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Bouquet for a Fanatic Anand K Bhatt "I was born in 1944 in Lalooland. Did M.A. in Economics (Allahabad University) and later, on a sabbatical, did M.A. in Development Economics from Sussex University (U.K.). After putting in 34 years in the Indian Administrative Service, I put in my papers in 2003 when I was Additional Secretary to Govt. of India (working as Chairman, Forward Markets Commission, Govt. of India). Since 2003 I am Administrative Member in the Mumbai Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal which is a body to look into the grievances of central government employees. I belonged to Madya Pradesh cadre which is full of forests and wild life. I developed a keen interest in forests, trees and plants, both wild and ornamental. I was Divisional Commissioner in Bastar (now in Chhattisgarh) which has the largest area under forests in entire Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. I occasionally do some birdwatching as a hobby and like to read novels. I do try to write occasionally on anything which comes to my mind."

I do not carry a torch for Aurangzeb. On the contrary I think he very successfully demolished what Akbar had assiduously built during his reign, and which Jehangir did not undo in his drunken stupor, and for which Shahjehan did not have time because of his maniacal zeal for building monuments.

I go to Aurangabad 3-4 times in the year for a week. Aurangzeb spent many years of his last days fighting the rebellion in the South. The word Aurangabad would mean that it was settled 'abaad kiya' by Aurangzeb. His wife died there. So did he At Khuldabad a few miles away at 89 years of age after ruling or misruling for nearly 50 years.

I would mention here two monuments, not Ajanta and not Ellora for which Aurangabad is the gateway.

One is the Biwi ka Maqbara at Aurangabad. First time I saw it I thought it is a joke on the TajMahal. There is an advertisement which has gone out of TV now in which Bachchan hits a stretch limo with I don't know which brand of car which (I mean the stretch limo) just a piece of scrap. Well, Indian cars of yore used to be like that. Biwi ka Maqbara looks as if the Taj is squeezed with a giant press on the flanks. The copy of Taj Mahal at Mumbai made with styrofoam etc. looked more elegant. It does not have the correct soothing proportions. It looks awkward. And when you go near, you see more. Marble has been used only upto about six feet from the ground, and in some jali screens. Otherwise it is all plaster: the minarets and all the floral decorations. Brass door at the entrance attracts attention.

Do not fall into the wrong impression that Aurangzeb for once became generous and ambitious and wanted to make a nice resting place for his wife. Well, it was made by her son. The story is that the son sent a small detachment to Rajasthan to fetch marble for the tomb. On the way they met Aurangzeb and when he came to know of their mission, ordered them to return empty-handed. Poor son had no choice but to fall back on local resources to complete the mausoleum.

Needless to say I was only amused at the whimsical austerity of the man. And suspected that he did not fancy Rabia so much as to make a grand mausoleum for her.

However, at the other place I had to give grudging respect to the old man who divided India for good and seeded the turmoil it was in for more than a hundred years after him This is Khuldabad, the place where Aurangzeb's grave is located. He wanted only that much money to be spent on it as he earned from sewing cotton caps, or some people say, by copying verses of Quran. It has no canopy and is open to sky. The top is soil. There is a small plant of sabza (sweet basil) on the grave. The seeds of this plant get bloated like sago when soaked in water. It is used in a Muslim dessert dish called faluda. The marble screen around it was built much later by Lord Curzon and Nizam of Hyderabad. All in all, a testimony to the genuineness of his austere fanaticism, probably in the same degree as the Taliban and Osama of today and the Crusaders of Middle Ages.

Photo Credits:

Ambika Bhatt

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