Friends, yesterday's JA episode was an overall "so-so" episode for me! I was not very moved by it, cinematically speaking, because essentially it was a stage-setter for the maha episode and the maha ghamaasaan between Jodha and Ruqaiya ... when maybe things will be decided as to who rules the harem in future and thus consolidates political and administrative clout . The one that wins thus becomes the defacto and annointed and accepted "Khas Begum", I think, even though Ruq has the "naam ke vaaste" appellation of "Begum-e-Khas" by virtue of being the first wife.
For today's post I want to examine some three issues especially ... these are largely my own mental debates that I am toying with, which this whole episode has thrown up:
DEBATE ONE IN MY MIND:
The title of "Begum-e-Khas" ... how is it different or similar to the titles of "Khas Begum"?
I am not a big one on history so I want to know exactly how a "Begum-e-Khas" is different from a "Khas Begum" although these words are seemingly being used interchageably in the serial in recent times. My little understanding of history is that the first wife is usually nomenclated the "Begum-e-Khas" by sheer virtue of her being the seniormost queen. Whether or not she holds additional power over a "fiefdom" such as the harem, so to speak, is at the discretion of the Shahehnshah, if my giuess is right.
In Ruqaiya's case, I think Jalal himself seems to have given Ruq, his "Begum-e-Khas", the right to be also "Lord of the Harem" - not because he had to give her that position, but because he had other reasons for wanting to give her that responsibility.
She was politically intelligent, was married to him early in life and needed occupation, he himself did not want anything to do with the harem, and he perhaps thought his clever and competent young wife could be given some area of administration under her control that would use her time constructively and give her a sense of job satisfaction - while also helping him decentralise some of his own workload. The harem was constantly growing in size and complexity with every war that brought territorial gains, so perhaps Jalal thought Ruq would grow into the role as the role itself grew.
Whether he thought her diplomatic enough to handle the affairs of 5000 women with tact and delicacy is another question altogether. I think he didn't think it through - or maybe he himself he didn't quite value diplomacy as a needed trait and believed Ruq could demonstrate sheer autocratic tendencies to keep the harem in check. I think this was an error of judgement from Jalal but then he was himself autocratic by Nature at that time ... and how was he to know when Ruq was young how she would shape up when she was older? There was a 50-50 chance that she could have become clever and sage and diplomatic - or she could have become autocratic and petty and intolerant (which was what she ultimately became!).
Now in this situation two other wives came into Jalal's life, whose positions and actions made them considerably more substantial than the run-of-the-mill harem ladies. Salima was his mentor Bairam Khan's wife and deserved some pride of place not just for for her sheer age and wisdom but also for her smartness which became important to Jalal in many cases that she has helped solve. Jalal never planned to have physical relations with Salima, but instead had guaranteed her protection by marriage after Bairam's death. She was also a cousin of Jalal. All said and done therefore, Salima had every reason to be considered "khas" (i.e. special) by Jalal, especially after her recent positive interventions in tricky cases that had cropped up in the Palace, notably Jodha's fake pregnancy case and the earlier Ruq miscarriage case.
As for Jodha, Jalal originallly married her more out of vengeance and as part of a "samjhauta" after the Amer war. But since then Jodha had practically demonstrated so much sincerity, loyalty and dependability in managing even very dire situations that she stood apart from the herd. She even saved Jalal's life by an act of indescribable bravery (all this despite his initial scepticism, ill-treatment and antagonism towards her). Thus within a short time, she had become the cynosure of not only the eyes of people in the Palace, but even the aam praja, who were now singing praises of her bold Rajvanshi breeding and her sense of ethics and her acts of selfless service to the King. Moreover, it was she who even introduced the King back to his subjects and gave him that watershed moment when he realised that real power lay not in the brandishing of his weapons but in winning the hearts of his people. Jodha thus became "khas" by her sheer acts of "khas-ness" as it were.
As a result of Salima's and Jodha's rise in importance in Jalal's life, thanks to their sterling interventions in the most challenging of situations, Jalal had to pronounce Salima and Jodha to be also his "khas begums" - and by following Jalal's cue the people in the Palace annd outside too started feeling that there are now three "Khas Begums" and not just the one Ruqaiya.
No matter even if Ruqaiya labours the point that she is original and one and only "Begum-e-Khas", thus giving a slight differentiation between herself and Salima and Jodha, the people around her are not seeing the slight hierarchical value of a "Begum-e-Khas" over a "Khas Begum" - and these two titles are being interchangeably now used. See how the guard in yesterday's episode made the same error?
Now what is Ruq then left with, if her title has gotten challenged by another title that sounds so similar that it has robbed her original title of value? The Harem Management position she owns is about the only thing left that seems to differentiate her from the other two wives. The size of the harem being about 5000+ seems to be currently giving Ruq the sense of importance and difference she craves. But consider what would happen if even the harem went out of her hands because of a rebellion within the harem for a different leader with a less autocratic and more democratic style of management?
This is the position that the current episode seems to have put Ruq in.
