History is a vast subject and a new chapter unravels every day. It is possibly best understood through the eyes of another. On 6th October, 2015, Murad Ali Baig, renowned author of Ocean of Cobras was invited to our school to interact with the students of classes 10 to 12.
The aim of this session was to give the students a new perspective in the subject so that their minds get motivated to travel beyond their curricula.
Arshia Chaudhuri of class XI, welcomed the esteemed visitor and introduced him to the audience. Mr. Murad Ali Baig was presented with a potted plant from the school nursery as a welcome gesture.
Mr. Baig is an alumnus of Doon School Dehradun and St. Stephens College, Delhi. He has always been passionate about mythology and history and this passion is clearly being reflected in his books, 80 Questions and Ocean of Cobras.
Mr. Baig shared gave an interesting overview before going deeper into the story of Aurangzeb and Dara Shikhoh. He said he was intrigued by the character of Dara Shikhoh who does not find a mention in our history textbooks. The book Ocean of Cobras talks about the escalating rivalry between Shahjahans eldest son, Dara Shikhoh and his third son Aurangzeb. It is one of those rare pieces of fiction which give us an insight into Daras life.
[gallery link="file"]Naturally Mr. Baig was curious to know if any child had read the book and he was pleased to find that most of us had! Infact, many students had brought their personal copies along for autographs. Harshita, of class XI was the first person to answer Mr. Baig. She had read the book and was inspired by it. She praised the authors writing style and also commented on how exquisitely the book was written. Chapter after chapter, the book forced her to continue reading she said. Harshita felt that the book is so beautifully written that she could actually feel that she is standing in the court of Shah Jehan.
The students were curious to know about the extra ordinary title of the book. Mr. Baig explained that the title was not only catchy for readers; there were many myths and a prophecy surrounding the story which led to it. Legend goes that when Mumtaz Mahal was expecting a baby, she suddenly craved for apples at Buhanpur. A sage gave apples to Shahjahan and told him that as long as the smell of apples lingered on the palms of the badshah, the empire would prosper. But when the smell departed, his third son, whose characteristics will be quite like camphor, would bring the downfall of the empire.
Yet another myth was that Shuja, another son of Shahjahan saw a dream: an ocean full of cobras with an unusual white cobra that would bring the demise of everyone else around him.
History is never free from controversies. Aurangzeb is regarded as a fanatic muslim who destroyed many temples. There is one instance which tells us the opposite! Once Aurangzeb was travelling to Kashi and ty hindus in his entourage wanted to stop and worship at the famous Vishwanath temple. Here a priest is said to have harassed a Rajput queen. This enraged Aurangzeb and he ordered the temple to be destroyed, but not before removing the idols from the temple.
On the other hand, Dara Shikhoh was a liberal person and regarded all religions equal.He even commissioned the translation of Bhagwad Gita and the Upanishads into Persian and the Quran into Hindi and Sanskrit.
Mr. Baigs lecture conveyed a very important message that, nobody is really born cruel or evil. Circumstances often compel people to act as they do. Aurangzeb felt shamed all his life just because of a prophecy. The situation might have been different if the prophecy had not been taken seriously.
Mr. Murad Ali Baig was very happy to answer all our questions. Saransh, of class XII, asked if Shahjahan had been aware of the prophecy and knew that Aurangzeb would bring the downfall of his kingdom then why did he not kill him. Sir smiled and said Parental relationship with their children is greater than anything in the world. Mr. Baig graciously signed books for the children and the School library after the session.
By Surabhi Sanghi.
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