adventures than any other pirate. His contemporaries crowned him "the pirate king" for pulling off the richest heist in pirate history and escaping with his head intact (unlike Blackbeard and his infamous Flying Gang). Avery was now the most wanted criminal on earth. To the authorities, Avery was the enemy of all mankind. To the people he was a hero. Rumors swirled about his disappearance. The only certainty is that Henry Avery became a ghost.

The revision of school textbooks to erase Mughal influence on Indian history and culture is in keeping with the BJP-RSS effort to rewrite the past to justify its present and the future it wants to create. This future is saffron, a rejection of the secular ethos of India. Please listen to the latest episode of All Indians Mattter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Mughal empire was one of the most powerful and influential dynasties in South Asian history, blending together a mix of cultural traditions to create a legacy of dazzling architecture, innovative governance, and turbulent politics. Speaking to Emily Briffett, historian Nandini Chatterjee journeys through the empire's rich history – and considers why it continues to spark debate today. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Everyone has heard of Mecca. But few people outside Pakistan have heard of Makli, or “Little Mecca,” the sacred cemetery that is both the holiest place in Sindh and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The site is actually huge, with up to a million people buried there, so the “little” reflects respect for Mecca rather than the size of Makli. More important than Makli's size, though, is its beauty. From the fourteenth onwards, rulers and aristocrats from the local Samma, Arghun, then Mughal dynasties commissioned elegant carved stone mausoleums around the burial places of the saints who rendered Makli sacred. In this episode, we'll take an audio tour of its beautiful buildings, looking at their decorative symbolism and Arabic inscriptions, before delving further into the history of this extraordinary necropolis of the holy, powerful, and poor alike. Nile Green talks to Fatima Quraishi, author of Palimpsests Past and Present: The Sufis and Sultans of the Makli Necropolis (1380–1660) (University of North Carolina Press, 2026).

