One of the senior groups in school put up a Mughal play on a Friday afternoon. It started with how Babar came to India and went till Aurangzeb with some Rajput kings thrown in.
It was Srishti, Soham's sister's group and Wameca's mother, Punita, was helping with teh children's costumes. We decided to stay back and watch the play since it was at 1:30 on a Friday. The group had few children and so they were all changing roles between themselves and they were doing it so deftly. A lady in court would wear a long gold threaded kurta and become the King of Iran for example. It was also in Urdu, Hindi and English. The whole senior school was present and they were laughing.
When the emperor arrived there would be a loud announcement with everyone laughing. That really amused Lakshmi. The first story was about how Babur came to India. The second was about how Humayun was ill and Babur knelt down and prayed to Allah and asked him to to take his life in return for Humayun's. This story stuck in Lakshmi's mind.
After this she just remembered little bits and pieces. How after Humayun fell down because eh had died, his turban fell into the audience and so he had to come back and get it. That was followed by a lot of laughter. Two Rajput kings came on their horse hopping and clucking. The Dai Panna changed one doll for another. It was a great way to learn History for the group.
But the Babar, Humayaun and Allah story stuck in Lakshmi's mind. She kept asking for the story to be repeated and for their names. Then she said
"Who is Allah?"
He is God I said.
"Who is Jesus. Another day in a drama in Navakriti he came no? with krishna..."
"Yeah" I say "You remembered?"
I got really excited tat she remembered Babra, Humayun and Akbar (just about -- that Babar was his grandfather).
As we were coming home, we called Nandita to ask her how Brishti was. She had gone home early. Promptly after my conversation was ove Lakshmi wanted to know what had happened to Brishti.
"She is ill" I said.
"Ask Nandita to kneel down and ask him to save her life and take her own" she advised.
I was now excited. I had seen a Mughal picture book, with real Mughal miniatures, for children. I went looking for it.
I could not find that book but found another book called "Kidnapping of Amir Hamza" with Mughal miniatures for illustration. It was beautiful. I din't quite like the title of the book considering that it is for children but I am just going to show her pictures.
It was an education in Mughal miniatures for me. Akbar had 100 painters in his Kitab Khana and had them illustrate these stories of the character called Amira Hamza and teh book is now an epic. At the end of the book the technique of Mughal Paintings is described.
There are also links to Mughal art and information in museums around the world. I sat up all night browing and looking at art in the Mughal room in the British Museum. I still can't forget that Jade Terrapin from Akbar's times. Our treasues are in museums across the world and well documented and yet we learn nothing about it!
Lakshmi still kept talking about Babar and Humayun. On Sunday morning she drew two pictures. One of Babar and Humayun holding hands for school and another of Darbar Khan, Akbar and Babar for home. Darbar Khan was kneeling and Akbar and Babar were holding a sword each.
