THE LOST MUGHALS OF DELHI - - LIVING IN HYDERABAD

THE LOST MUGHALS OF DELHI - LIVING IN HYDERABAD by Isidore Domnick Mendis

The Living Mughals is the story of four lost generations of the Mughal dynasty after Bahadur Shah Zafar. Arijeet Gupta's film unearths the direct descendents of the dynasty who now live in Hyderabad and have been lost in the mists of time.

It is said that historical documentation is usually incomplete. No matter how meticulously written, compilers of history seldom delve into the personal details of historical characters and confine themselves only to facts and figures. Which is why the subject is often said to be dry and lifeless.

The unsuccessful Sepoy Mutiny against the British in 1857 was under the stewardship of the Emperor. But all history books stop at Bahadur Shah Zafar's exile to Burma where he died in 1862 at the age of 89.

Not much is known of the generations that came after Zafar. The Mughal dynasty that ruled India for 332 has since been lost in the mists of time.

Now, over 140 years since Zafar made his peace with God, there is some good news. The emperor's direct descendants have been discovered in Hyderabad thanks to the efforts of filmmaker Arijeet Gupta.

The Living Moghuls directed by Gupta has been shot in Hyderabad, Delhi (Red Fort), Agra (Taj Mahal) and Sikandra. The film has been sponsored jointly by the Ford Foundation and Prasar Bharati.

"The Living Mughals is the story of four lost generations from 1862 until now---a period of over 140 years which saw the dynasty disappear from historical centre stage to complete anonymity. The film is not about dynastic rule. It is about a social change," says director Gupta who was the former divisional manager with Tata Steel.

The film unfolds a story which few know because the descendants of Zafar simply slipped into obscurity and even history writers lost interest in them.

" Of all my creations this is the best," says Gupta whose works include documentaries on the small-scale glass industry and another on the flavours and fragrances of India. His travel show Wanderlust India ran for a year on Doordarshan.

The film discusses the many facets of Mughal dynasty. For one, the Mughals may have come as invaders but they soon got integrated into the Indian society. The British were simply non-resident rulers. This is a big difference," says Gupta.

Hyderabad Family
The main protagonist of the film is the Hyderabad-based Begum Laila Umahani, the direct descendant of Bahadur Shah Zafar from his first wife Ashraf Mahal. Apart from Ashraf Mahal, Zafar had three more wives--Akhtar Mahal, Zeenat Mahal and Taj Mahal.

The film dwells on the family history of the four succeeding generations. Zafar's son, Mirza Quaiush, his son Mirza Abdullah followed by his son Mirza Pyare and his daughter, the present Begum Laila Umahani who lives in Hyderabad with her eight grown up children and grandchildren.

Gupta says that extensive research has gone into the making of The Living Mughals. The big breakthrough came when he picked up the first lead. Research confirmed that Mirza Quaiush was the only one among the 22 sons of Bahadur Shah Zafar who managed to escape from the British and flee to Kathmandu.

He lived the life of a fugitive seeking refuge with rulers of Udaipur and Aurangabad. His son Mirza Abdullah also lived a part of his life as a fugitive before settling down in Hyderabad.
In fact, Hyderabad proved to be a double blessing for Mirza Abdullah. He received both moral and material help from the Nizam and his son Mirza Pyare was born soon after he settled here.
Like his father, Mirza Pyare too benefited immensely by his association with Hyderabad's royal family. He married Habeeb Begum from the family of the sixth Nizam. In 1914 a daughter was born to them who was christened Begum Laila Umahani. Today she is the only surviving member of the fourth generation of Mughals.

The most interesting part of the film is devoted to the 88-year-old Begum who lives in a rented house in Asmangadh in Hyderabad along with her sons and grandchildren ---the fifth and sixth generation of Zafar.

Incidentally, Begum Laila Umahani has four sons and four daughters. These descendants of the Mughal dynasty that ruled India for 332 years are now a lower-middle class family. For the last 40 years the Begum has not visited Delhi which was once the headquarter of the mighty Mughal empire.

" Unlike the royal existence of her ancestors, the Begum, her children and grandchildren comprising 19 members live in two adjacent houses of three rooms each where they just about manage to cram in," says Gupta

Financial Hardships
The family suffers from a severe identity crisis. Until recently, not even their neighbours were privy to the fact that they are the direct descendents of Mughals. They never revealed their identity first fearing the British and after independence they knew no one would believe them as their financial status had become pitiable.

It was a Herculean task for Gupta to convince them about a film on their lives. The family agreed on the film only when Gupta told them that if they don’t speak, history will never know what happened to the descendants of Mughuls after Bahadur Shah Zafar. The last chapter on the Mughals would remain incomplete forever.

" Of course, now I am very close to the family. I call the Begum mataji (mother). My happiest moment came when the film was shown for the first time on July 9, 2002. The family exudes a grace and charm befitting the Mughals," says Gupta.

Apart from the Begum, the most interesting members of the family are her two sons-- Ziauddin and Masiuddin. The 65-year-old Ziauddin specialises on the ghazals of Bahadur Shah Zafar. He is a very scholarly person and a retired employee of the Andhra Pradesh government.

The other brother, Masiuddin is a real foodie. He is a consultant with ITC’s Hotel Kakatiya Sheraton and Towers in Hyderabad and is doing research on the original Lashkare cuisine of the Mughals. He is also an expert on kebabs.

" The Mughals in India developed six cuisines for six different ranks---from the soldier to the emperor," says Masiuddin who adds that what passes off as the original Mughlai food these days is a misnomer.

" Today's Mughlai food is a mismatch and fusion of various types of food. When my
research is completed I will give the original Mughlai food a new name. I'll either call it the Laskare cuisine or Chugtai--after the man who developed the original Lashkare food," says Masiuddin.

" Despite belonging to a line that ruled India for centuries, the family has no political ambitions. In fact most of them detest politics," says Gupta.

Heartened by the critical response the film has received, Gupta now wants to make another film on the origins of Mughals starting from Samarkand in Uzbekistan from where Babar first came to establish an empire in India.