In this episode of History 102, 'WhatIfAltHist' creator Rudyard Lynch and co-host Austin Padgett explore why gunpowder democratized Europe but enabled Asian autocracy, examining Hawaii, Ottoman, Ming, and Mughal empires to understand how identical technologies create divergent civilizational outcomes. -- SPONSOR: ZCASH | SHOPIFY | NETSUITE | ORACLE The right technology reshapes politics and culture toward freedom and prosperity. Zcash—the "machinery of freedom"—delivers unstoppable private money through encryption. When your wealth is unseen, it's unseizable. Download Zashi wallet and follow @genzcash to learn more: ⁠⁠https://x.com/genzcash⁠⁠ Shopify is the world's leading e-commerce platform, offering a market-leading checkout system Shoppay and exclusive AI apps. Nobody does selling better than Shopify. Get a $1 per month trial at ⁠⁠⁠https://shopify.com/momentofzen⁠⁠⁠. More than 42,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, the #1 cloud financial system bringing accounting, financial management, inventory, HR, into ONE proven platform. If you're looking for an ERP platform, get a one-of-a-kind flexible financing program on NetSuite: ⁠⁠⁠https://netsuite.com/102⁠⁠⁠ - Download your free CFO's guide to AI and machine learning. Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI): Oracle's next-generation cloud platform delivers blazing-fast AI and ML performance with 50% less for compute and 80% less for outbound networking compared to other cloud providers. OCI powers industry leaders like Vodafone and Thomson Reuters with secure infrastructure and application development capabilities. New U.S. customers can get their cloud bill cut in half by switching to OCI before March 31, 2024 at ⁠⁠⁠https://oracle.com/cognitive⁠⁠⁠. -- FOLLOW ON X: @whatifalthist (Rudyard) @LudwigNverMises (Austin) @TurpentineMedia -- TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Introduction & Framework(13:00) Case Study #1: Hawaii(17:33) Sponsors: ZCash | Shopify(22:39) Case Study #2: Spanish & Turkish Empires(40:50) Sponsors: Netsuite | Oracle(45:52) Case Study #3: China - Ming & Qing Dynasties(1:07:00) Japan: Brief Military Supremacy(1:07:00) Japan: Brief Military Supremacy(1:11:00) Ottoman Empire: Slave Soldiers & Decline(1:32:06) African Gunpowder Empires(1:38:00) Safavid Persia(1:42:00) Mughal Empire(1:53:00) European Colonialism & Modern Implications Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alisha Mughal's It Can't Rain All the Time: The Crow (ECW Press, 2025) weaves memoir with film criticism in an effort to pin down The Crow's cultural resonance. A passionate analysis of the ill-fated 1994 film starring the late Brandon Lee and its long-lasting influence on action movies, cinematic grief, and emotional masculinity Released in 1994, The Crow first drew in audiences thanks to the well-publicized tragedy that loomed over the film: lead actor Brandon Lee had died on set due to a mishandled prop gun. But it soon became clear that The Crow was more than just an accumulation of its tragic parts. The celebrated critic Roger Ebert wrote that Lee's performance was “more of a screen achievement than any of the films of his father, Bruce Lee.” In It Can't Rain All the Time, Mughal argues that The Crow has transcended Brandon Lee's death by exposing the most challenging human emotions in all their dark, dramatic, and visceral glory, so much so that it has spawned three sequels, a remake, and an intense fandom. Eric, our back-from-the-dead, grieving protagonist, shows us that there is no solution to depression or loss, there is only our own internal, messy work. By the end of the movie, we realize that Eric has presented us with a vast range of emotions and that masculinity doesn't need to be hard and impenetrable. Through her memories of seeking solace in the film during her own grieving period, Mughal brilliantly shows that, for all its gothic sadness, The Crow is, surprisingly and touchingly, a movie about redemption and hope.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Alisha Mughal's It Can't Rain All the Time: The Crow (ECW Press, 2025) weaves memoir with film criticism in an effort to pin down The Crow's cultural resonance. A passionate analysis of the ill-fated 1994 film starring the late Brandon Lee and its long-lasting influence on action movies, cinematic grief, and emotional masculinity Released in 1994, The Crow first drew in audiences thanks to the well-publicized tragedy that loomed over the film: lead actor Brandon Lee had died on set due to a mishandled prop gun. But it soon became clear that The Crow was more than just an accumulation of its tragic parts. The celebrated critic Roger Ebert wrote that Lee's performance was “more of a screen achievement than any of the films of his father, Bruce Lee.” In It Can't Rain All the Time, Mughal argues that The Crow has transcended Brandon Lee's death by exposing the most challenging human emotions in all their dark, dramatic, and visceral glory, so much so that it has spawned three sequels, a remake, and an intense fandom. Eric, our back-from-the-dead, grieving protagonist, shows us that there is no solution to depression or loss, there is only our own internal, messy work. By the end of the movie, we realize that Eric has presented us with a vast range of emotions and that masculinity doesn't need to be hard and impenetrable. Through her memories of seeking solace in the film during her own grieving period, Mughal brilliantly shows that, for all its gothic sadness, The Crow is, surprisingly and touchingly, a movie about redemption and hope.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/film

Alisha Mughal's It Can't Rain All the Time: The Crow (ECW Press, 2025) weaves memoir with film criticism in an effort to pin down The Crow's cultural resonance. A passionate analysis of the ill-fated 1994 film starring the late Brandon Lee and its long-lasting influence on action movies, cinematic grief, and emotional masculinity Released in 1994, The Crow first drew in audiences thanks to the well-publicized tragedy that loomed over the film: lead actor Brandon Lee had died on set due to a mishandled prop gun. But it soon became clear that The Crow was more than just an accumulation of its tragic parts. The celebrated critic Roger Ebert wrote that Lee's performance was “more of a screen achievement than any of the films of his father, Bruce Lee.” In It Can't Rain All the Time, Mughal argues that The Crow has transcended Brandon Lee's death by exposing the most challenging human emotions in all their dark, dramatic, and visceral glory, so much so that it has spawned three sequels, a remake, and an intense fandom. Eric, our back-from-the-dead, grieving protagonist, shows us that there is no solution to depression or loss, there is only our own internal, messy work. By the end of the movie, we realize that Eric has presented us with a vast range of emotions and that masculinity doesn't need to be hard and impenetrable. Through her memories of seeking solace in the film during her own grieving period, Mughal brilliantly shows that, for all its gothic sadness, The Crow is, surprisingly and touchingly, a movie about redemption and hope.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/popular-culture

