Elites of Shahjahanabad:

For more on the troublesome satirists (Nimat Khan 'Ali & Zatalli) of Shahjahanabad, do read this excellent book 'The King and the People' by Abhishek Kaicker Kaicker.bsky.social

Night-blooming flowers from my rooftop garden: Left: a small Parijat/Harsingar shrub that I grew in a pot has started to bear flowers Right: Jasmine plants are enjoying this last phase of hot, bright days (before the chilly smog of November sets in). They're full of flowers.

A map of the seven cities of Delhi. From the second volume of the Urdu account of Delhi's historical sites 'Waqiat-e Darul Hukumat Dehli' by Bashiruddin Ahmad (originally published in 1919, this edition reprinted in 2022).

Prince Dārā Shukhoh is described in these verses as a mighty warrior by the poet-scholar Kavīndrācharya Saraswatī in his Braja-Bhāshā work 'Kavīndra Kalpalatā'. War-deities Kālikā & Bhairava are invoked in the battle scenes as 'Mahābalī' 'Mahā-gājī' Dārā fights his enemies.

ہر مو زبان ہو تو کریں وصف ہم ترا کرتا رہا ہمیشہ مسیحائی دم ترا رونق ہوئی جہاں میں جو آیا قدم ترا برپا نہ ہووے روز جزا گر علم ترا خورشید حشر سائے میں کس کے ہو پھر کھڑا - از مخمس در مدح حضرت علی، میر تقی میر

Such Urdu adaptations of Shakespeare follow the traditional Parsi theatre format with musical interludes. Such as this 'Holi' piece in Persianized Bhasha "torey daras ke waari Muhammad" sung by the chorus in praise of the Prophet. From the Firoz-Gulnar (Romeo & Juliet) play.

Pages from a Bhojpuri rendition of the epic Loriki or Lorikayana, as recited by Shivanath Chaudhary, a folk singer from Ballia. Recorded in 1965. Available online on the Internet Archive Website: archive.org/details/in.ern…

Mughal omen paintings are my favourite genre. Commissioned to bridge the gap between dreams/ aspirations & reality, they drew on the belief that pictures could unlock the world to come. This logic undergirded many works, most famous being, Jahangir shooting Malik Ambar’s head. 🧵

Today's bookmail: Urdu books from Dilli Kitab Ghar. 2 volumes of 'Nazeer Fahmi' or various essays on understanding Nazeer Akbarabadi & his poetry. And this newly published, slim collection of Khwaja Fazl Ahmed Shaida Dehlavi's essays on Old Delhi's culture & history.

With the arrival of smog & cooler weather, most heat-loving plants in my rooftop garden have started to shed their leaves/flowers. I use these as mulch for my lemon & orange plants which have started to blossom.

On the concept of 'ibrat or admonition, which occurs in Persian & Urdu poetry. Explained here in the context of the situation of 18th century Delhi. From Abhishek Kaicker's excellent book 'The King and the People : Sovereignty and Popular Politics in Mughal Delhi' Kaicker.bsky.social