Book review: An Unholy Drought by Madhulika Liddle
Where history and embroidery come alive
This story is as detailed, as intricate, as a naqsha for an elaborate tapestry. In a time of turbulence, drought and famine, a man nearing his end starts narrating the story of his family’s life. Through this narrative that spans generations, the sprawling saga of a family and the historical events of that time are neatly intertwined.
Historically, it begins with the declining days of the Delhi Sultanate and ends with Akbar winning the Second Battle of Panipat, heralding the dawn of his long illustrious reign.
This book is the second of four in a series called ‘The Delhi Quartet.’ Its prequel ‘The Garden of Heaven’ has a magnificent stone frieze that plays an important part in both book one and two. The frieze is sold due to misjudgement by a character. Repenting soon enough, he entrusts the job of finding the frieze to his nephew, who then moves to Delhi in order to do so, where he is joined by his wife Aabida.
Aabida changes the fortunes of her family. Through pluck and enterprise, she sets up a brocade workshop. She also manages to gain entry into the royal court to sell pieces from her workshop. This relationship with the court lasts many generations and of course, the fortunes of the former impacts the latter.
Real-life characters interact with the fictional seamlessly. It is the meeting between Aabida and Bibi Ambha, the Hindu wife of Bahlol Lodhi who is the Sultan ruling Delhi, that paves the way for the former to start selling pieces from the workshop to the court. Aabida also manages to get a job for her husband in the process. She has the foresight to move from embroidery to brocade work, sensing that would be more appealing and profitable. Thus, she leaves a legacy for her sons to continue with.
Later this relationship between the royal court and the workshop is cast into jeopardy, due to the actions of one member of the family who is imprisoned on grave charges. Like Aabida earlier, it is this man’s wife who then takes charge of matters. She plans her husband’s escape from prison and from Delhi. This incident, however, leads to a closure of business between the court and the workshop.
Still later, it is yet another woman who is responsible for reviving the ties. The woman in question is an extremely gifted nashqband whose exquisite work leads to the court becoming a customer again. Sikandar Lodhi now rules Delhi and his chief queen, Dilawar Begum, is amenable to restoring ties. Some years on, a charming lesson in the right way of eating a mango leads to a relationship between the court, now ruled by Babur, and a skilled calligrapher who is one of the family.
The women in this story come across as strong, audacious and determined while staying in the ambit of dutiful wives and mothers. They are clear- sighted about the reality of their flawed husbands but are still able to do right by them. In their ability to take charge, they show both purpose and clarity. They do not bemoan their fate but set about trying to change it as best they can.
In contrast to them, the men come across as gullible and weak. One takes on the task for atoning for an uncle’s mistake with nary a thought on how this going to affect his family. Another is cheated by an unscrupulous character he falls in love with. The chronicler of the story agrees to a compromise suggested by his father- in- law, to buy peace at home and follow his dreams. Things happen to these men; rarely do they take charge like the women do.
Delhi of the fifteenth century is a sharply delineated character in this tale and there is wonderful world- building employed in bringing the city alive. The details act as backdrop to the story. The author sees the Garden of Heaven as a metaphor for Delhi itself, both beautiful and dangerous. The brocade-weaving and the naqshas are described in such exquisite detail, the reader can almost see the brocade fabric, the embroidery, and the pattern. The importance of having a gifted naqshband is a vital point put clearly across.
The story alternates between the present and the past. The ‘interludes,’ as they are called, take place in the present with the storyteller transcribing his family`s past to his grandson. The grandson, on his part, has a way of seeing the world in binaries but there is candour in his words, as well as a kind of brutal honesty.
At the end, one still does not know what has happened to the frieze, which is to be expected as this is only the second book of the quartet. With a smooth blend of the historical and the personal, sharp period detail and an absorbing story, this well -researched book is an entertaining read.
An Unholy Drought. By Madhulika Liddle. Speaking Tiger Books.368 pages.599 rupees.
This ran in the Sunday Express Magazine of 11 August 2024.
Sheila Kumar • August 11, 2024