Abashed the devil stood, and felt how awful goodness is. The Crow (1994) is a one-of-a-kind film, borne out of tragedy and thought to be cursed. Critic and culture writer Alisha Mughal takes a look at the film, its graphic novel origins, its beautiful but doomed star Brandon Lee, and much more in her new book for the Pop Classics series, It Can't Rain All the Time: The Crow. Alisha joins Skylight's Justin Remer for a talk about her book, her hyperfixation on the movie, and the '90s grunge ethos. For more of Alisha Mughal's recent writing, check out: *"The Lonely Landscapes of Materialists and The Worst Person in the World" on RogerEbert.com  *"Let's Rock: The Dialectic of the the Sublime in Twin Peaks" on FilmDaze.net  For more information on the screening of Johnny Mnemonic hosted by the Skylight Books podcast crew on August 26, 2025, check out:  *The American Cinematheque's website for Friend of the Fest 2025 For Pop Classics titles on audiobook, check out Libro.FM please!  Hosted and produced by Justin Remer.  Recorded remotely via Zencastr.  Opening music: "Optimism (Instrumental)" by Duck the Piano Wire.  Closing music: "Rule of 3s (Solemnity Child)" by Elastic No-No Band. 

Colonel Yogander Singh (retd) is a retired Indian Army officer and military historian, with special focus on Haryana. He has written several books, most prominent among them being 'Hal Wa Samshir: Politico-Military History of Haryana'. 'Future Ready Indian Army' and 'Effective Deterrence: Thoughts on India's Security Policy and Structures in the Twenty-first Century'.His latest books are 'Century of the Locust' & 'Century of the Raj' in two volumes detailing the history of 18th and 19th century Haryana respectively in a comprehensive manner.

The Taj Mahal is one of the most famous and beautiful buildings in the world. Built in the 1600s by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a tomb for his wife, it's a masterpiece of white marble and Islamic architecture. This episode explores the love story, artistry, and engineering behind this iconic structure—and why the Taj Mahal still stands as a symbol of eternal love.

Do you ever talk about your favorite things through top 5 lists? Like, you have your top 5 tv shows, or top 5 songs, etc. No? Just me? Cool.When I look back at my favorite movies and soundtracks, you'll find The Crow in the top 5 of both categories. The film still makes me feel emotions I didn't think possible. It's such a heavy film to me even 31 years after its release. Maybe watching it brings back grief from the loss of Brandon Lee. Or maybe The Crow is packed with emotional content and themes. To this day I still tear up at one particular moment in the film (which we discuss in the podcast). What's wrong with me?In the latest installment of the Pop Classics series, Alisha Mughal has taken on the task of taking us on a deep dive of the classic film. Her book 'It Can't Rain All The Time' is available now and I think any movie fan will enjoy it.In this episode we discuss the history and folklore about The Crow, how you can find similarities with the John Wick universe, how incredible Brandon Lee truly was and so much more.

Alisha Mughal On Finding the Beauty In Grief, Tragedy, and Love - It Can't Rain All The Time: The CrowHappy Sunday! I am so delighted to be sharing yet another installment of ECW Press' Pop Classics Series, It Can't Rain All The Time: The Crow by Alisha Mughal (out July 15th!!). Alisha and I explore the enduring appeal of The Crow, the beauty we can find within this story's multi-layered tragedy and how this film encourages viewers to fight for love. I just adore this book so I'm honored to share this interview ahead of the book's publication day!Follow AlishaFollow OTSMap of Indie Bookstores Preorder/Purchase It Can't Rain All The Time: The Crow!Queen BooksOdyssey BooksQuail Ridge BooksOther OTS episodes featuring Pop Classics Authors!Veronica Litt on CluelessAndrea Warner on Dirty DancingJen Sookfong Lee on My Own Private IdahoMichael Hingston on Calvin and Hobbes

