THE ABDUCTION OF EMPEROR JAHANGEER BY NAMELY MOHABBAT KHAN AND HIS 20,000 HINDU HORSEMEN

THE ABDUCTION OF EMPEROR JAHANGEER BY NAMELY MOHABBAT KHAN AND HIS 20,000 HINDU HORSEMEN

INDULGED IN AN UNIMAGINABLE INCIDENT IN HISTORY OF LAHORE REGION

The rebel General Mohabbat Khan
The rebel General Mohabbat Khan

The capacity of men to do the unusual is always there. But to abduct an Emperor is something which cannot comes in the mind of any person. Mohabbat Khan and his twenty thousand Hindu horsemen were bent upon doing the impossible. They had become too powerful and the Mughal administration wanted to reign them. They did not like the idea of being dictated upon in any way. The result they planned the abduction of the Emperor himself..

Mohabbat Khan
Mohabbat Khan

The Emperor was on his way to Kashmeer, The Army had crossed over as well as others. The Emperors entourage was left, which means the Emperor and few of his selected tour members. A tactical mistake. The Rajputs waded in the river, cut of the bridge, and forced the Emperor to go with them. The Emperor was going to draw his sword and end it there and then but was dissuaded to do so. Mohabbat Khan disappeared with the Emperor.

07-Nur-Jahan-and-Jahangeer-(Print)
Nur-Jahan-and-Jahangeer

When Nur Jahan found out, she rushed for the rescue of her husband on an elephant with her infant daughter and the daughter’s nurse maid. She was accompanied by her four trusted eunuchs including Jawahar Khan and Nadeem. All eunuchs lost their lives for the Queen. Crossing the river was not an easy task and she came under direct attack,. Hale of arrows were showered on them and they too showered arrows on the enemy. The nurse maid was wounded and some say so was Ladli Begum. The women were drenched with blood and the elephant virtually wounded, the eunuchs killed in action. But Nur Jahan escaped to Lahore on her elephant. Asif Khan fled with his army to Rohtas Fort. Realizing there was no other way except to surrender if she wanted to be with her husband she did so. Both Emperor and his Queen were abducted and taken to Kabul. For two years the Emperor was imprisoned in Kabul. And nobody really knew. Then Nur Jahan started her diplomatic skills. Soon battles erupted between he Hindu horsemen and the Pathans there in Kabul and both could not tolerate each other. Nur Jahan formented rebellion and Mohabbat Khan was forced to flee from Kabul. The dissent became so intense, that Mohabbat Khan literally fled from the scene.

The incident remains the most bizarre in the history of the world. We literally think it is movie material and a really thrilling adventure movie can be made out of it. And what makes it more unique, that it is all real. It actually happened here in our world. The abduction of the Emperor himself.

AFTER ALIEN SIGHTINGS COME THE MEN IN BLACK, UNRESOLVED MYSTERY – CHUGHTAI MUSEUM VISITED BY STRANGE APPARITIONS DISGUISED AS ART LOVERS

AFTER ALIEN SIGHTINGS COME THE MEN IN BLACK, UNRESOLVED MYSTERY
CHUGHTAI MUSEUM VISITED BY STRANGE APPARITIONS DISGUISED AS ART LOVERS

DISGUST PREVAILS OVER SUCH NINCOMPOOPS

Men in Black
Men in Black

M.A. Rahman Chughtai used to make a very aristocratic statement, which we could not understand then. He would says EXPOSING COMMON PEOPLE TO FINE ARTS DOES THEM MORE HARM THAN GOOD. We did not follow his suggestion. We would let every Tom, Dick and Harry into our museum. And what happened? It startled us. People with no knowledge of Art of any kind, were ready to make sweeping statements which bewildered us beyond comprehension.

We really cannot understand these MEN IN BLACK. The strangest statements are made to us. Why we have trees on our site? Why we have pet birds? Why we do not have thirty shops in front for us to raise money every month? Why we have a museum at all? What is a museum? What benefits do we get out of same? It is mind boggllng how ridiculous people can get? Some people have a word or two as a stereotype. Where is the Murraqqa Chughtai? Where is Amal e Chughtai? Why is there a MATT finish. Glossy is in! Why not better for us to open a shadi ghar? Rent out the upper portion. Young men claim to be above hundred. Teachers from Okara promise me Desi Ghee as compensation for my time. Stone specialists from Khanewal trying to bribe my guards. People claiming to be close buddies of those in power, promising immediate changing of our future. Disgust is all that remains at low IQ and EQ of people

Saifullah aged 116 visitor
Saifullah aged 116 visitor

Then there are those SELF STYLED CRITICS who try to tell us and find faults with the Art in itself. This line should have gone straight, this arm is too long, the face too broad and what not? Why so many clothes in the Art? Why there are no clothes in the Art? Geometrical drawing is not right. ALLAH MAFI DO IN ULOO KAY PATHAON SAY! No knowledge of Art and claiming to be Master Critics.

