CH# 9: THE MUGHAL ECLIPSE
We're heirs of Hindustan
....The weather was overwhelming since morning. Umer felt a soothing relief in his chest wound when someone put a medicated bandage on it. A familiar smell groped his nerves. He was still snoozing under herbal medicines and a servant was on duty to change his bandage but it was not him this time. Someone was examining and treating his wound very carefully.
‘Aaa...be careful…,’ he held
servant’s hand on a nip feeling around his wound. The hand was soft
and warm. He opened his eye with a bump in an eccentric sense. All his
consciousness was working now.
He left her hand at
once. There was a liquid solution at the side table and she was dipping the cotton
in it to clean his wound after he left her hand.
‘This
medicine is really good and effective. We brought it from England,’ Angeline again continued her work as soon as
he left her hand plunged in amazement.
'What are you doing here? I don’t
need your sympathy. Is someone here?’ Umer looked around and called facing the
open window. A servant appeared in the room.
‘Do you need
something?’ the servant appeared instantly and asked him looking at Angeline.
‘…tell Syed Ahmed Khan
that I’m OK …and…I don’t need any medicine…,’ Umer replied after thinking for a
while. He got an idea that Angeline was there with Syed Ahmed’s
permission.
‘Syed Ahmed was really
worried about you. You’re looking better now… thanks to Lady Angeline…I should
tell him…,’ servant left the room saying gratitude to Angeline.
‘I don’t have any
sympathy for you. I just have to cure the injured. By the way, you could avoid this infection if walked carefully that night,' she held the bandage to wrap his gash.
'What! Was it me who was muttering amid night without purpose?'
‘Ok, it wasn't you but you could tell anyone about your bleeding wound. May I now..,’ she brought
the dressing near.
Umer didn’t answer but
got up a little leaving his pillow. Angeline wrapped the dressing circled from
his back gently.
‘You more look like a
daughter of any herbalist than of any Army officer?’ Umer taunted on checking
up her professionalism.
‘I was studying
medicine when dad got posted in India. I had to leave my school. It'll be our first badge of lady doctors there. I want to go back to Yorkshire to
continue my studies. Here in the subcontinent, there is not any such institute. Above all this mutiny has sickened everything,’
Angeline washed her hands from a bowl of clean water and sighed.
‘Then go back! We
haven’t invited you here? You’ve just captured our lands and made our lives
terrible. We’re just on our way to seek our freedom back and we’ll not on the back
foot until the last white is here,’ Umer tried to keep his tone low.
‘I appreciate your
attempt but let me tell you…you can’t win from us. My father is an Army man and
he knows to hold his lame horses very well,’ Angeline packed his medical stuff.
‘This big head will
drown you,’
‘It’s not arrogance
Mr. Umer but confidence and competence which we’ve gained after a lot of hard work. Why
don’t you people study and learn instead of dying with your ineffective
emotional attitudes? Look at literate and civilized men like Syed Ahmed
Khan…,’ Angeline paused while looking at Syed Ahmed Khan entering a room.
‘Every movement should
trail more than one way to meet its feat. Every effort has its effect
whether it's table talk or road riot. Don’t lecture me. We can spit you out even
without weapons. Freedom of Hindustan is doomed now,’ Umer’s eyes got red and
he almost controlled yelling at a lady.
‘He needs to revise the bandage twice daily. I’ll explain it to the servant,’ Angeline told Syed Ahmed Khan. She took her medical box and left the room.
‘What is the date today?
What is the situation in the city? Which cities have been recaptured from British,’
Umer asked Syed Ahmed, khan, impatient.
‘It’s 14th
May 1857 and today is Thursday young man. Don’t stress your nerves. The
situation of the city is not pleasing but Emperor Bahadur Shah has taken the charge here. The Red Fort also has issued a new currency,’ Syed Ahmed khan sat by Umer
thoughtful.
‘At last, we meet
our dream of the restoration of the Mughal Empire. I just want to join my mates in the
field. The sun of Mughals will shine again from Kabul to Deccan,’ Umer tried to
get up in the excitement but felt severe pain.
‘You should wait until
your wounds are healed. We all wish to breathe in a free Hindustan. Crown Prince
Mirza Mughal is meeting the soldiers today,’ Syed Ahmed helped Umer to lie down
again and told him the details. Umer closed his eyes. Angeline’s beautiful and
fragile portrait smoked out in his mind but he opened his eyes again.
Commander in Chief Crown
Prince Mirza Mughal reached to meet soldiers with royal protocol around 2 pm. It
was an open field outside a village where camps of soldiers were sent. After a spell of rain in the morning, the temperature was down but the ground was muddy and
grubby. The camps were under attack from a battalion of buzzing mosquitoes and
flies. The sepoys were facing minor resistance as few British soldiers were on the attack from near artillery. Mirza
Mughal’s table was set under a shady tree. Soldiers gathered around to glimpse
their commander.