rWotD Episode 2986: Tarikh-i-Sher Shahi Welcome to random Wiki of the Day, your journey through Wikipedia's vast and varied content, one random article at a time.The random article for Monday, 7 July 2025, is Tarikh-i-Sher Shahi.The Tarikh-i-Sher Shahi (lit. 'History of Sher Shah') is a historical work dated 1580 CE which was compiled by Abbas Khan Sarwani, a waqia-navis under Mughal emperor Akbar, detailing the rule of Sher Shah Suri, founder of the Sur Empire. The work was commissioned by Akbar to provide detailed documentation about Sher Shah's administration - Akbar's father Humayun had been defeated by Sher Shah.Abbas wrote the Tarik-i Sher Shahi using his own local Indo-Afghan cultural style, not in the style and language of standard Persian.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:54 UTC on Monday, 7 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Tarikh-i-Sher Shahi on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm generative Ayanda.

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb discusses the remarkable life of Akbar the Great, one of history's most impressive emperors. Together with historian Ira Mukhoty, Suzannah explores Akbar's journey from royal hostage to a ruler known for his vast, multi-ethnic empire.From how Akbar used spies to keep a grip on his realm, to his revolutionary policies on religious inclusivity and harmony, to his daring conquests, including the epic siege of Chittor, Akbar the Great's reign was extraordinary and unprecedented.MORE:Majestic Mughals: From Akbar to Shah Jahanhttps://open.spotify.com/episode/6kJDF3rlVnXvILtMGdVx71Adventures of a Mughal Princesshttps://open.spotify.com/episode/0U38APS4SoDUu7TlG30J4KPresented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Max Wintle, audio editor is Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. You can take part in our listener survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on

