Originally posted by: lashy
Speaking of grey, I remember the question Sandy had once asked me.
Had Akbar's saviour turned out to be someone like an Alauddin Khilji rather than someone with a slightly better sense of good and bad like the Shehzaade, how would Khan Sahib have grown up to be, as a man? After all, his work puts him at cross-roads many-a-time - forcing him to make judgements and act on the spur of the moment.
Recalling what Chachajaan had to say about the child who met the Shehzaade.
'I still remember the first day that child set his sights on the prince in the camp. His fingers were polishing metal, when in walked the Shehzaade - an enigmatic man, beyond all harm and hurt... his small eyes instantly brightened! Everyone would be on their best behaviour when the prince was around... but this boy would be on his best behaviour always... and that didn't go unnoticed. Huzoor took a liking to Akbar, heard his sad story out and the rest was history. He became the father that the boy lost... the brother that he never had... the mentor that he needed... he tutored him... gave him an identity, a home, a purpose, a title and a business - never abandoning him throughout! So I'm sure you understand why Akbar works tirelessly for our Huzoor... dedicatedly serving the man who made him what he was... BUT' he thumped his frail chest 'not once has my son lost his innate goodness during any of it!'
Had the Huzoor, or the prince been an Alauddin Khilji in the paragraph above - most of it would have still been true. Walking freshly out of many months of tragedy, abuse and abandonment, ANY source of light would've been something the child would have grasped at. After all, Akbar is a survivor - and the sight of a larger-than-life fearsome Alauddin Khilji, whom no one could touch would have been awe-inspiring. At first.
But as the 12/13 year old grew older, he would have seen the man for whom he was. Chacha jaan's soft grumbles at night/prayers to Allah would have been enough of a wake-up call for his conscience. Maybe, as a 14 year old, he was compelled to take the life of an innocent while following his senior's orders. Or, it could just be the sight of women and children suffering at the hands of Khilji's direct atrocities - but all of it would continually remind him of the atrocities he bore at his own home too. Akbar never was and never will be vindictive against those who've done nothing to him - not the kind to take life's frustrations against those who don't deserve it. So, the fact that he had moved on from one evil to another, moved on from victim to perpetrator, would have gnawed away at his conscience - so much that he couldn't have stayed on for long. Even as a boy, he couldn't have watched and laughed on - like the rest of Khilji's soldiers - as homes were plundered and humans laid to waste.
A lot of the decisions the Shehzaade makes today, is to stay in power. Assassinating those enemies plotting against him and being merciless on the battlefield are how all people stayed in power (Even the revered emperors like CGM) That is how, AMK justifies the violence that he carries out/witnesses. But even then, he always hated what Khalil stood/stands for.
Similarly, Akbar couldn't have stomached Khilji's needless violence either. Now, he couldn't have opposed Khilji since that would be the end of him (and he is not interested in politics anyway). So, he would have either saved enough wealth to one day leave it all and move on to another profession with Chacha jaan (business, for example - which he is excellent at)
Or, had he given his Huzoor a promise to serve him forever (like he'd done to the Shehzaade) he would have asked for a transfer and worked for the Khilji administration elsewhere - where he wouldn't be witnessing these atrocities - becoming somewhat of a 'good general' in whichever province he was placed. No doubt by doing this, he would have garnered enemies too - but as a man who's overcome fear, he would have anyday preferred THIS, to being directly under Khilji (like he's under the Shehzaade now), and carrying out violence against innocents.
I find all of this quite 'grey' 😊
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