‘Our soldiers are
honored on your arrival aali jah,’ Niaz Din bowed to Prince. Mirza Mughal got
up and approached a mounted place.
'Hindustan only belongs
to us. We’re the heirs; we’re the sons of this soil. Only we own these
territories. Disguised as traders, scam East India Company entered and captured
our lands, ruined our states one after another, and burdened us with vicious
taxes. British rule, overshadowed our culture, our traditions. It’s enough
now.
British are the real cause of mutiny in Hindustan.
We don’t want to see a
single white here. Now it’s their time to pay for the assassination of our
leaders and natives. Mughal army will
erase any British sign from this land,’ his enthusiastic speech warmth the
blood of soldiers.
‘Our soldiers constantly
need a supply of food, medicines, and weapons. The weather is too hot and harsh
outside. Our soldiers are getting ill of diarrhea and malaria,’ Aneel briefed
the Prince about requirements of “Mughal” troops.
‘Red fort cleared it
before that it can’t aid any financial assistance to soldiers and your
representatives promised to manage it themselves,’ Prince Mirza Mughal didn’t
like the list of demands in his first visit.
‘We were asking about
the share from tax money,’ Ranbeer Singh’s tone was harsh.
‘Tax collection has just
started from the city so it’ll take time to manage the supply of food and medicine,’
Mirza Mughal replied cold.
‘Respected prince all
looted weapons and gunpowder is dumped to adjacent cavalry of the fort. It should
be counted, listed accordingly. We also need to arrange more weapons from any
source.’ One sepoy came in front.
‘It’s Prince Khizar Sultan’s
task to manage the cavalry but I don’t know where he is hiding for a day. Look
how irresponsible is he? I can’t manage all issues alone. I’ll ask Aba Huzoor
to seize his position,’ Prince Mirza Mughal ordered to see the colonel Prince
Khizar Sultan.
‘We’re facing resistance
in Lucknow. We should write the Gurjas leader for an alliance,’ another sepoy
suggested.
‘These Marathas and
Gurjas are the real cause of Mughal destruction and Red Fort will never set an
alliance with them. My sepoys will ruin all Mughal competitors with their
unbeatable fervor,’ Mirza Mughal didn’t like the idea.
‘But…,’
It was too hard for
those freedom fighters to work under an inexperienced and non-professional
commander after serving at well-organized British army and professional
officers for a long.
‘Want to say something else…,’ Prince Mirza
Mughal got up as he was feeling too exhausted but sepoys were still fixed
there.
’Sepoys wants to behold the atrocious end of
Europeans that are behind bars in the Red Fort,’ Aneel’s mouth spewed tiny drops
into the air.
‘More of the prisoners
are women and children who couldn’t flee outside in uprising and mutineers
caught them. They’re innocent. Secondly, I think we can better negotiate with the British in their replacement,’ Mirza Mughal seemed clear about the decision
from Red Fort.
‘Negotiation with
British!’
‘Only Mughals can think
of it not us. We were about 3,000 when we left from Meerut and captured
Shahjhanabad with no resistance. This number has been mounted to 10,000 now. It is
the right time to show our writ by killing those prisoners. They are our booty
of war and it’s our jurisdiction to decide about them. We want a cruel public sentence for them. Red
Fort should listen to us otherwise…,’ Niaz Din blew up.
‘You should stay within your limits…only Red Fort is the authority. The final verdict about
prisoners will be from King Bahadur Shah Zafar and he’ll most probably announce
it on Eid. You should wait calm and focus on the ground battle,’ Prince Mirza
Mughal couldn’t swallow the insult. He canceled his visit and came back to Red
Fort before Iftar.
‘I hate this man. I
believe we’ll lose our winnings under his command. Don’t we have any other
choice from Red Fort?’ Niaz din was still in a black mood.
‘All are same
there…indolent and nonprofessional.’ Ranbeer checked his gun.
‘I’m most skillful among
all princes in the Red Fort. I was the one who was in favor of this war and I’m
the one who should lead this fight. To manage the cavalry and collecting tax is
not my work,’ Prince Khizar Sultan met his loyal minister Mehboob ul Malik.
‘It’s the need of time
aali jaa. People are giving big tax money to aid the restored Mughal Empire. We
need the money and we’ve got the best chance to make it. Gain the confidence of fighters
meanwhile and command the forces in the field. There are reports that sepoys are
not happy with Mirza Mughal and you only need to fuel the fire. I’m sure in a short time these soldiers will throw Mirza Mughal out by themselves,’
‘Then I’ll be commander-in-chief
of Mughal Army,’ Prince Khizar Sultan’s eyes sparked.