Fluent Fiction - Hindi: Mysteries of Humayun's Tomb: Journey to Confidence and Friendship Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/hi/episode/2025-06-01-22-34-02-hi Story Transcript:Hi: गर्मियों की शुरुआत में एक सजीव शनिवार की सुबह थी।En: It was a lively Saturday morning at the start of summer.Hi: सूरज की रोशनी धीरे-धीरे हुमायूँ के मकबरे के लाल पत्थरों पर चमक रही थी।En: The sunlight was slowly shining on the red stones of Humayun's Tomb.Hi: मुगल वास्तुकला का अद्वितीय नमूना, यह मकबरा अपने बगीचों और भव्य गुंबद के लिए प्रसिद्ध था।En: A unique example of Mughal architecture, this tomb was famous for its gardens and grand dome.Hi: छात्रों का एक समूह अपने अध्यापक के साथ इस ऐतिहासिक स्थल पर अध्ययन यात्रा के लिए आया था।En: A group of students had come to this historic site for a study tour with their teacher.Hi: अनया इस ग्रुप का हिस्सा थी।En: Anaya was part of this group.Hi: वह एक जिज्ञासु और अवलोकनीय छात्रा थी जो अक्सर दूसरी छात्रों की उपस्थिति में खुद को दबा हुआ महसूस करती थी।En: She was a curious and observant student who often felt overshadowed by other students.Hi: उसके साथी, रोहन, आत्मविश्वासी और मिलनसार था, जबकि मीरा, शर्मीली लेकिन समझदार थी।En: Her companion, Rohan, was confident and sociable, while Meera was shy but sensible.Hi: अनया का मन कुछ नया खोजने की चाह में था, एक ऐसा तथ्य जो किसी और को न दिखे, ताकि उसे भी क्लास में प्रशंसा मिले।En: Anaya had a desire to discover something new, a fact that no one else could see, so she could also receive praise in the class.Hi: लेकिन हर बार रोहन सबकी नज़रों में आ जाता था।En: But every time, Rohan managed to attract everyone's attention.Hi: जब रोहन हुमायूँ के मकबरे के बारे में गाइड से प्रश्न पूछता, सभी उसकी ओर खिंच जाते।En: When Rohan asked the guide questions about Humayun's Tomb, everyone was drawn to him.Hi: दूसरी ओर, मीरा हमेशा शांत रहती थी, कभी भी अपनी राय व्यक्त नहीं करती थी।En: On the other hand, Meera always remained calm and never expressed her opinions.Hi: अनया ने सोचा, "अगर मैं मकबरे के कम प्रचलित हिस्से की खोज करूँ, तो शायद मैं कुछ अनोखा खोज सकती हूँ।"En: Anaya thought, "If I explore the less popular parts of the tomb, maybe I can discover something unique."Hi: उसने मीरा से साथ चलने के लिए कहा।En: She asked Meera to accompany her.Hi: मीरा यह सुनकर थोड़ा घबरा गई, फिर भी उसने हामी भर दी।En: Meera was a bit nervous hearing this, but she agreed nonetheless.Hi: दोनों धीरे-धीरे मकबरे के उन हिस्सों की ओर बढ़ीं जहाँ अक्सर लोग कम ही जाते थे।En: Both slowly moved toward parts of the tomb where people rarely went.Hi: चलते-चलते, अनया ने एक खुदाई का चिन्ह देखा जो दूसरों की नजर से अक्सर छुपा रहता था।En: As they walked, Anaya spotted a sign of excavation that often went unnoticed by others.Hi: मीरा ने ध्यान से उसे देखा और कहा, "ये तो खास शैली में बना है। जैसे कि ये अलग से ही कुछ कहानी कहता हो।"En: Meera looked at it carefully and said, "This is made in a special style, as if it tells a story of its own."Hi: दोनों ने इस पर और चर्चा की, और उन्होंने महसूस किया कि यह एक अनूठा वास्तुकला का तत्व था, जो हुमायूँ के समय की अलग आस्थाओं और स्थापत्य कला का परिचायक था।En: Both discussed it further and realized that it was a unique architectural element, indicative of the diverse beliefs and architectural art of Humayun's era.Hi: अपने अध्यापक और साथियों के सामने उन्होंने अपने खोज को प्रस्तुत किया।En: They presented their discovery in front of their teacher and classmates.Hi: सभी ने उसका ध्यानपूर्वक सुना और सराहा।En: Everyone listened intently and appreciated it.Hi: अनया ने महसूस किया कि उसका भरोसा बढ़ रहा है।En: Anaya felt her confidence growing.Hi: सभी ने मीरा की भी सराहना की, जिसे अब तक कोई ज्यादा जानता नहीं था, पर उसकी अद्वितीय दृष्टि ने बड़ा योगदान दिया था।En: Everyone also praised Meera, who was not well-known until now, but her unique perspective made a significant contribution.Hi: अनया को यह सीख मिली कि विश्वास केवल अपनी उपलब्धियों से नहीं, बल्किअपने दोस्तों के सहयोग से बनता है।En: Anaya learned that trust is built not only from her achievements but also from the support of her friends.Hi: उसने मीरा को अपनी टीम में पाकर खुद को भाग्यशाली समझा।En: She felt fortunate to have Meera in her team.Hi: उसकी नजर में मीरा अब बस साथी नहीं, एक मित्र बन गई थी।En: In her eyes, Meera was now not just a companion but a friend.Hi: यह नया विश्वास उसके चेहरे की मुस्कान में झलकता था।En: This new confidence was reflected in her smile.Hi: और इस तरह, हुमायूँ के मकबरे की यह यात्रा अनया और मीरा के लिए एक नई शुरुआत बनी।En: And thus, the visit to Humayun's Tomb became a new beginning for Anaya and Meera.Hi: दोनों ने मिलकर एक अनोखी खोज की, जिससे अनया को आत्मविश्वास मिला और मीरा को एक सच्ची दोस्ती।En: Together, they made a unique discovery, which gave Anaya confidence and Meera a true friendship. Vocabulary Words:lively: सजीवshining: चमक रहीunique: अद्वितीयarchitecture: वास्तुकलाgrand: भव्यdome: गुंबदhistoric: ऐतिहासिकcurious: जिज्ञासुobservant: अवलोकनीयovershadowed: दबा हुआcompanion: साथीconfident: आत्मविश्वासीsociable: मिलनसारsensible: समझदारpraise: प्रशंसाattract: खिंच जातेcalm: शांतopinions: रायexplore: खोजrarely: कम हीexcavation: खुदाईnotice: नजरindicative: परिचायकbeliefs: आस्थाओंreflect: झलकताfortunate: भाग्यशालीperspective: दृष्टिsupport: सहयोगaccomplishments: उपलब्धियोंnew beginning: नई शुरुआत

