Jodha Akbar 16-20: Coming of age - Page 2

Hello Shymlaantie,

Shyamala dearest will only say one line for now, the rest later...'shaandaar..zabardast..zindabad!

Dear Shyamala aunty,

Thank you, my dear Sri. I hope that you will now become one of my regular readers.

Shyamala Aunty

Originally posted by: SRIJANI14

wow its so good

Thank you so very much, my dear. I hope that after having watched the episodes - and you have all the YouTube links right here courtesy my darling Anjali, you will have more to comment on. I look forward to that.

Shyamala (Aunty?)

Originally posted by: fanjarajat

Outstanding! Have to catch up the episode on Youtube

I am glad you liked that supplement, my pet. Now I am going to wait for your real comments.

As for Jodha Begum saving Akbar's life, I saw red when the sycophant Abul Fazl mentioned it at the coin issue function in the last episode.😡

By the way, why have you begun shrinking your font size to miniscule proportions? Have some pity on my aging ocular apparatus, child!😉

Shyamala Aunty

Originally posted by: Sandhya.A

Res

Such military dominance and authority!👏

But our jallu miyan always needed his begumsa and/or her maika to save his poor brittle little life.

Thanks a million, my dear Ela.

Yes, I would agree with you in both counts, with the proviso that Bairam Khan would hardly be concerned with Hamida Bano or Maham with Humayun.

In any case, it must have been tough for a hardened warrior like Bairam Khan to respect a perennial loser like Humayun, and as for Hamida Banu, Maham is here shown as a Hindu-hater, and no doubt she would despise Hamida's broad-mindedness, as also her sense of gratitude to the Hindus. For Maham, kafirs are meant to be used and then discarded.So she would have have had no qualms about lighting Deepavali diyas in Umarkot, but she will not let them be lit here in Agra.

But there is a huge difference between Bairam Khan and Maham. He does not really want anything for himself. He has no personal agenda. He wants only the relentless onward march of the Mughaliya Sultanat, of course on the path laid down by himself. Then again, he lacks deviousness. He is like a bull charging head first. This comes from his basic straightforwardness. Also, there is in him an inner core of nobility that makes his change of heart and surrender to Jalal in the end entirely credible.

I too feel sorry for him. He is a tragic example of what the Greeks call hubris, or overweening pride, laying a man low.

Maham has no trace of nobility in her make-up, and as for deviousness, at times murderous deviousness,that is in her DNA. She comes of the race of utterly ruthless women like Catherine de Medicis and Lucrecia Borgia, right down to the frequent use of poison in rings. She is driven always by her personal agenda, which is to advance Adham's fortunes. She is greatly handicapped by his stupidity and rashness, and Jalal is the son she would have wanted to have, but Adham is the one she has got, and she will never stop trying to push him, come hell or high water.

Thank you so much for your good wishes, Ela. I need them

Shyamala

Originally posted by: elasingh

Wonderful analysis Shyamala...Don't you feel both MA and BK have same level of conceit and both had no respect for Jalal's biological parents...Still BK was much more loyal then MA...I feel sorry for him...He was somewhere in late thirties when he died..

GET BETTER SOON DEAR...

My dear Donjas,

I too am so glad to be back here; I really missed the place after a week of being away! I am better, and I hope this lasts, but the pain has now descended to my hands, especially the left one yesterday. If it had been the right one, I would not have been able to do this post at all, and I would have fallen further behind, so it was just as well!

Yes, the Jalal-Bairam Khan clashes are something to see, and they also presage a major shift in the way the Mughal empire was governed under Akbar. That is why I used the word tectonic, and not titanic. I wanted to convey the sense of tectonic movements underground, like the earth's plates shifting, movements that would usher in major changes.

As for Maham, her sense of timing and her unbelievable deviousness are both phenomenal. Your 4 stages for her modus operandi are spot on. Especially the no frontal attack part, and her emphasis on never leaving her fingerprints on any of her devious deeds.

Shyamala

Originally posted by: Donjas

I am so thrilled to see your post. I hope you are feeling better.

The last few episodes have all been about story and acting. Both top notch.

The entire series of Jalal Bairam Khan clashes have been a sight to behold. Not surprising, since they are both remarkable actors. It helps that the actor portraying Bairam Khan is very expressive. That allows him not to be overshadowed by either Jalal or Maham.

I am going to read and re read your description of their clashes. It is so much fun to read.

The other noteworthy thing was how Maham plotted the demise of her chief rival, Bairam Khan. The entire sequence of steps is a masterclass of how to defeat your enemy-

First step, poison Jalal's mind in such a manner that it does not seem like a sneaky attack on her rival, more like sound advice to a beloved son.

Second step, provoke Bairam to do something rash by displaying her closeness to the Emperor. The more she parades the hold she has over Jalal, the more it infuriates Bairam Khan.

Third step, strike when the time is right. Again not a frontal attack, in Takhatmal case, but effective nevertheless.

Fourth step, destroy your enemy. No second chances. Look how she goats Jalal to crush the rebellion of Bairam Khan. And it is not even a clear cut rebellion at this stage, just defiance but she makes it so and forces Jalal to act.

Of course, I will come later with more comments, especially about the military info.

Dear Shyamala Di!

It is very interesting to read your review and I am glad that you can write again.

I did a very a long time translation, you wrote everything I tried. But so much effort, I nevertheless write ...😳

Subject Bairam Khan was short, but strong enough. Both the Mahamanga and Bairam Khan is equally not is not respected Jalal and never saw him as an independent person. Also, they as Rukie it was profitable to cultivate and develop it cruel and heartless. That will show the episode with Farida. (It is waiting for your further analysis). But, still it seems to me that by Bairam Khan has a warm feeling to Jalal, while Mahamana - only selfishness, lust for power and promotion Adham. I do think that all of her statements about love to Jalal only the external declaration. In fact, only Adham, Adham and Adham.

In our Russian sources I too read that the period of approximately two years was called the reign of the "long skirts".