The man behind the king

Warrior general, conqueror and an able administrator — there are many facets to Babur that find mention in high-school history books. But the first page of Royina Grewal’s latest book Babur: The Conqueror of Hindustan is enough to convince you that the next 400 pages will be starkly different from those tomes on Mughal history. The second page makes you wish Royina had been your history teacher.

And by the third you are absolutely in love with a man who braved blizzards across Hindukush and walked shoulder to shoulder with his soldiers. A historical figure we know so much of, and yet a ‘man’ we know almost nothing about. A product of Royina’s long-time love for history and her late husband’s longing for more Indian historical fiction, the book explores a Babur who is a poet, aesthete and a lover.

“For the past year or so, Baburnama (the autobiography of Babur) has been my bible,” says Royina, whose interest in the emperor started from her love for Babur gardens, where she enjoyed many evening walks. “There is a lot that has been written about Babur, the warrior. But I remember thinking that a warrior could not have built something so beautiful and verdant as these gardens,” she says. Royina then went on a quest to learn more about the warrior king. “I wanted to recreate a Babur who was more approachable and was exciting. A father, a husband and more importantly — a human being.”

A writer and an organic farmer, Royina’s earlier works have revolved around nature and environment. However, a major part of what nudged her to write on history was her husband. “It was primarily his idea that I write historical fiction. He kept rueing — ‘why the hell aren’t there more indigenous works of historical fiction?’ Although he passed away in the middle of my journey to complete this book, he will always be my first editor,” she adds.

Royina’s epic tale starts on the eve of the Battle of Panipat. “I have not taken a linear narrative. My character is a more composite man and as the book progresses you see him evolving more and more.”

But writing a passionate tale about a figure from history isn’t easy. “Read an entire chapter of Baburnama and you’d be lucky to find ten words that I could use in a fictional book,” she adds. To fill the gaps, Royina crafted her own characters — friends, family and adversaries — all of whom reveal layers to the character of Babur. “Babur loved his son.

So you have Humayun — a numbskull! (no two ways about it!), who is his son and is at the same time the crown prince. There is conflict within himself where he wants to love his son, but also wants a strong successor. It explores his great love for his wife Maham and his passionate affairs with the courtesan Sona.”

While in recent times there have been scrutiny of the moral character of historical figures such as Aurangzeb, Royina says, “You cannot take things out of the historical context and scrutinise them through contemporary eyes. For example, Babur loved his wife, but he also enjoyed being with his courtesans and in his harem. This is not a parable; this is real life.”

A historical fiction, a love story, a family drama — Royina’s book is many human aspects rolled into one, but what she wants her book to be remembered as is “a rattling read! That’s all I want it to be.”

After crafting the heroesque Babur for her novel, Royina is planning to make this venture a trilogy. “This book is the first part of a trilogy on Mughal kings. I want to explore other emperors such as Akbar, Salim and Shah Jahan through the same lens. They were all inspiring generals and great emperors. But they also composed poems, painted and enjoyed life. I want to bring out the intricacies of their characters.”