The Mulberry Courtesan: A novel by Sikeena Karmali

The Mulberry Courtesan: A novel by Sikeena Karmali

Published by: Aleph Book Company

Historical Fiction, 259p

Rating: 3.75/5

Book Summary:

In 1857, the shadows are falling thick and fast on what is left of the Mughal empire. The last emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, is a broken, bitter man in his eighties who has retreated into religion and poetry. Zafar’s empire extends no further than the precincts of his grand palace, the Red Fort in Delhi, but this hasn’t prevented numerous court intrigues and conspiracies from flourishing within the Lal Qila; these involve the emperor’s wives, children, courtiers, hangers-on and English functionaries among others. Flung into this poison pit is Laale, a young woman from an Afghan noble family, abducted from her home in the mountains and sold into the Mughal emperor’s court as a courtesan. Fiery, independent and beautiful, the ‘mulberry courtesan’ captures the ageing emperor’s heart, giving him hope and happiness in his last years. Told against the backdrop of India’s great revolt of 1857 and the last days of the Mughal empire, The Mulberry Courtesan is an epic tale of romance, tragedy, courage and adventure.

*My Review:

*Thank you Aleph Book Company for this review copy.

The Mulberry Courtesan by Sikeena Karmali is set from 1852 onwards and focuses at length on the events and tumultuous times in British India during the 1857 revolt. It follows the story of Laale, a beautiful and intelligent girl who at 19 is set to marry her cousin. Fate intervenes and a Sepoy of the British East India Company abducts Laale in order to gift her to his English commanding officer. What follows in the life of Laale from this point on is the crux of the book: at times, Laale is just carried away by the pull of events around her with no say or power in how she is being treated but at times, she comes to her own and holds her agency in shaping the course of her life. From being raped, to being sold in a slave market, to being taken in by the neglected and sidelined wife of the Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar; Laale take things to her stride with an intelligence and purity of her soul that ultimately brings her face to face with the Emperor with whom she develops a deep spiritual and intellectual bond. She becomes the 8^th wife of the Emperor in a secret ceremony and gives birth to a son who is presented as a girl so the child would not fall prey to the intrigues and scheming of the Court and the Emperor’s wives and concubines.

I absolutely loved it that the rivalry between the court poet of Bahadur Shah Zafar and Mirza Ghalib gets a mention in this book. The later becomes Laale’s poetry mentor at the request of the Emperor’s first wife who is trying to reclaim her influence over her husband ruler of the Mughal Emperor. The catty comments of the courtiers at the Mughal Court when Laale recites her composition insinuating that she couldn’t have written the verses for herself makes for a delightful scene for we all know that many women of the Mughal Court were lettered.

The book is an engrossing read and the pace never settles down: I read it in a day. I loved every moment of the political undercurrents of the book along with the more spiritual aspects of Bahadur Shah Zafar who has often been misconstrued as being a ‘weak ruler’. The closing part of the book that sees Laale safe with her son and hearing about the death of Bahadur Shah Zafar in Rangoon is almost poetic and made me wish Laale had been a real person who stood by the Emperor in the manner that the book has portrayed. However, I am putting short of giving a 4 star to this book for I felt that the book was rushed in parts: I definitely wanted more of Laale’s thoughts and not just as reactions to people asking about her life or situation. Recommended for historical fiction lovers!

You can get more details of the book here: AlephBookCompany