BOOK- FERDOWSNAMA
AUTHOR- Shandana Minhas
Published by- Vintage
PRICE- ₹399
Shandana Minhas has named her novel Ferdowsnama for good reason; and therein lies an intriguing revelation for the reader.
Although the idea of the expansion of empire by great wars tends to ignite the imagination of readers of historical fiction, Minhas’s book focuses on a more covert tool of conquest — manufactured narrative. This tale of adventure and exploration, set in sixteenth-century India, offers glimpses of how stories of valour and benevolence abetted the cause of territorial expansion.
The warrior, Amar Singh, the artist, Qamaruz Zaman, the tracker, Jingu, and the scholar, Ferdows, form a team of scouts for the Great Moghul’s imperial hunt. They travel to the troubled parts of the empire, assess the situation, and come up with a plan to neutralise the threat. The Great Moghul comes in at the last moment with his hunting party and assures the people of deliverance, the scouts work together in secret to complete the mission, and the Great Moghul takes credit after an extravagant — often fake — display of bravery. The tales of his glory spread far and wide; his subjects accept his dominion and hail him as their saviour, and new territories are acquired. This narrative-making itself expands and sustains the Great Moghul’s empire, which is why the artist and the chronicler sometimes eclipse the tracker and the warrior.
What is particularly interesting is Ferdows’s self-reflexive understanding of the deceitful nature of the enterprise. As the narrator, she paints a mythical imagery of the Great Moghul’s superhuman accomplishments for the readers and then effortlessly cuts through that very imagery by acknowledging the role that each of the scouts played to ensure the ruler’s success.
Despite being an imaginative piece of fiction, Ferdowsnama demystifies the ‘supernatural’ elements of the story. Paranormal theories are meticulously debunked: Maya, the rogue elephant, does not get possessed by a demon; the terror of Tirkot does not turn out to be a mysterious half-lion, half-woman deity; the unfortunate lovers in Dogra do not end up summoning an otherworldly shadow being by breaking the clan code; and the Rajput chieftain does not get killed by sorcery in Zikri. Instead, Minhas presents fascinating conclusions to the mysteries that are fully tethered to the real world.
The final revelation retains its shock value, but there are no further explanations, leaving many questions unanswered. An additional chapter tying up the loose ends would have given readers a succulent ending.