The people on the internet are no different. Countless enquiries, when we reply with love and gusto, no reply at all. Sending us attachments to open to hack us, to destroy us, to bombard us out of existence. Yes, there are individual ZEROS like this, but there are also lobbies. Lobbies working at behest of foreign lobbies, who get irritated at our national work. My computer person tells me with a laughter., People get paid by millions to destroy the Ideology of Pakistan, you are doing it free to stop the same. You are promoting Ideology with your heart and soul.

I had good,loving parents. They were true Muslims and true lovers of Pakistan. They used to say PAISA TO KANGEROAN KAY PASS BE HOTA HAI, IZZAT KISI KISI KO MILTI HAI. Low IQ governmental people have no idea of people who can sacrifice for their country. Who would understand Sir Syed Ahmad Khan today? And yet Aligarh is still there. I thank all those who have given us love and respect and dignity to our souls. There are good guys who came here but with each moment, the number is getting less and less.

Russian delegtion the good guys
Russian delegtion the good guys

I specially indebted to all foreigners who come here, amazing people. They enjoy Art to the fullest. I feel proud of their visit. Thousands of foreigners have come here, hardly any one has disappointed me. A simple fact, Pakistanis are not aesthetically knowledgeable people. And the followers of Art Gimmicky in Pakistan has put them in total spin of anarchy. In the end artists like M.A. Rahman Chughtai are essential for the Identity of Pakistan. When it was words for Dr Allama Iqbal, here there are images. An image of Pakistan to come! It is this future which keeps us kicking. It is the future which gives us hope. We know we are essential to Pakistan, and Pakistan is essential to us. Yes, Pakistan Forever!

A SCARCE MENTION OF THE PALACE OF NUR JAHAN IN LAHORE – MUHAMMED TAHER ASHIANA INAYAT KHAN DETAILED MENTION

A SCARCE MENTION OF THE PALACE OF NUR JAHAN IN LAHORE
MUHAMMED TAHER ASHIANA INAYAT KHAN DETAILED MENTION

DESTROYED BY RANJIT SINGH WITH 2000 OTHER MUSLIM MONUMENTS

08-Nur-Jahan
08-Nur-Jahan

There is romance woven around Nur Jahan. From total obscurity, we are told of the tale of her being left behind in her parents rough travail towards Hindustan. Her survival and rise to phenomenal power is the stuff of dreams. When she retired to Lahore, with a Royal pension of Two lakh rupees annually, she built a residence of her own, along with her designated mausoleum. The only person who has given us the details is Inayat Khan alias of Muhammed Taher Ashiana.

Inayat Khan was son of Zafar Khan. Both father and son were highly patronized by the State and both supported Prince Dara Shikoh in his struggle. But they were so much loved by the people, that both were forgiven by Emperor Aurangzeb and reinstated on Royal roles. Inayat Khan was in Lahore too, writing about things here. Perhaps the only one to give us a description in verse of the Aineh Khana of Dara Shikoh. He has also given us a description of the residence of Nur Jahan in Lahore. The details are:

Inayat Khan
Inayat Khan

1. The residence was known as CHAHAR CHAMAN.
2. There were four gardens co-joined of 100 guz each.
3. The mausoleum and residence cost 3 lakh rupees and took four years to complete.
4. The mausoleum had a high bulbous dome.
5. Eastern wall is same to other two mausoleums.
6. The havelli had a mosque and on its opposite side a balancing jawab, copy of the mosque.
7. Only Nur Jahan was buried there.
8. The place was full of Quranic inscriptions and names of Allah on walls.

Obviously the same does not exist like that anymore, for first the Sikhs tore it apart and then the British did the same.

There is a description of a bulbous DOME on it, sky high. It is not there any more. But it was not removed recently. It seems when the dome of the Mausoleum of Emperor Jahangeer was removed, so went the dome of Empress Nur Jahan. This is attributed to Emperor Bahadur Shah, who was claustrophobic in nature.

The amazing thing about this description is the concept of a Mosque and a JAWAB of a mosque to balance the same. We find it ideally expressed in the mosque of the Taj Mahal of Agra, in which to balance a mosque there was a JAWAB (copy in reverse) to same. The same was also expressed in Lahore in the mausoleum of Mian Lutuf ullah Khan son of Saad ullah Khan. There was a mosque and a balancing building with it. Even in the mausoleum of Nawab Asif Khan, a jawab mosque was made to the old one in the Serai. The same thing is mentioned here that there was a Mosque in the Palace of Nur Jahan and then there was a balancing mosque type building to same. Although there may be more of same, we have not heard of any other building with same principles and this is a landmark design of Ustad Ahmad Mimar Lahori and his family. The Taj Mahal was completed in Nur Jahan’s lifetime and it must have affected her in a way. Once upon a time she was very close to Arjamund Bano herself, one of her favourite nieces., Then Four portions of the garden, each of one hundred guz speak of Euclidean principles. It shows that the family of Ustad Ahmad Mimar were attached to Nur Jahan and her buildings in some way surely. The architect of Emperor Jahangeer’s mausoleum was Ustad Abdul Kareem Lahori.