‘Aali jaa I’ll not
suggest you plan for this position…,’ Mahboob ul Malik paused for while.
‘What do you mean…?’
‘Aali jaa, you’re born
to rule…to rule upon the chief of Army even. You can be next emperor…,’
‘Say your thoughts
clear,’ Prince Khizar Sultan still couldn’t get him.
‘Aali jaa, these
mutineers don’t bother the orders of any commander from Red Fort. They are
trained in a different environment and their commander should be one among them.
It would be better if that would be of your choice…,’ Mehboob ul Malik stopped
again and stepped forward.
‘Anyone among them that
is competent, trustworthy, and faithful just with you…,’ he finished.
‘…Bakhat Khan…Subedar Bakhat Khan…,’ Prince Khizar Sultan’s mind scrolling list stuck at that name. He was also acknowledging Mehboob ul Malik's point to manage the disorganized mobs of rebellious British sepoys joining in Mughal army from every corner of India.
A group of freedom fighters held a meeting as soon as Mirza Mughal left.
‘What if the old king
forgives the prisoners on Eid or his dumb son Mirza Mughal makes any deal with
British,’ Aneel asked in a fuss.
‘What do you think about
the number of European prisoners that we apprehended from around the
arsenal and then handed over to Red Fort,’ Ranbeer got up thoughtful.
‘Must be more than 50… I
think they were about 56. Most of them are women and children but why
should we care? East India Company has seized our bread and butter, our
culture, and our lands and never felt offended.
Why would we think of their families…why…tit for tat…,’ Niaz Din
answered while reading Ranbeer’s mind.
'We should visit a Red Fort and take our hostages in our custody before it's late' Aneel got up, others followed him.
‘You’re our survivors
and are fighting for freedom. How can I charge from you?’ a donkey cart gave
them a ride to Red Fort. Most of the mutineers were still roaming in the
streets of Delhi. Aneel, Ranbeer, and Niaz Din reached there by dusk.
Niaz Din stopped near the market for opening his fast and met many fighters there. Aneel and Ranbeer took a round of Red Fort to observe the security around it.
Aneel noticed most of the security guards outside the fort were among them; mutineer soldiers and this was
good news for them. Ranbeer talked to a security man on the Lahori gate and after
Iftar, they were having meetings with the most influential Queen Zeenat Mahal in the
basement.
‘But why would I help
you?’ Queen Zeenat Mahal’s shadow was too large under light from a small lantern.
‘We’re not satisfied
with Prince Mirza Mughal and Prince Khizar Sultan. Once we get rid of these
whites and maintain our writ in Hindustan then fighters will aid you to win the throne for your son Prince Jawan Bakhat,’ Niaz Din flattered her.
‘What do you want of
me?’ though Queen Zeenat Mahal was more tilted to seek British favor the timely
success of fighters made her think for a while.
‘These mutineers want the end of prisoners at
any cost and they seek my help,’ Queen Zeenat Mahal also had a meeting with the prime
minister and personal physician of the king, Hakim Ehsanullah at the spot.
‘War is not ended yet. Zil e subhani Bahadur
Shah Zafar thinks that despite having the timely control of Delhi if we give
any harm to foreign prisoners then the jinni of British might free out with
more supremacy. The fight will blow out of control then,’ Hakim Ehsanullah
answered thoughtfully.
‘That’s exactly what I want.’
Queen Zeenat Mahal's shadow quaked in dim light.
‘The mutineers will meet
their plan and we’ll meet ours. British will definitely take revenge and kill
the princes in authority for their people. Then I’ll ask British correspondents to nominate
my son as a new emperor,’ she continued
‘But we can’t go against
king’s will,’
‘It’s time for him to
write a will, not to have a will. He’s too old to decide on anything. We’ll do
what will suit our goals and also write to British General from me,’ she looked
around after hearing a noise on the stairs.
‘What’re you doing here, ami huzoor?’ Prince Jawan Bakhat saw her
mother amazed.
‘Are you intending to release the white prisoners in mutineers hands? This is not an appropriate act. I'll not allow you for this. I still don’t believe
to see Prime Minister Hakim Ehsanullah with you. How can he betray the king? He
is so close to walid Mutaram,’ Prince Jawan Bakhat saw Ehsanullah leaving the basement, at
the rear.
‘ Just keep your mouth shut and eyes open if you want to be next emperor. Gold and money are the
only loyal ministers to all empires of all times, never forget this,’
Zeenat Mahal’s eyes glittered wickedly... TO BE CONTINUED
Above complete novel
of 'THE MUGHAL ECLIPSE' is also available KINDLE AMAZON
Disclaimer: all characters of the story are imaginary. They bear no
resemblance to anyone living or dead.
The writer can be followed at fusion stories@facebook.com.