Babur's History Well Told

EMPIRE OF THE MOGHUL

RAIDERS FROM THE NORTH

Author: ALEX RUTHERFORD

A brilliant and gripping first book of Empire of the Moghul series. Rutherford has narrated the history without any distortion and yet has dramatized it in a racy style. He has found a real life hero in Babur, with flaw, mistakes and misadventure bringing out the true hiroism in him. 

Raiders from the north is story of a young boy born with a destiny (or he believed so), a son deprived of father at a very young age, a grand son burdened under legacy and dreams of grand mother, a brother who has failed in his promise to protect his sister, a heir desperate to prove himself worthy of his blood line and an emperor who rightfully comes up on his throne.

1494, after untimely death of his father a 12 years young boy took throne of Ferghana in midst  of conspiracy and disloyalty.  Driven by innocent ambition he took over the city of his ancestors only to lose both his own lands and newly won city, Samarkand. Deprived of his rightful kingship, years of wandering and being a king in exile brought the real soldier out of him.

After a life whirlwind of battles, blood feuds and numerous epic challenges, one who came across the Hindukush and swam across the Indus had laid a rightful ownership on the tag of the Emperor of the new world. In his magnificent history, he added another glorious chapter with establishment of the Moghul Empire in Hindustan.

1526, the great first moghul al-ṣultānu 'l-ʿazam wa 'l-ḫāqān al-mukkarram pādshāh-e ghāzī  Zāhir ud-Dīn Muḥammad Babur fulfilled his destiny and proved himself the true heir of Timur and Genghis as the overlord of Hindustan.

Rutherford has put this bloody saga of strife and loss, wars and sieges, glory and guts together in a  fast paced rip roaring adventure without diluting historical facts and yet has introduced his own characters with plausible dialogues and day-to-day event which do not seem contrived. This book has given Babur a place in public imagination.

A start to a new series of novel and what a start!! A must read !

Indifference Indeed !!

India, a country said to be far richer than the rest of the world put together; 

India, a country which utilized its riches far lesser than the rest of the world.

Indifference, indeed is the epidemic the country is plagued with since days unaccounted. An indifference of its people towards their country, her riches, her ability , never let it grow to its full capability. We are in the habit of crying over the spilt milk, but we never take notice of the milk until it is spilt. 

Almost 500 years ago, Babur wrote in his memoir "As we passed, they (people of Hindustan) filled the road, staring and apparently unafraid, but no one presented any resistance...most were indifferent to commencement of a new rule..."

Not that things changed too much since then, kings, monarchs fought for their kingdoms; people of the country at large were indifferent. They quietly accepted who ever took the throne. Probably thinking how does it matter to them or that they are too small to take a stand.  When the East India Company started, again they were either indifferent or saw it as an opportunity to earn their basic needs. I wonder how a country which is always stated as full of riches in our history, was full of people always fighting for their basic needs. 

Again some 160 years ago when India started its struggle for independence, it was the kings, landlords, warlords and soldiers who came up with an idea to put up a fight against atrocities. Common man, who is a little too common, was still indifferent. During that period even though things changed and fighting for one's own country, which always was a rightful responsibility of king of the land shifted its ownership to aam junta, but those who took charge of it din't remain aam anymore, they became the new lord of land, with a new name 'Congressmen' and later with the onset of multiple public representative parties 'Politicians'!! 

Not that our common man did not change the role they also did, now they were indifferent cattle, who were thrown in to participate in a national struggle, indifferent to what this struggle will bring them, what their leaders are leading them to and those so called great leaders of ours led a fight completely on their own will deciding the fate of country using its people as a mass to stand behind their decisions; the mass which was totally indifferent to details of agenda they were participating in.

Today, 60 years after independence things are still same. 

We the people of India, have no damn clue of what are the things which are in our constitution and what the hell a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic means. We have no idea that how our constitution secures justice : social, economical and political; liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship; equality of status and opportunity to all its citizens. And, we never even try to find out because again we are so busy with ourselves that we stand indifferent to our country.

Every election happens like a new invasion on the nation and we stand indifferent to the new ruler, just the way we did some 500 years ago, when Babur wrote in his memoir " Yes, much could be done here by a man if he only had the will........."

MPs want hike for failing "Federal Constitutional Parliamentary Democratic Government of Republic of India"!!

In a sea of affluence spreading from Luxemburg to Sydney south Asia is the only island of penury—kept down by India, that is a heavy millstone for South Asia. Unlike China India has been unable to pull herself from the bootstraps and provide decent living, food and shelter to her citizens. Reason can be numerous but by all counts they prove the failure of Federal Constitutional Parliamentary Democracy in India.

About 20 states in Bharat are now asking to be separated from their current states, or seeking full independence from Delhi. There are 89 insurgencies raging in India. Kashmir is on fire, as is Assaam and Bihar. 250 million Dalits do not feel “Indian”. The 150 million Muslims have been so mistreated that they are in abject generational penury. It will take more than 3 centuries to pull the poverty stricken out of destitute living. Naxalites have a force of approximately 15,000 cadres spread across 160 districts in the states of Orissa, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Karnataka and West Bengal. They operate primarily in the lawless, dense forested areas of India’s interior, with some estimates saying Naxalites control approximately 10.03 million hectares (about 25 million acres) of forests nationwide. They also have an active campaign to recruit students and other youths to help spread their left-wing extremism into India’s towns and cities. The media focuses on “Incredible India” is just a figment of the imagination of the West.

And in wake of all this, our great parliamentary democracy shows an unity in our democratically elected representative of junta and this unity is for what? These representatives want their salary to be hiked by 300%. A whopping crazy figure!!! Almost a lac a month without any perk and bonus that they get when they parliament is in session. One word for you my dear ‘leader’ DISGRACEFUL!! And what is disgraces democracy most is that they bring it up when Kashmir boils because youth there gets no job!! Bihar is declared under drought! China is claiming Arunachal Pradesh!! And when all this is happening what our MPs think is of uttermost importance is raising their salary!! The central government is weak, corrupt, ineffective and impotent and that is reflected by the way Pranav Mukherjee jumped in assuring that bill will be brought in, in this session only. And what ways to justify their claim—Lalu says in 16k he is not even able to offer tea to guest!!! Dude you still owe India fodder worth 950 Crores and much more, which I believe you never offered your guest!! Navin Jindal says increasing salary will stop them from taking bribe..Is it the official bribe we are offering them so they don’t take bribe? He says it will improve their performance..I ask you Mister Jinadal how?? Is it gonna improve their quality, accountability and more than that their moral character? The last whole week these MPs hurled abuses at each other, threw furniture around, destroyed national property and disrupted proceedings of parliament finally resulting in adjournment!! That costs India INR 38crores!! Tell me why that should not be deducted from the current 16k+1k per day you get?

And after all this Mr. Jindal, Mr. Bajaj and Dr. Sanghvi have got balls to come on national television and say that they deserve this hike. Let me tell you what you guys deserve, a tight slap across you face and kicked out of this country!!

A discussion which could have gone on to bring a change but alas!! we 30% are very busy with our own life.

Sakshi neel bhaiya!! kya haal hai?? long time! 8:28pm Me hey Sakshi wassup am good 8:30pm Sakshi nice nice.....damn good weather...now that hostel is changed...i keep roaming around... road par rehti hoon...9 baje tak lol 8:31pm Me no am in kakinada 8:32pm Sakshi ye kahaan hai? 8:32pm Me ol...its in andhra pradesh a port city 8:32pm Sakshi ohhhhhh why are you there? aren't u working in pune? sry mumbai? 8:33pm Me yes my base in mumbai am training here so hows evrythin in life 8:40pm Sakshi fine hai lot of assignments due next week including case-analysis 8:41pm Sakshi and taking part in MUN its in september 2nd week and college moot competition sept 1st week 8:42pm Me hmmm...great 8:42pm Sakshi yup...and best im going home next week :0 8:42pm Me u just came na wat..u law people dont stdy at all !! 8:43pm Sakshi arre we do iss baar we have family law contract law and consti law beat that! plus no holiday 8:44pm Me and u r going home !! 8:44pm Sakshi just a short i-am-homesicsit :)k vi homesickness....heard of it! 8:44pm Me yeah..some kinda disorder that kids have family law is lallu consti law..nobody cares about contract is good but more of experience than learning 8:45pm Sakshi yeah right...engg wierdos would know that! i think law should be a compulsory subject for one and all...itne misconceptions hain...sheh! 8:46pm Me yeah...even you know that wat i said is right !! whats the big fuss in family law !! inheritance and dependence 8:47pm Sakshi personal laws 8:47pm Me thats it 8:47pm Sakshi and marriage 8:47pm Me bottom line... dependence and inheritance it defines the whole of family law if you are dealing with property from gen up its inheritance if you are dealing with same gen or gen down its dependence 8:48pm Sakshi ok you do know about ACTS?! 8:49pm Me full form please  Sakshi u can beat me on terms and facts of law 8:49pm Sakshi oho neel bhaiya 8:49pm Me but not on logic of law 8:49pm Sakshi simple acts and sections and legilations there's lots to read and trust me 8:50pm Me but very little to understand 8:50pm Sakshi laws of india as they stand today 8:50pm Me they are very logic driven 8:50pm Sakshi are messed up and complicated 8:50pm Me and ideal so they dont work 8:51pm Sakshi not always they do 8:51pm Me whenever you are thinking of scenario think what is the ideal way out of it and thats our law 8:51pm Sakshi but simplification is needed 8:51pm Me gimme one example... 8:53pm Sakshi recently...khap panchayat ordered killings were included under SECTION 300 which defines 'murder' so point being 8:54pm Me yeah 8:54pm Sakshi that not all laws are idealistic... 8:54pm Me u remember the khap killing early this year its idealistic 8:55pm Sakshi after that the law came into force 8:55pm Me anyone killing someone and cause a scenario which results someone being killed is blamed of murder 8:55pm Sakshi society changes law and vice-versa 8:56pm Me thats the most ideal thing u remember the khap killing early this year what happened anyone charge sheeted ?? 8:57pm Sakshi but still its all evolving the judiaciary 8:58pm Me and they are still thinking whthr it can be cnsdrd as killing 8:58pm Sakshi ppl like you need to have some faith 8:58pm Me as in murder 8:58pm Sakshi and not be so pessimistic! 8:58pm Me you know wat..republic of india doesnt dsrv to be a republic anymore democracy is not something which this country can handle 8:59pm Sakshi republic maybe not? but if democracy goes....it'll be utter chaos 8:59pm Me and very basic model of judiciary system in India is flawed a judge who decides whether a person is criminal or not never gets to decide what can be defined as a crime 9:01pm Sakshi hmmm solution? 9:01pm Me and those who make laws have no idea about law its evolution and it effect a bureaucratic government 9:02pm Sakshi oh please!!! 9:02pm Me have minimum educational level to qualify to be in government take exams 9:02pm Sakshi you mean a CWG scenario in every pocket of administration now?!! 9:02pm Me if you want a portfolio in government you need to have a degree in that field who said he is qualified to do it is he an event manager ?? is a township planner has he ever played any sport is he a qualified trainer who knows the need of sportman he is not 9:04pm Sakshi no 9:04pmSakshi is offline. 9:04pmSakshi is online. 9:04pm Me he is just a politician who has been mishandling events for a long time 9:04pm Sakshi you n i elect them 9:05pm Me wrong !! 9:05pmSakshi is offline. 9:05pmSakshi is online. 9:05pm Sakshi ab kya? 9:05pm Me by definition 66% population of india is literate but in true sense it not more that 30% and this 30% never decide government becoz 50% of this 30% is so busy with their work and studies that they never go to vote 9:07pm Sakshi but no matter how much we discuss there'll be no change really 9:07pm Me you need to discuss b4 taking a stand and trying to change something there can be 9:07pm Sakshi CWG is gonna be one national humiliation agree? 9:07pm Me not really its how we project it it has 30000 volunteers!! if they start taking interest from today it can be a hit 30000 ppl in a month can make a whole new world but they wont becoz nobody will take initiative 9:09pm Sakshi but not even the ppl in delhi are showing any interest 9:09pm Me exactly thats what i said 9:09pm Sakshi and for godsake its not just a delhi game its an INDIAN event 9:09pm Me but you cant expect a person flying to delhi from chennai to make a difference 9:09pm Sakshi but nobody thinks the same way 9:09pm Me exactly so point is that,,its not the illiterates of india who needs an awakening its the people who are very much capable of doing it they are dormant and they are in a position to bring a change challenge is to bring them together on the occasions other that indo pak cricket match othet 70% is always together thats why naxals are a better force than our police force they have these 70% dedicated supporters police have 30% rude rulers 9:12pm Sakshi nope its all a game of money...acha gtg...will carry on...if ur still online...later...you're reading too much  ttyl.....tc! 9:13pm Me am not reading at all anyway tc i'll be ol only bye 9:14pmSakshi is offline.

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