Finish The Sentence Friday Blog Hop (FTSF) # 25

"If I could have dinner with anyone in history it would be with..."

This post is my contribution to Finish The Sentence Friday Blog Hop (FTSF) by JANINE, KATE, DAWN and STEPHANIE.                                                      

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I consider myself very fortunate that I am born in India, a country which hosts one of the famous Seven Wonders of the World - TAJ MAHAL. And given a chance I would like to have a dinner date with the Moghul Emperor Shah Jahan  You may want to know why...But first things first.

Having born in India, Taj Mahal has been an integral part of my studies. In history classes in schools, we were taught " Shahjahan built Taj Mahal in memory of his wife Mumtaz." Since then it has been a constant refrain whenever Taj Mahal was mentioned.

Then we grew up with a regular dose of love and romantic saga from bollywood where every other romantic song was picturised with a backdrop of Taj, a symbol of eternal love.And it was only recently that I had an opportunity of visiting Taj with my husband and children.

The majestic view of the Taj, the splendid Mughal architecture, the marvellous marble structure with intricate carvings left us spellbound. We could not help remembering Shahjahan, his love for his wife,his board of architects under imperial supervision, including Abd ul-Karim Ma'mur Khan, Makramat Khan, and Ustad Ahmad Lahauri,generally considered to be the principal designer.

When we took a India Golden triangle tour of Agra, Delhi and Jaipur, having an opportunity to visit the empire of the Mughal,we had our share of fun too when we were given plastic socks and we were made to walk like ducks!

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We took with a pinch of salt the narration from the guide when he showed us this image and claimed it to be a "owm" a Hindu symbol integrated with Muslim architecture.

Shah Jahan, the Mughal emperor is well known for his contribution to arts and architecture. So deep was his love for his wife Mumtaz and so disheartened was he when he lost her that he built a grand, artistic and a marble monument which became one of the seven wonders of the world.

When I stood in front of the great monument, the image of the eternal lover crossed my mind along with several other great actors right from Dilip Kumar and Madhubala to recently shot Katrina Kaif. The films Taj Mahal to the latest Slumdog Millionaire danced before my eyes.

So recently when an e-mail started doing the rounds with a lot of accusations against Shah Jahan in the net, I was shocked. The following were the allegations targeted at him which put him totally in a negative light.

(1) Mumtaz Mahal was Shahjahan's 4th Wife, out of his 7 wives. That means, he married "3" more ladies after her.
(2) Shah Jahan Killed Mumtaz's husband in a battle ground to marry Mumtaz.
(3) Mumtaz died giving birth to their "14th" child.
(4) After her death, Shahjahan Married her sister.
(5) Shah Jahan ordered to kill all the workers who built Taj Mahal.

So, in this context, given a chance, I would like to have a date with Shah Jahan and put certain questions to him. Not only do I want to know the truth, but one should not speak evil of the dead and he should be given a fair chance to defend himself.

If what is being proclaimed in the e-mails is true, so be it. But without knowing the facts or having proofs it is unfair to accuse a dead Emperor.

I would like to know :

Did he killed Mumtaz's husband to lay a claim on her?

Did he really love Mumtaz to such an extent that he had that urge to build an

eternal monument in her name?

If so, then why did he remarry after her death?

Even if it is an absolutely personal choice, how could he justify himself for being the reason behind the death of Mumtaz who has to undergo pregnancy and childbirth for an unbelievable fourteenth time?

I don't believe in the allegation that he got the hands of the artisans severed or killed them because India is a country of artists and sculptors and by cutting even thousands of hands, one can't expect the Indians to stop to recreate the magical sculptures. And how can a person having such a romantic heart even think of something so barbaric? 

So Jahapana here is your chance ........