Fluent Fiction - Hindi: Unlocking the Secrets of Humayun's Tomb: A Guide's Tale Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/hi/episode/2025-05-21-22-34-02-hi Story Transcript:Hi: नई दिल्ली का वसंत उफान पर था।En: Springtime in Nayi Dilli was in full bloom.Hi: हरियाली के बीच में खड़ी हुमायूँ का मकबरा अपने शाही अंदाज में चमक रहा था।En: Standing amidst the greenery, Humayun ka Maqbara was shining in its royal splendor.Hi: सूरज की हल्की किरणें मकबरे की दीवारों पर पढ़ रही थीं।En: The soft rays of the sun were falling on the tomb's walls.Hi: आकाश साफ और नीला था।En: The sky was clear and blue.Hi: इस सुहाने मौसम में, अरुण अपने समूह के साथ खड़ा था।En: In this pleasant weather, Arun was standing with his group.Hi: वह एक उत्साही गाइड था।En: He was an enthusiastic guide.Hi: उसके साथ थे पर्यटक प्रिय और मनीष।En: With him were tourists Priya and Manish.Hi: अधिकतर पर्यटक सेल्फी लेने में व्यस्त थे, लेकिन अरुण का उत्साह गजब का था।En: Most of the tourists were busy taking selfies, but Arun's enthusiasm was remarkable.Hi: उसे अपनी धरोहर से गहरा लगाव था।En: He had a deep connection with his heritage.Hi: "दोस्तों, हुमायूँ का मकबरा एक अनोखा स्थान है," उसने समूह से कहा।En: "Friends, Humayun's tomb is a unique place," he told the group.Hi: "यह मुगल वास्तुकला का अद्भुत नमूना है।En: "It is a wonderful example of Mughal architecture."Hi: " प्रिय और मनीष उसकी बातें अनमनेपन से सुन रहे थे, जैसे केवल खानापूर्ति कर रहे हों।En: Priya and Manish were listening to him indifferently, as if they were just going through the motions.Hi: अरुण ने सोचा कि कुछ बदलाव करना चाहिए।En: Arun thought something needed to change.Hi: उसने उन्हें शामिल करने के लिए एक खेल का आयोजन किया।En: He organized a game to engage them.Hi: "क्यों न हम एक छोटा इतिहास प्रश्नोत्तरी करें?En: "Why don't we have a little history quiz?"Hi: " उसने कहा।En: he suggested.Hi: "सही उत्तर देने पर आपको विशेष कहानियाँ सुनने को मिलेंगी।En: "The correct answer will get you to hear special stories."Hi: "वातावरण में थोड़ी जान आई।En: The atmosphere livened up a bit.Hi: प्रिय और मनीष ने रुचि दिखानी शुरू की।En: Priya and Manish began to show interest.Hi: लेकिन तभी मनीष ने एक कठिन प्रश्न दाग दिया।En: But then, Manish threw a hard question.Hi: "वह अनोखा पत्थर मकबरे के भीतर क्यों रखा गया है?En: "Why is that unique stone placed inside the tomb?"Hi: " उसने व्यंग्यात्मक ढंग से पूछा।En: he asked sarcastically.Hi: अरुण के चेहरे पर मुस्कान आई।En: A smile appeared on Arun's face.Hi: "आपने अच्छी बात पूछी," अरुण ने कहा और उन्हें मकबरे के भीतर ले गया।En: "You've asked a good question," Arun said and took them inside the tomb.Hi: वहाँ एक खास जगह पर नगीने से जड़ा पत्थर रखा था।En: There, a stone embedded with jewels was placed in a special spot.Hi: "यह माला पत्थर इस जगह की जादूगर कथा से जुड़ा है।En: "This jewel-studded stone is linked to a magical tale of this place.Hi: कहते हैं कि इसे छूने से मनोकामना पूर्ण होती है।En: It's said that touching it grants one's wishes."Hi: "उसकी कहाणी से सब मोहित हो गए।En: Everyone was captivated by his story.Hi: पर्यटकों ने तस्वीरें खींचीं, लेकिन अब उनकी दिलचस्पी कहानी में भी थी।En: The tourists took photos, but now they were also interested in the story.Hi: अंत में, सभी मचल से भरे और इतिहास की सराहना करते हुए वापिस लौट गए।En: In the end, everyone returned with a lively spirit and an appreciation for history.Hi: अरुण ने देखा कि उसके प्रयास ने कमाल कर दिखाया।En: Arun realized that his efforts had worked wonders.Hi: वह समझ गया कि संवाद की कुशलता से सभी के दिलों को छू सकते हैं।En: He understood that the skillful use of dialogue could touch everyone's hearts.Hi: उसने निर्णय किया कि आगे आने वाले सभी समूहों को भी वह ऐसे ही प्रेरित करेगा।En: He decided that he would inspire all future groups in the same way.Hi: इस प्रकार, उसने न केवल पर्यटकों को इतिहास से जोड़ने का काम किया बल्कि अपने करियर में आगे बढ़ने का एक नया रास्ता भी खोज लिया।En: Thus, he not only connected the tourists with history but also found a new path to advance in his career. Vocabulary Words:bloom: उफानmajestic: शाहीsplendor: अंदाजrays: किरणेंindifferently: अनमनेपनmotivated: उत्साहीengage: शामिलquiz: प्रश्नोत्तरीsarcastically: व्यंग्यात्मकcaptivated: मोहितheritage: धरोहरremarkable: गजबexample: नमूनाmotions: खानापूर्तिatmosphere: वातावरणunique: अनोखाembedded: जड़ाmagical: जादूगरwishes: मनोकामनाlively: मचलinspired: प्रेरितdialogue: संवादadvance: आगेappreciation: सराहनाefforts: प्रयासdestination: स्थानpath: रास्ताguide: गाइडjewels: नगीनेphotographs: तस्वीरें

