Book: Conversations With Aurangzeb
Author: Charu Nivedita
Translator: Nandini Krishnan
Publisher: HarperCollins India
Pages: 348
Conversations With Aurangzeb by Charu Nivedita, translated from Tamil by Nandini Krishnan is a genre-blending fiction book. In the story, the writer while researching for his new novel about Catarina de San Juan, Shah Jahan’s first cousin stumbles upon an Aghori who could summon into his body the spirit of anyone whom one wishes to speak, and so the writer tries to speak to the spirit of Shah Jahan. But Shah Jahan is elbowed out by Aurangzeb and turns the trajectory of the research and the novel of the writer completely. And thus this book takes place through a series of conversations. Read the book to see the “spirit” side of Aurangzeb.
This was one of the most anticipated reads for me because I got to know about the book when I visited the HarperCollins India office in September last year, and I was intrigued by the title and its description.
The book has a lot of humorous and fun moments. From Aurangzeb mentioning lingos like “bro” and “dude” and making fun of them, being offended by a media’s favourite child who shares his name with His ancestor Taimur, to discussing Priyanka Chopra or Tamil Superstars, there is a lot of humour and satire in it, and the writing makes it more captivating and interesting. Also, it was the first time where I had seen a book with Prologue 0 to 5, covering around 50 pages and giving a whole new dimension to the book.
The conversation between Aurangzeb and Honourable Katib(as Aurangzeb’s spirit addresses the writer) focuses on a plethora of topics – democracy, genocide, taxes, rituals, heroism, Babur, Akbar, and Shah Jahan’s reign, Aurangzeb’s contemporaries and his comparisons with them, his “image” and Jawahar Lal Nehru, music, love, and things beyond Mughal’s Dynasty, giving it a flavour of contemporary fiction and making it much more than historical fiction.
The author refers to several other resources, readings, artists, and pieces of evidence that analyze the claims of Aurangzeb’s spirit, and at the same time, leaves many things for the understanding of the readers and makes them go a mile beyond to look for a few things further by themselves, making it a collaborative experience.
In the Translator’s Note, Nandini Krishnan writes, “I do hope it alarms, frightens, and makes you want to throw it across the room. It is rather heavy, though, so I also hope you choose a worthy target to aim it at.” And I can say that the book succeeded in its aim.
It would be a very absurd analogy to give, but the way Aurangzeb’s conversation was written looked like Sajid Khan’s appearance in Big Boss(IYKYK!). And so many times when Aurangzeb’s spirit was talking about Ashoka, Shivaji, and others, I can imagine him saying the viral dialogue by Shehnaaz Gill- “Twada Kutta Tommy, Sadda Kutta Kutta”
Although the writing remains fascinating, after a point, the conversation looks repetitive and the interest starts to fade if I can say! The conversation looks like ranting and what looks humorous at the beginning becomes irritating!
Overall, this is a book that cannot be molded in any existing structures and makes a way on its own with the genre-blending, thought-provoking, diverse themes, narratives, and writing style and makes the readers look at things from an entirely new perspective. So if you want to read anything that’s out of the box, this one can fulfill that requirement.
Rating: 3.5/5
I was provided a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
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