Hunting Skills

Mandu, 1611

Jehangir set his matchlock and took a shot at the antelope, whose horns moved in the bushes. With the ear-deafening shot, a few birds flew away from the nearby trees. Nur Mahal had just targeted a wild rabbit with her bow and arrow, which also sprang away, making her give a disappointed stare at her husband. He smiled sheepishly. It was the third week into the vacation, and every dawn they had set out to hunt, in search of the tiger they competed over.

But in vain, all they found were a few antelopes, wild boars and rabbits. Jahangir kept persuading Nur Mahal to use the matchlock he carried; she insisted she could hunt better without the ear-deafening noise. Today, they were headed for a tree house in the forest. The locals guaranteed tiger sightings there.

Nur Mahal was atop an elephant, while Jahangir wrote another. Some of these days, she had to ride horses around the forest too, but in vain, in search of tigers. In their leisure time, they savoured the different types of wines, whose taste, processing and texture the Padshah intriguingly described to his Begum, she overlooked the preparation of her favourite recipes for him, recited poetry and at other times, in the quiet darkness of the night, they poured their heart and soul out to each other, entangled, in the union. What Nur Mahal liked the most was the absence of court politics in this life and in their discussions, except for the occasional messengers that kept arriving from Agra to take his signatures. Nur Mahal had written letters to Ladli and sent them via these messengers. She hadn’t gotten a reply from any of them. She was worried when Arjumand dismissed her worry with a letter that Ladli was with her.

It never struck Nur Mahal that something could be amiss in the situation. She was happy after so long. Contended with Jahangir by her side and blended into the life that she knew she was always destined for. Did she sound vain to herself when she admitted that? Perhaps. But if a woman didn’t know her own worth, neither would the world, right?

Ladli Begum stared at the letters, in perfume-sprinkled papers, with envelopes bearing the royal seal and sign of a queen. She never opened them. As she lay on the grass looking at a bird feeding its chicks up in the nest, it was Arjumand who read the letters of Nur Mahal sitting under the same tree. She was fascinated by life at Mandu, the adventures of hunting her aunt wrote about and the leisure activities. Ladli Begum listened inattentively, not at all eager to know about her mother’s time with the emperor. She was unaware that Arjumand wrote to her mother as well. To her, Aapa was still the only one she could trust. Only one? Ladli sighed. That would be a lie.

Almost in the late afternoon, the barking deer had alerted the hunting troops. Nur Mahal straightened her back and shared a glance with her husband. Jahangir nodded. The barking deer in its dog-like call alerted the jungle every time a tiger was out hunting; near where the elephants hid was a clearing where the royal hunting party had tied up a goat to lure the tiger in. All eyes were on it now. The Mahaut almost stopped breathing, and the elephants stood still. The soldiers on horses were alert.

Suddenly, there was a sound, almost like a growl. It was coming from the jungle on the left. Jahangir aimed his matchlock, Nur Mahal her bow and arrow. She smirked at him. She was winning this! Jahangir shook his head. He was not going down to his lady love so easily. Not without a fight.

Suddenly, an antelope jumped out of the bushes and straight into the clearing, startling them. Jahangir lowered his matchlock a little in disappointment. A false alarm. Nur Mahal held her position. He narrowed his eyes at her and stared in the direction she was looking. Something moved in the bushes. He was not sure what it was. He aimed the matching lock again.

Suddenly, they could see the tiger, about to pounce on the tired and unaware antelope, grazing beside the goat, still alert. Jahangir took his aim. Nur Mahal raised her hand to him. As if to say, “Wait for it.” He didn’t take a shot. Instead, he aimed his matchlock at the deer. The tiger pounced on it and managed to get hold of its back. The matchlock was shot, and an arrow flashed through the air.

Nur Mahal stood smiling at her prize, for the arrow had hit the tiger, while the matchlock hit the back of the deer. Jahangir stood impressed, declaring her a better hunter than himself.

“I thought waiting would make the tiger alert, and we would miss it.” He said.

“Well, we now have two hunts in one arrow!” She smiled.

“You amaze me,” Jahangir whispered into her ears, making her giggle softly, tilting her head back.

“Time for a feast tonight then?” She asked as he nodded.

“Salaam, Nur Mahal Begum.” Hoshiyar Khan bowed. “Mirza Asaf Khan is here to see you.”

Jahangir and Nur Mahal exchanged a concerned look, as Nur Mahal immediately took the reins of one of the soldiers’ horses and sat on it. “I hope Ladli is fine.” She murmured. Jahangir took another horse and followed alongside Hoshiyar Khan back to the forest hunt palace.

“Padshah Salamat.” Mirza Asaf Khan bowed as Nur Mahal approached him before the Padshah.