TINKER, TAILOR, SAILOR, SPY:  1/4: The Pirate King: The Strange Adventures of Henry Avery and the Birth of the Golden Age of Piracy Hardcover – April 2, 2024 by  Sean Kingsley  (Author), Rex Cowan  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/Pirate-King-Strange-Adventures-Golden/dp/1639365958/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Henry Avery of Devon pillaged a fortune from a Mughal ship off the coast of India and then vanished into thin air—and into legend. More ballads, plays, biographies and books were written about Avery's adventures than any other pirate. His contemporaries crowned him "the pirate king" for pulling off the richest heist in pirate history and escaping with his head intact (unlike Blackbeard and his infamous Flying Gang). Avery was now the most wanted criminal on earth. To the authorities, Avery was the enemy of all mankind. To the people he was a hero. Rumors swirled about his disappearance. The only certainty is that Henry Avery became a ghost. 1709

TINKER, TAILOR, SAILOR, SPY:  2/4: The Pirate King: The Strange Adventures of Henry Avery and the Birth of the Golden Age of Piracy Hardcover – April 2, 2024 by  Sean Kingsley  (Author), Rex Cowan  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/Pirate-King-Strange-Adventures-Golden/dp/1639365958/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Henry Avery of Devon pillaged a fortune from a Mughal ship off the coast of India and then vanished into thin air—and into legend. More ballads, plays, biographies and books were written about Avery's adventures than any other pirate. His contemporaries crowned him "the pirate king" for pulling off the richest heist in pirate history and escaping with his head intact (unlike Blackbeard and his infamous Flying Gang). Avery was now the most wanted criminal on earth. To the authorities, Avery was the enemy of all mankind. To the people he was a hero. Rumors swirled about his disappearance. The only certainty is that Henry Avery became a ghost. 1700 WINDSOR

TINKER, TAILOR, SAILOR, SPY:  3/4: The Pirate King: The Strange Adventures of Henry Avery and the Birth of the Golden Age of Piracy Hardcover – April 2, 2024 by  Sean Kingsley  (Author), Rex Cowan  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/Pirate-King-Strange-Adventures-Golden/dp/1639365958/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Henry Avery of Devon pillaged a fortune from a Mughal ship off the coast of India and then vanished into thin air—and into legend. More ballads, plays, biographies and books were written about Avery's adventures than any other pirate. His contemporaries crowned him "the pirate king" for pulling off the richest heist in pirate history and escaping with his head intact (unlike Blackbeard and his infamous Flying Gang). Avery was now the most wanted criminal on earth. To the authorities, Avery was the enemy of all mankind. To the people he was a hero. Rumors swirled about his disappearance. The only certainty is that Henry Avery became a ghost. 1659