No matter even if Jalal says no one can take Ruq's place in his life (as she is the first wife and also a childhood friend), if the title she holds has now become interchangeable with the new titles of the other two wives as "Khas Begums" and she is lumped in as one of the threesome, and even her sway over the harem becomes history, what good would it do for Jalal to be constantly re-emphasizing that Ruq has a special place in his life? In practical terms where is that differentiation of Ruq in other people's eyes, even if a slight distinction is there still in Jalal's eyes? And what is to happen if even Jalal falls in love with one of the other two wives (as he has fallen for Jodha)? Does that signal that whatever fine distinction Ruq had at least in Jalal's eyes is also over?
This is a first delicious debate raging in my mind! There are two other debates also that I am toying with ...
DEBATE TWO IN MY MIND:
Ruq's position and power in the harem ... and why it is in deep trouble?
The subject of the latest fracas between Jodha and Ruqaiya, via events at the harem, is an exact replication of their own lives. And that's what spices up things for me!
In the harem are these two baandhis Ruksana and Aziza. Ruksana was engaged by parental arrangement to a boy who was her childhood friend (Mazhar) when she and Mazhar were just children. However, now that Mazhar has grown into a fine young man, he has, alas, fallen in love with Aziza and wants to marry her. So what is the right ending to happen to this story?
Ruq being in charge of the harem now has to deal with this issue because the two women baandhis Ruksana and Aziza come under her purview, and they came to blows yesterday in the harem - and both demanded a just solution. Ruq was miffed at first that this quarrel was affecting her sleep, when she most wanted to sleep and try to forget that boatride Jodha had with Jalal the previous day. But as soon as Ruq went marching into the harem to stop the catfight between her two bandhis, she realised that their story touched a raw nerve in her own self. For the story of Ruksana-Mazhar and Aziza seemed an almost exact replica of the story of Ruq-Jalal and Jodha!
So suddenly a commonplace-seeming harem fracas acquired the dimensions of a real personal story for Ruqaiya. Her own sense of involvement in the story became so much that she lost even her usual flimsy sense of diplomacy and she tightly slapped Aziza for trying to take Mazhar away from his childhood-betrothed Ruksana, in the name of that disgusting emotion "love". "Friendship is greater than love can ever be", was what Ruq felt and shouted!
By protecting the childhood friendship-driven marriage of Mazhar and Ruksana, Ruqaiya was probably trying to reinforce the fact that her own marriage to Jalal (identically arranged in childhood on the foundation of friendship) was more solid and "right" than any other relationship or marriage of Jalal that may be built later on the foundation of "love".
Naturally, Jodha is diametrically opposed to this idea and has taken Aziza's point of view. According to Jodha, how can the boy - Mazhar - be held to account for a childhoood marriage planned without his consent by adult parents ... and especially how can that marriage hold when his heart has now fallen for Aziza? Jodha who has always been the champion of the heart now has new reasons to value relationships of the heart since her own relationship to Jalal has improved and is heading towards becoming a huge love story.
The question may be asked whether Jodha should have eneterd the harem at all and got involved in the fight? Firstly Ruq may say its none of her business and she doing her own "buttinsky" act all over again. Additionally, since that episode when Ruq tried to throw Jodha out of her hojra, Jalal has decreed that Jodha is now occupying his hojra and neither the hojra nor Jodha are under Ruq's harem any more. So technically speaking Ruq would be right in saying to Jodha "You neither belong to the harem nor rule over it. So what are you doing here when you should be just shutting your trap and letting me get on with discharging my responsibility?"
But Jodha being Jodha not only butted in, but she pulled out a new angle on the whole issue that further stripped Ruq of the powers to handle this situation to her own satisfaction. Jodha said Ruksana and Aziza may be part of the harem, but Mazhar wasn't - and it was his choice that all were quarelling about. And since he was an aam aadmi, part of the the aam praja, his issues come directly under the ambit of the Shahenshah! With this argument sweeping aside every last vestige of Ruq's sway over the case, Jodha even marched to Jalal and asked him to intervene.
Now look at this extra dimension, folks! Jalal was already swamped, as it were with other issues of thr kingdom to grapple with, and he even held his head and let out a tired sigh ... but when Jodha was persistent that his intervention even in a harem-related case was needed, he could not find it in himself to oppose Jodha.
I think he knew that she was a master in the matters of how to keep the praja close to the King and he bowed before her judgement in this case. Because Jodha cleverly did not say it was a mere "harem-related issue", she said it was about bandhis (who were also equal citizens as the rest of the praja) and it was not a case of marriage or love it was a case of "nyaya" and Jalal was a "nyaya-priya Shahenshah" wasn't he? How could Jalal refuse to be involved after that?
Meanwhile, Jalal shaped up to intervene and even called for a meeting with his haremites (much to Ruq's dicomfiture that Jodha had managed to strip Ruq of her powers and hand the case directly to jalal and he even had started acting on it). Maham on the other hand, tried to poison Ruq that there was a rebellion beginning in the harem against Ruq's autocratic management and her decision in this case - fanned by none other than Jodha. Maham's story to Ruq however really has started to happen. There is a building rebellion of mega proportions in the harem against Ruq (although Jodha has nothing to do with it)!