Inayat ullah son of Zafar Khan Shahjahani
Inayat ullah son of Zafar Khan Shahjahani

In her Diwan she speaks of a mosque MASJID NAHR WALI and also NAHR LAHORE. There was an artificial extension of the river Ravi, which used to take water in a canal to the Mughal buildings, and one hear of an extension going to Hiran Minar itself. Nur Jahan also mentions a lady by the name of MEHR AFROZE. Her own name was Mehrun nisa, but this name is new to history. Maybe the actual name of her daughter Ladli Begum, who is buried in Allahabad, contrary to perception of burial in Lahore.

More on her later.

Nur Jahan tomb
Nur Jahan tomb

WHEN ARTIST M.A. RAHMAN CHUGHTAI LANDED IN BOMBAY – THE STORY OF BUTKADAH FILM PRODUCTIONS AND ASHOK KUMAR

WHEN ARTIST M.A. RAHMAN CHUGHTAI LANDED IN BOMBAY,
THE STORY OF BUTKADAH FILM PRODUCTIONS AND ASHOK KUMAR

Ashok Kumar Gangoly
Ashok Kumar Gangoly

An episode in the life of the artist of Lahore

After the return of M.A. Rahman Chughtai from Europe in 1938, there were acute financial issues. He found a solution in publication of the book CHUGHTAI PAINTINGS. The lure of writing had not gone away from him. It came in the form of his writing of FILM SCRIPTS. He wrote a number of film scripts, a few in URDU and one even in PUNJABI. The urdu one was named SEHERBEEN (viewing box), which was the story of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahall. The Punjabi one was Thandi Chawan (Cool Shelters). Some of these scripts we still have, one was presented to Dallip Kumar, who did not even had the courtesy to acknowledge same. Maybe he should return it one day.

Chughtai artist
Chughtai artist

Realizing that commercial houses will not venture into Art Productions, Chughtai launched a FILM PRODUCTION HOUSE, and named it BUTKADAH CINE ART CENTER. Advertisements appeared in the local press and were entitled “CHUGHTAI KO KHOOBSURAT CHAHRYOAN KEE TALASH HAI”. Many well known people came for the interview. One was Pari Chayra Naseem to the house. In those war times it was not easy to get registered and launch such a thing. An investor was ready to finance him and the British Government gave him special permission to import relevant equipment for same. After the initial attempts, the decision was to move to Bombay itself.

Butkadah Cine Centre
Butkadah Cine Centre

When Chughtai landed in Bombay, the news spread far and wide. Parties were being arranged and Chughtai was amongst the film stars. Here he met the second Gangoly in his life. That is Ashok Kumar, the iconic actor. Everything was in place and everything was moving in the right direction. Ashok Kumar made a statement which startled the artist. He said you will be a big success in film industry and you will make a name in it, but your own ART will die its natural end. This sentence shocked the artist and made his head spin. Irritating and annoying all his comrades as well as the investor, Chughtai decided to leave Bombay and come back to Lahore. The money of the investor was returned and the right of Film Production given away. There was nothing in the world which would substitute his desire to remain an artist. Film production was a sacrifice which he gave away easily. Few people know about Butkadah, an episode in the life of M.A. Rahman Chughtai.

Applicant Butkadah
Applicant Butkadah
Aspiration Butkadah
Aspiration Butkadah
Pari Chayra Naseem and Butkadah
Pari Chayra Naseem and Butkadah

A CARTOON FROM THE PAST REFLECTING ISLAMIC STATES – THE SITUATION STILL THE SAME FOR MUSLIMS OF WORLD

A CARTOON FROM THE PAST REFLECTING ISLAMIC STATES
THE SITUATION STILL THE SAME FOR MUSLIMS OF WORLD

CHARLES DE GAULLE AND WINSTON CHURCHILL DOG TREATMENT

Uniiting Islamic states by Churchill and De Gaulle
Uniiting Islamic states by Churchill and De Gaulle

An album got sold and dumped in the junk yard. There were other albums. A person in Lahore had gathered clips from newspapers and made a book out of same. Short hand written notes illustrated the mind of people at that time. A cartoon caught our attention. It is dated 28th February, 1945 and is made by some cartoonist M. Hanif. Must be in vogue at that time.

Charles De Gaulle
Charles De Gaulle

Charles De Gaulle of France and Winston Churchill of Great Britain have a multiple strings in their hands and uniting the diverse Islamic States by treating all of them as DOGS. Anything new here! Churchill is claiming that they have treated all in same way and united them as dogs of Western Imperialism.

A lot of cartoonist sprung in Pakistan. We used to read NANNA of Anwar Sahib all the time in the “Pakistan Times”. But they were more of a social commentary, less political jibe. Today Shaukat Mahmood is making lot of cartoons with political bite in them as Maxim. All credit goes to Pakistani cartoonists who never got harnessed by the political circles. We need more like them today!

Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill