Skip to content
ISSN NO. : 0970-4175 (Print)

 

Search

The Book Review, Monthly Review of Important BooksThe Book Review, Monthly Review of Important Books
The Book Review, Monthly Review of Important Books
  • HOME
  • THE BOOK REVIEW
    • ABOUT
    • FOUNDER TRUSTEES
    • THE JOURNAL
  • SUBSCRIPTIONS
    • PRINT & DIGITAL EDITION
  • PUBLICATIONS
  • ARCHIVES
    • Table of Contents
    • Reviews
  • MEDIA & EVENTS
    • EVENTS
  • CONTACT
  • ADVERTISEMENT
  • HOME
  • THE BOOK REVIEW
    • ABOUT
    • FOUNDER TRUSTEES
    • THE JOURNAL
  • SUBSCRIPTIONS
    • PRINT & DIGITAL EDITION
  • PUBLICATIONS
  • ARCHIVES
    • Table of Contents
    • Reviews
  • MEDIA & EVENTS
    • EVENTS
  • CONTACT
  • ADVERTISEMENT

A Biographical Overview

Review Details

Book Name: AKBAR: THE GREAT MUGHAL
Author name: Ira Mukhoty
Book Year: 2020
Book Price: 799.00
Reviewer name: Vijayant Singh
Volume No: 45
Publisher Name: Aleph Book Company, New Delhi
Book Pages: 544

‘A definitive biography’ is how author Ira Mukhoty introduces her work. One must concede Mukhoty’s assertion that there isn’t much in terms of biographical accounts of the medieval Indian monarchs. For those looking to read into the lives of these kings and monarchs whose actions have had a profound impact on the historical trajectories of the South Asian past, biographical overviews have been few and far between. The author is also to a large extent right that this reluctance on the part of professional historians to look at the mega picture has conceded space to imaginary accounts of the lives of these kings. However, the concern is, to what extent  the ‘biographical approach’ be a useful historiographical tool. The economic, social and gendered narratives of the past have gone past histories centred around personalities and their actions.

The work is divided in six large sections chronologically around the events of Akbar’s life. Each section is further sub divided in an almost episodic manner, to focus on events which highlight political encounters, administrative shifts, military expeditions, commissioning of grand projects of art and construction, birth of Imperial princes, religious interludes, amongst others, all woven into the grand narrative arch of Akbar’s life story.

The author is at her best when she is speaking on the role of the women—wives, mothers, sisters and attendants to imperial princes. The elaboration of the role played by the ladies of the royal harem in the conduct of the affairs of the nascent state as well as in the conduct of the daily affairs of the Court is worth reading. The navigation of the treacherous world of the Timurid political world would have been difficult for the padshah but for the role of the ladies of the court. The off-the-cuff remarks on paintings and cuisines, details of diet, serving, and food choices, serve as an interesting backdrop to contextualize the world of the Mughal princes and their attendants.

Please Login or Register to Read Entire Article !

Username:
Password:
Register
Lost your password?

Post navigation

PreviousPrevious post:A Saga of Love, Endurance and SurvivalNextNext post:Tracing Patterns through Various Planes of Interrogation

Related posts

An Indian in the Land of Yuan Zang
February 4, 2021
A No-Holds Barred Memoir
February 4, 2021
Autobiographical Reflections
February 5, 2021
A Saga of Love, Endurance and Survival
February 5, 2021
A Biographical Overview
February 5, 2021
Tracing Patterns through Various Planes of Interrogation
February 5, 2021

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

clear formPost comment

Current Issue
  • The Real and the Immersive March 5, 2021
  • Vulnerable Others in and of Environmental Research March 5, 2021
Search in website

ABOUT US | DISCLAIMER | ADVERTISEMENT

All Right Reserved with The Book Review Literacy Trust | Powered by Digital Empowerment Foundation

FacebookTwitter