Dutch courage. What does it mean? In its harsh form its defined as courage inspired by drunkenness or drinking liquor. In its mild form it means foolish courage and misplaced confidence. Am I here to teach about this? No. I am here to discuss who I feel has been the best example of Dutch courage in a long time... kunwar Sujamal.
I am pretty sure that he was not drunk in the last few episodes where he showcased this swordsmanship meshed with some acrobatics. But he is a foolish, callous, selfish and most gravely a coward.
Foolish - he showed that he completely lost his thinking capacity when he returned to Jodha's hojra to (drum roll) inform her that he failed to catch the culprit, he may not see her ever, he is not afraid to die and that Jalal's ager/rage does not inflict fear in him. In the situation where the entire army of Agra is probably hot on your heels was an adieu necessary and that too smack in the middle of HER hojra? Why was he declaring that he failed to catch the culprit, which was obvious at that point? Besides was he expecting the culprit to be in the harem waiting for him with I did it' stuck on their forehead? This is the harem, where only the emperor and his begums together with those in service with them are allowed. Was he expecting the person plotting against Jalal to be a Kwaja sara too? From the start it was an ill-conceived plan. He did however go on with it as he felt that it was the only way to get the plotter. I wonder if Agra palace never needed a male cook or sipahi...hmmm... To add to all this, he extracts that deadly vachan. Do not tell your husband you saw me, I don't want you to be in trouble. This turns oxymoron the moment Jalal materializes in the room. Yet, he does not release her from that vachan. Which brings me to...
Callous - Jalal and his troupe barged in before he could do a superman out of the window. There was the Shehensha positively seething, murder written all over his face. And he had signed a certain painful future for his sister with that vachan of his. Even at the parting he only adds more trouble with his longing look. They actually do an eye talk while the Shehensha is there ready to explode? Did he not at that point understand that if she cannot explain who he is, she would be considered as having an unknown male in her room at the dead of the night, that too without sounding an alarm, which only means she consents to him being there, especially when she tries to plead his case to the king? What type of brother will put his sister in such situation? Sujamal would never know that at the end of their confrontation, Jalal did spare her. But he ought to know that Jalal WILL want to know who he is, and what he was doing coming to her room instead of fleeing for life; and Jodha WILL not tell him anything due to the vachan. Then he should be able to conclude that his dear sister whom he loves is in grave danger. Why did he not in the parting tell her to reveal the truth?
Selfish - He didn't want Jalal to know that Jodha has been meeting him, Sujamal, the enemy of the state. But he in the room if not being her bhaisa, means is an unknown man. Which is worse, her having her brother or an unknown man in his room? Yet, the vachan stands? It seems to me it's purely to save him from being known as the enemy of the state who has sort of a shoot at sight warrant for him. He allows his sister to be a woman in the company of an unknown male, while under the roof of the known ruthless and heartless king? Sujamal was never to know how much in love Jalal is with her or that he would not harm her gravely. To him Jalal will be the terror king. And to Jalal he will be an unknown male that his wife was allowing to be in her room, and also vouching for his innocence. The moment she said that don't harm him he is blameless she already sealed that she know him. Yet he walks away with the vachan that does nothing, but hide his true identity which will bring immediate death for him. So safety for him and pain for Jodha. And this I am to accept as the great brotherly love.
Coward - the show of the human pile was as laughable as it was to me trying to convince me of the bravery that does not exist in him. People mistaken bravery as being able to fight or kill. People think when you can punch a man in his face, or pick up an arm you are brave. Bravery has nothing to do with violence. Bravery and valor is all about facing the danger as grave as it may head on. It's about overcoming your fear to deal with the danger. As a man, a prince by birth Sujamal failed so miserably at being brave the moment he left a helpless jodha stripped of her only defense i.e. the truth of who he is to face Jalal alone. Not only that, he then runs away from Agra. If he had run away while jodha was not in any type of trouble, I would have acknowledged that he was doing what his right, that is get away alive to fight another day. But here, he had by his own put Jodha whom he claims as his beloved sister, in grave danger. Then he chooses not to face the music but escape. This is no prince, but a mere man saving himself. And further cementing that they both indeed were up to something not right.
No man can claim to be brave if he has left behind the person he had got into trouble facing multitude of horrible end. He would have been brave if he had wrenched himself from the clutches of Atga and shouted at the top his lungs to Jalal to leave his sister alone, she is innocent and I am Sujamal. After all he was strong and skilled enough to build pyramid. I believe that pile also indicates he must be agile as he must have done it in fast motion like Speedy Gonzales or something. Yet, he walked away. He should have faced Jalal in DEK. He is a Rajvanshi. Don't they face everything face to face? Yet he escapes. What is the motive behind all this? To return disguised as Maham perhaps to try and find the person plotting against Jalal.
To me there is no other explanation other than that he believed Jodha to be the better Rajvanshi who would be able to save herself from her husband, and he need to escape with his disguise as the unknown man intact.
So there I said it. Sujamal is a coward. And he remains one.
Cricket
