City of my heart : four accounts of love, loss and betrayal in nineteenth-century Delhi

Dilli, Hindustan ka Dil... Through nuanced translations of four Urdu narratives spanning the period of turmoil that led to the Revolt of 1857, and culminated in the fall of the Mughal Empire, this compelling volume reveals the tragic and affecting story of a royalty in decline. Vividly documenting the twilight years of not just a historical era but also an entire way of life, these first-hand accounts – gleaned from princes and paupers alike – provide rare insight into how the royals and their subjects experienced life on either side of the cataclysm. Tales of suffering describe the perfidy of the British and the plight of the last royals as they are disbanded and pushed into dire poverty; livelier accounts of fealty and treachery detail palace intrigues; and nostalgic reminiscences recreate the days of past glory and communal comity – of feasting and festivals, and shared faith and devotion. An intimate chronicle of a crucial era in India’s history, City of My Heart is the saga of a changing city and a people experiencing the end of life as they know it. In September 1857, the Indian way of life changed for ever, after the overnight downfall of the Mughal Dynasty, with the capture and exile of Bahadur Shah Zafar. This book, translated by Safvi, presents translations of four texts that talk about Dilli (today, Delhi) on the eve of the downfall and the fate of royalty following the uprising of 1857. Invoking nostalgia, chronicling both beauty and hardships, it is a gemstone to understand exactly how the royal household functioned and how it ceased to be. Dilli ka aakhiri deedar = The last glimpse of Delhi / Syed Wazir Hasan Dehlvi Bazm-e-aakhir = The last assembly / Munshi Faizuddin Qila-e-Mu'alla ki jhalkiya'n = Glimpses of the exalted fort / Mirza Ahmad Salim 'Arsh' Taimuri Begamat ke aansu = Tears of the begums / Khwaja Hasan Nizami.