“Is Ladli all right?” Her question made Asaf Khan look a little taken aback. “I am sorry, but I do not come from Agra but from Barhanpur, Begum. Is something wrong?” Nur Mahal shook her head.

“I just came to pay a visit to the Padshah and you...” He explained.

“Very well, Asaf Khan!” Jahangir smiled, “You have come on the right day! Begum Nur Mahal has just hunted a tiger we were after for days!” Asaf Khan looked amazed at his sister and back at the emperor. “You are welcome to dine with us tonight!”

“You are kind, Jahan Panah” He bowed and left. His last stare was something Nur Mahal knew very well. She was aware that the reason for his visit had to be something else, and not only to see them.

Asaf Khan had just taken off his turban and dagger when Hoshiyar Khan announced her arrival. Asaf looked at his sister in a Persian-style hat, approached him, and bowed.

“You should have called me over, Begum.” He said.

“Can I not visit my brother’s chambers?” Nur Mahal asked.

“You can, the empress cannot...” Asaf Khan reminded him, “It's not even been a month, the last thing I would do if I were you is to upset the emperor.” Nur Mahal frowned slightly at his words.

“And how exactly will I do that?” She asked with a hint of amusement. “By visiting my brother?”

“You killed a tiger. It was supposed to be the emperor’s hunt.” He shrugged.

Nur Mahal let out a small laugh of amusement “It is the hunt of whoever can be the hunter.”

“Have you ever seen or heard a woman ...” Nur Mahal raised her hand and made her brother stop.

“I am not here to talk of the Padshah or me.” She said disapprovingly, “I will not allow anyone to dictate my personal relationships. He is your Padshah; he is my husband first.”

“I apologise.” Asaf Khan said with a sigh.

“Now tell me why you are here?” Nur Mahal sat down on the cushion.

Asaf Khan stared at his sister with a frown. “I told you...”

“You told the Padshah. I know you are here for something, and it's probably got to do with me. So tell me.”

Asaf Khan sat beside his sister and shrugged. “I fear your intelligence at times.” He said as her eyes sparkled proudly, “Man’s greatest enemy is his mind.”

“Oh, really?” She asked, amused, “Then what about women? Who is our greatest enemy? The mind of men?” Asaf Khan smiled, shaking his head as Nur Mahal laughed.

“I am here for Arjumand.” He said when Nur Mahal had stopped.

“Arjumand?” Nur Mahal asked, “I received her letter a few days back and...”

“Ever since Qandahari Begum has given birth to the girl child, letters from Shehzaade Khurram are not that frequent. I am afraid he is taking a liking to his Begum.” Asaf Khan spoke carefully, lowering his voice. Nur Mahal shook her head.

“You are not afraid of his liking for his Begum, you are scared he doesn’t like Arjumand anymore.” She said.

“Isn’t it the same thing?” Asaf Khan frowned. Nur Mahal shook her head.

“No.” She said, adjusting her bangles, “It is not.” Asaf Khan waited for her to speak.

“The Padshah likes Jagat Gossain Begum more than a lot of others. He cares for Sahila Begum or the late Shah Begum, perhaps more than he ever cared for his children. But...” Nur Mahal looked at her brother “He loves me.”

Asaf Khan’s jaws tightened. Whether this newfound confidence of Nur Mahal was simply because she was married to the Padshah or from something else, it was hard for him to decipher.

“You sound overconfident.” He said quickly, “The mind of men is very fleeting...”

“Is it?” She said, “But what if I tell you Shehzaade Khurram can care for his Begums and children all he wants and in the end, he will always love Arju, will it not be enough?” She was met with Asaf Khan’s silence.

“Fine.” She shrugged, “I will ask the emperor about the wedding at dinner.” Asaf Khan smiled hopefully at her words. “But...” she was quick to add, “if he delays it, I can’t nag.” He agreed.

Jahangir smiled when Nur Mahal suggested that she desired to supervise the royal wedding of Shehzaade Khurram with Arjumand when they got back.

“After asking Sultana Begum, of course.” Nur Mahal sipped at her wine cup as she spoke, “But I would like to host the feasts and...take care of all the preparations.”

“I will make sure the wedding is arranged soon. I will write to Shehzaade Khurram asking him about the status of his expeditions.” Jahangir’s words made Nur Mahal share a glance with her brother. Asaf Khan had a sign of relief across his face.

Nur Mahal’s hunting is mentioned by Jahangir himself when she shot two lions with a single shot in 1617. She has also been mentioned as killing a tiger. This incident is fiction, inspired by her hunting skills, which he admired because I imagine there were many more hunting expeditions she excelled in than the ones mentioned.