TINKER, TAILOR, SAILOR, SPY:   4/4: The Pirate King: The Strange Adventures of Henry Avery and the Birth of the Golden Age of Piracy Hardcover – April 2, 2024 by  Sean Kingsley  (Author), Rex Cowan  (Author) https://www.amazon.com/Pirate-King-Strange-Adventures-Golden/dp/1639365958/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Henry Avery of Devon pillaged a fortune from a Mughal ship off the coast of India and then vanished into thin air—and into legend. More ballads, plays, biographies and books were written about Avery's adventures than any other pirate. His contemporaries crowned him "the pirate king" for pulling off the richest heist in pirate history and escaping with his head intact (unlike Blackbeard and his infamous Flying Gang). Avery was now the most wanted criminal on earth. To the authorities, Avery was the enemy of all mankind. To the people he was a hero. Rumors swirled about his disappearance. The only certainty is that Henry Avery became a ghost. 1706 MAURITIUS

Babur, a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan, had established a power base in Kabul but the victory at Panipat gave him control of Delhi and Agra, allowing him to establish the foundations of what would become the Mughal Empire in ...

In this episode, we delve into the dramatic fall of Bahadur Shah II, the last Mughal emperor. Discover how the 1857 Revolt sealed his fate, leading to his deposition and exile to Rangoon. We explore the end of a dynasty that once ruled vast territories, marking the twilight of Mughal power and the dawn of British dominance in India. Want to see my notes for this episode? Join us on Telegram and search for "10-11".

In the early 1800s, the Mughal emperor was little more than a figurehead under East India Company rule. This episode unpacks how the Company tightened its grip on Delhi, controlled imperial authority, and set the stage for the empire's final decline, shaping the future of British rule in India.   Want to see my notes for this episode? Join us on Telegram and search for "10-9"

In this episode, we dive into the brutal rise and fall of Ghulam Qadir, the Rohilla chieftain who seized Delhi in 1788, humiliated the Mughal court, and infamously blinded Emperor Shah Alam II. A tale of betrayal, vengeance, and imperial decline—this is the shocking story of one of the Mughal Empire's darkest chapters. Want to see my notes for this episode? Join us on Telegram and search for "10-8"

Explore the life of Mirza Najaf, a formidable Persian mercenary in the Mughal era. From his strategic prowess on the battlefield to his influence in shaping Mughal politics, this episode delves into the legacy of a warrior who bridged cultures and left an indelible mark on Indian history.   Want to see my notes for this episode? Join us on Telegram and search for "10-7"

Company School painting is a fascinating yet often overlooked artistic tradition that emerged during the British East India Company's rule in India. Indian artists blended Mughal, Rajput, and European styles to create detailed and vibrant artworks focused on flora and fauna. What makes these paintings extraordinary is how they capture not only scientific precision but also the rich artistic traditions of India.  At the heart of this story is the city of Lucknow, a hub of artistic and cultural refinement, where European imperialists like Claude Martin sought to document India's natural world. Martin, a French adventurer-turned-British officer, was so committed to this project that he imported thousands of sheets of European watercolour paper and assembled a team of Indian artists to create meticulous botanical and zoological illustrations.  But as much as these paintings were a product of imperialism, they also provided an unprecedented opportunity for Indian artists to leave a lasting impression. Unlike earlier court art, which often left artists anonymous, Company School paintings are some of the first works where individual Indian painters were credited by name.  Listen as William and Anita unravel the intricate web of art, science, and empire, revealing a world where botanical illustrations were not just scientific tools, but also symbols of a rapidly changing society. Twitter: @Empirepoduk Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com Goalhangerpodcasts.com Assistant Producer: Becki Hills Producer: Anouska Lewis Senior Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices