Babur Nama

Title: Babur Nama – Journal of Emperor Babur

Author: Zahir-ud-Din Mohammed Babur

Translator: Annette Susannah Beveridge

Editor: Dilip Hiro

Publisher: Penguin, 2006 (First)

ISBN: 978-0-14-400149-1

Pages: 345

Babur is an exceptional personality as far as Indian history is concerned. He founded the greatest dynasty of the country’s recorded history. Just as his conquest of the country marked a turning point in medieval history, destruction of a mosque he supposedly built at Ayodhya on the ruins of a prior temple demarcates a clear turning point of our country’s modern history. Babur Nama is the journal of Babur, a kind of diary in which he chronicled events and noted down his assessments of potentates, artists and poets. Babur’s manuscript is unique as no other ruler till that time had produced a record of his activities. In fact, the feat remained unchallenged till 19^th century when Queen Victoria started one. His journal is vast in content, which covers geography, astronomy, statecraft, military strategies and weapons, battles, flora and fauna, biographies and family chronicles, social mores, poetry, rowdy wine parties and lot more. The book, written in Turkish was translated by Annette Susannah Beveridge in 1921 and abridged by Dilip Hiro to publish this version in 2006. Beveridge was an Orientalist renowned for her effort in women’s education. She came to India in 1873 and helped found the Hindu Mahila Bidyalaya in Calcutta, which later became Bethune College. Hiro is a fulltime writer, journalist and broadcaster. He has published many books on Middle Eastern themes. One of his books, ‘Blood of Earth’ has been reviewed earlier in this blog.

Babur’s impassionate scrutiny of past deeds is commendable and worth emulating by rulers and the ruled alike. He is not averse to admit that he had made a wrong decision in light of the harsh reality that followed it. He had ousted Mughal rebels (those related to him on the matrilineal side) from Andijan, but several retainers had remained with him after switching loyalties. When the threat was past, Babur had a rethinking as to the desirability of these people staying behind. In fact, they had once sided with his enemy and may do so again, if the temporarily defeated foe rears his head at his castle gates. So he decided to punish them by stripping them off all valuables. And see what Babur writes about it later, “In conquest and government, though many things may have an external appearance of reason and justice, yet one lakh reflections are required to consider the implications of each of them. From this single rash order of ours, what troubles came about! What rebellions arose! In the end, the same ill-considered order was the cause of our second exile from Andijan” (p.49). A very fine example of genuine introspection.

One of the reasons attributed to Indian rulers’ inability to win battles against the invading Muslim forces is the undue importance given by these princes to the astrological advice. While choosing the right time of attack by their charts and instruments, the astrologers paid scant regard to the demands of military strategy. With this in mind, we will be astonished to learn that Babur also believed in that false science and chose the time of attacking movement from planetary positions. While fighting against Mohammed Shaibani Khan Uzbek for retaining Samarkand, Babur says, “the reason I was so eager to fight was that only on the day of the battle, the eight astronomical stars (seven stars of the plough and the pole star) were between our two armies. If I had postponed the battle, these stars would have shifted to the enemy’s rear for 13 or 14 days” (p.74). But, as can be expected, those walked looking at the stars usually tripped and fell. After losing the battle miserably, Babur adds ruefully, “I realize now that these considerations were worth nothing and our haste was illogical” (P.74).

Babur recorded the true colours of the medieval Afghan warriors who showed great pretensions of bravery and courage in India. He remarks on an incident after he took Kabul, “We had been told that when Afghans were unable to resist, they went before their foe with grass between their teeth, that is to say, ‘I am your cow’. Here we witnessed this custom. Unable to resist, Afghans approached us with grass between their teeth” (p.143). But Babur was not to be moved. “Those Afghans who had been brought to us as prisoners were ordered to be beheaded. Later, a pillar of their heads was erected in our camp” (p.143).

The Turkish emperor was a profligate drinker. He didn’t begin the proscribed practice until he was 29 years old, but thereafter more than made up for lost time. His booze parties served liquor and narcotics sweetened with sugar and honey. Regarding an extravagant party on his first incursion to India, Babur writes, “On reaching my quarters, I vomited greatly. I must have been very drunk. When they told me the following day that we had galloped loose rein into camp, bearing torches, I could not recall it in the very least” (p.216). We see the picture of a young man enjoying the pleasures with least regard to religious injunctions.

Babur was thoroughly unimpressed with India and its inhabitants, which he conquered. We read that “Hindustan is a country of few charms. Its people have no good looks; of social intercourse, paying and receiving visits there is none; of genius and capacity none; of manners none; in handicraft and work, there is no form of symmetry, method or quality. There are no good horses, no good dogs, no grapes, musk melons or first-rate fruits, no ice or cold water, no good bread or cooked food in the bazaars; no hamams, no college, no candles, torches or candlesticks” (p.275). That is a long litany of dissatisfaction.

Babur was a man of letters too, with a sound faculty of making verses in Turkish (his mother tongue) and Persian (the literary and court language). Reading some of his reproduced quatrains, we are tempted to pronounce him no mean poet, considering the fact that he ruled a vast area of land. He admonishes his son Humayun on his writing style and suggests improvements. Some of his suggestions transcend time and is golden advice for writers of all time and places. He says “In future, write without elaboration. Use plain, clear words. That will lesson your trouble and your readers” (p.320).

There is no mention of Ayodhya and the temple there. The translator simply remarks that these pages are missing in the Turkish originals regarding Babur’s campaigns of North India in 1528. 

Even though Islam strictly forbids its adherers from practicing homosexuality and proffers severe punishment for its practitioners, we see from his diary that Babur was one, or a bisexual, rather. He writes about a slave boy in his hometown Andijan, “In those days I discovered in myself a strange inclination – no, a mad infatuation – for a boy in the camp’s bazaar, his name Baburi being apposite. Until then I had no inclination of love and desire for anyone, by hearsay or experience. From time to time Baburi appeared before me. But out of modesty and bashfulness, I could never look directly at him. How then could I make conversation with him? In my joy and agitation, I couldn’t even thank him for coming. One day, during that period of desire and passion, when I was walking with companions along a lane and suddenly saw him face to face, I got into such a state of confusion that I almost lost my senses. To look straight at him or string words together was impossible” (p.61)

The book is good to read and helps greatly to reveal the medieval king’s mind before the reader and keep us amazed at the swiftness and arbitrariness of justice in those times. Babur’s state of mind at the instant of pronouncing verdict determined the fate of the accused.

The book is highly recommended.

Rating: 3 Star