He cleared his throat, adjusted his cap and continued, "One morning
Shah Jahan was relaxing on his peacock-shaped golden throne, holding
his durbar. More than two thousand guests and officials sat cross-legged
on the thick carpets. The air was loaded with the fragrance of flowers.
He raised his arm, and sitar and tabla music filled the hall. Noor appeared
in her diaphanous dress, with gardenia flowers braided in her shining
black hair, and started dancing and singing. All were glued to their
seats and held their breath. After ten minutes, she began tottering
and hiccups took hold of her body. She giggled and jumped into Dara's
lap and kissed him. Dara was puzzled to find her completely inebriated,
though her breath was free from alcohol.
"Shah Jahan signalled his soldiers, who pulled Noor away from
Dara. Then he ordered her to be dismissed and sent home. The court mullah,
who was in cahoots with Aurengzeb, stood up and said, 'This girl drank
and kissed the prince in the royal durbar. The sacred Koran clearly
says she should be beheaded, and you can't ignore this.'
"Being a ruler of a Muslim State, Shah Jahan couldn't take a stand
against the mullah, and he summoned the executioner. A towering giant,
with a flashing sword, stood near the bewildered girl. Dara jumped up
and shouted, 'Your Highness, today is sacred Friday, and this sinner
should be allowed to say her afternoon prayers.'
"The Emperor glanced toward the mullah, who had no choice but
to agree. The girl was chained and carried to the Red Fort."
"You have not explained how the dancer got intoxicated,"
I interrupted.
"The foxy Aurengzeb purchased Noor's maid, who poured a few drops
of a chemical in the water in which Noor soaked her feet. This powerful
intoxicant entered Noor's system through the pores in her feet."
"What happened to Noor?" I asked.
"Dara tried to free her with his men, but Aurengzeb's agents were
there in a larger number. Dara and Noor were killed," the guide
replied. "Shah Jahan didn't suspect Aurengzeb, who bitterly wept
over the grave of his elder brother. The Emperor took pity upon heartbroken
Aurengzeb and brought him to Delhi. Now Aurengzeb, with the help from
his maternal grandfather and younger brother, Murad, could kill his
other elder brother, Shuja, and arrest his father. After one month,
Aurengzeb murdered Murad."
I sighed. "The wretched Emperor Shah Jahan had a tragic end."
"It was his own creation," he smirked.
"How?" I arched my brows and asked.
"He tried to compete with God Brahma, the creator, and incurred
his wrath."
I was curious to know his mythology and asked, "How did God Brahma
punish him?"
He adjusted the steel-frame glasses which had slipped to his nose,
expectorated from the corner of his mouth, showing his mouse-like stained
teeth, and said, "God Brahma threw the curse, and Shah Jahan met
a torturous death."
"I don't accept your interpretation," I said.
"Well, you can check all this from our history books. Shah Jahan,
however, could have easily avoided the curse," he sneered.
"How?" I asked.
"He should have heeded the advice of his Hindu wazir, who requested
him to introduce a tiny defect in the structure by inserting a small
black stone in the front arch. This would have pleased god Brahma and
avoided all the tragedy. He, however, ridiculed and ignored it. God
Brahma was left with no other choice but to teach him a lesson."
"How do the Hindus avoid God Brahma's displeasure when they build
their structures?" Doris inquired.
"All of us are very careful and never offend god Brahma. If you
look around in the town, you will notice all Hindu mansions have a black
pot, or some other ugly thing, fixed to the front of their homes. Our
great Hindu emperors never tried to compete with the god and always
left an eyesore in whatever they constructed. You can verify this as
you take a tour of the ancient Hindu temples and royal castles."
We paid the agreed fee with a generous tip to the guide. I read his
card again and said, "Professor, why are you working as a guide?"
"I taught for five years and then discovered this profession and
have been in it for thirty years. I earn more money and have no worry
and responsibility."
"What did you teach?"
"Indian Mythology."
I smiled. "You're good at it. Did you tell us the truth about
the curse, or was it a piece of your mythology?"
He touched his sacred thread and said, "In my mythology class,
I discussed things that happened billions of years ago. This happened
in the seventeenth century, and there is not an iota of mythology in
it."
We waved our goodbye and came to our taxi.
While the taxi was driving through the towns, I scrutinized beautiful houses and pointed to the black pots or other ugly things fixed to their front walls, and said, "Look at those. This confirms the guide's remarks. People do believe in what he said.'
When we reached New Delhi, I bought an India history book and underlined
the pages which gave information about Shah Jahan and Aurengzeb.
"Doris, you can check for yourself. The guide was good in weaving
the historical facts into a mythology."
She read that and said, "I agree, your people are smart in concocting
mythology about everything."