So where is Ruq now? She is stripped of the powers to handle this case because Jodha who actually had no place in the harem affairs of late has managed to butt in and escalate the case to Jalal's level. The harem has virtually gone out of Ruq's control, and with her diplomacy skills she is certainly out of her depth in handling a mega rebellion. And what's more, it looks like the rebelling ladies want to opt for Jodha instead as their future ruler thus squarely pitting Ruq against Jodha, challenging Ruq to try and hold onto her last bastion of power and audha. I won't be surprised if there is a call for a referendum and Jalal is forced to put the issue to vote.
DEBATE THREE IN MY MIND:
Which way will Jalal swing? What will that say about who is "most khas" to him?
By far the most interesting debate in my mind though, is not the above two that I have described. I have no doubt now that all rests with Jalal, and how he plays the game is going to be the most significant turning point in this serial. Are we now going to see a palpable swing from Jalal, away from Ruq and towards Jodha, that summarily dethrones Ruq from holding the position of being the most important wife in his life, making Jodha the one to now occupy that position?
I think the sanket for a change in priorities came to Jalal when Baba Salim Chisthi prophesied that Jodha will doubtless become the Mariunm Uz Zamani (that is, she will bear the waaris and get that title which supercedes even the Begum-e-Khas in rank). Now given this prophecy, in the last few episodes, I have started feeling that Jalal is already changing his mind about Jodha's importance and Ruq's reduction is importance in his life.
Even though he feels he loves Jodha and she yesterday said she loves him too, wouldn't any man be also colored by the prophecy of the greatest Sufi saint of those times saying categorically that it was Jodha who would become Marium Uz Zamani? I started feeling after that prophecy that Jalal's attitude towards Jodha started taking a new dimension. He became more confident of winning Jodha's love and his belief that one day she would allow him to have physical relations with her became stronger. He stopped using the dhakka word after that prophesy!
Jalal now seems super confident of Jodha swinging his way, not just because he loves her and she is reciprocating - but because their relationship seems to be having "divine sanction" as well making it feel more of a certainty to him now. The minute Jodha's closeness started feeling like a certainty, Jalal's equation with Ruq started looking weaker from his side. Added to which Ruq's misbehaviour in the boatrisde scene and now in the harem scene is not going to help Ruq's case with Jalal.
Yesterday Jyoti and I had had a laugh that in this ghamasaan between Jodha and Ruq, if we just give Jalal a whistle he can officiate as the referree! But seriously, that seems to be on the cards. The rebellion against Ruq is growing so strong that Jalal may well find that the haremites do not want Ruq any more as their adminsitartor and they start calling for more democracy. They may well ask for a referendum and insist on voting for their choice of their next administrator. Jodha may willy-nilly become their second candidate to pit against Ruq and the "chunav" may end in a tie, I feel ,with Jalal having the casting vote! (I think the Creatives do this for dramatic effect!)
If that happens it should be very interesting? Three things that tickle my mind are: Who will Maham vote for? And who will Jalal vote for? And most important of all, will Jalal's casting vote - or final declaration - spell the death knell for Ruq and her audha, and push Jodha into a position of power that makes her ready to occupy the Marium Uz Zamani position?
Other possibilities:
Will Jalal himself see this promotion of Jodha as Head of the Harem as a step she needs to take towards the MUZ role pre-destined by God for her ... and so will he give his casting vote in favour of Jodha to help train her for the MUZ role?
Will Jodha try to act magnanimous and give back the position to Ruq after she gets chosen by the haremites as a grand tyaag (a la Sonia Gandhi)?
Will Ruq like to take the position so grandly and condescendingly given back by Jodha and will it feel like the audha is now Jodha's cast-off?
Will Jodha try another trick ... will she try to lose the election by manipulating the votes in favour of Ruq or will she convince Jalal to vote in Ruq's favour?
Will Jodha at all feel guilty to take on the harem management role or will she go by Jalal's words yesterday that she need not feel guilty for other people's errors? And so will she not handover the role to Ruq and instead make her first big gesture of taking on more responsibility as if it is her birthright too? Will she be seen as more of a Queen if she doesn't do tyaag of her responsibility out of guilt towards Ruq?
I am waiting to see how it all shapes up.
Today I have not done my usual analysis of the scenes because my mind is running on these debates and I am in the analytical mode rather than the descriptive mode - and so I am not able to do justice to scene descriptions while my mind is thus engaged.
Ultimately its my feeling that who wins the position of "Lord of the harem" is less important? Who comes out as the more regal and magnanimous Queen at the end of the exercise may change the course of history and the course of Jalal's mind towards his two competing wives. Its time not for a Jodha versus Ruq ghamaasaan, but for the end of all conflict in Jalal's mind!
Thanks for reading all that I've written here! Phew, I needed to get all that out! And I am dying to hear everyone's views.
Abhay, I specially need your help on this question I asked at the beginning of this post. Is there a real difference between "Begum-e-Khas" and "Khas Begum"? Or are the two titles interchangeable?
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