New Delhi: Kebabs, ghazals, kathak, biryani — when one thinks of Awadh, these are the immediate associations that come to mind. But how many think of France?
The question of French influence on India was what led historian Ira Mukhoty to write her latest book, The Lion and The Lily: The Rise & Fall Of Awadh, which was launched quite appropriately at the Alliance Francaise in Delhi on 30 July.
The launch focused on how fluid 18th century India was, and the range of European influences in the region. It pushed back against the dominant narrative of total British control, painting a colourful, sumptuous picture of a hugely prosperous Awadh beyond the typical Ganga-Jamuni narrative. Using a slideshow presentation, Mukhoty unpacked the politics of the time by showcasing paintings and photographs — and how the various influences on them helped create a historical narrative, whether in India or Europe at the time.
“To use a sports metaphor for the first and last time, we often think of 18th century India in the way we think of Olympic teams — one team representing one country,” said Mukhoty. “But actually it was like the IPL, where people fought for whoever had the big bucks!”
Mukhoty, who is Indo-French herself, was in conversation with historian Anirudh Kanisetti. The chief guest was author and artist Muzaffar Ali, and the audience included historians like Rana Safvi and public figures such as senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar.
Through both the book and its launch, well-known historical figures like Shuja-ud-Daula and Warren Hastings came to life — along with people who’ve been lost to history, like the formidable and powerful Bahu Begum, Shuja-ud-Daula’s wife, who controlled much of Awadh, and a constellation of interesting French adventurers who had made their way to India and acclimated so well that they’d also got themselves zenanas (women’s quarters), trained cooks, and had Anglo-Indian children.
“The book shows that the decline of the Mughal Empire didn’t mean the end of independent Indian rulers. Instead it unleashed powerful, creative regional forces that arguably shaped us more than a single dominant empire—as was often the case in India’s history,” said Kanisetti to ThePrint.
He added that Mukhoty pushes back against the tendency to take colonial British sources as the final word on Indian culture, since she used a wide range of Urdu, Persian, and previously untranslated French sources to write the book.
“It shows how the British operated from a place of deep contempt and paranoia, and outright manufactured lies to justify their takeover of Indian states,” said Kanisetti.
“In particular, British hatred of Indian Muslim rulers fed into a constructed narrative of Hindu-Muslim antipathy—while Indian sources actually tell the opposite story, in Awadh and the other regional states of the 18th century.”
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The Awadh of the time
The diverse influences on Awadhi culture at the time was of primary interest to Mukhoty. When she posted a recipe for kebabs from Warren Hastings’ diary — found in the British Library — on X, the post went viral.
And it also confirmed her belief that these nuggets of history are what people are interested in too.
“It was very important to make these people as rounded as possible who are people, and not just names in our history books,” said Mukhoty.
Through her presentation, Mukhoty talked about how the British represented, or rather misrepresented, the nuances of Indian culture — from the influence and power of Nautch Girls (who were so wealthy they were the highest taxpayers) to the way in which Diwani rights were handed to the East India Company after the Battle of Buxar. She wanted to look at culture as a form of resistance, and deconstruct the notion that India had “nothing to say in the face of British might.”
“I wanted to push back on the idea of an inexorable rise of the British in India — that’s not at all what I found in the 18th century,” she said. “The French saw India as a land of wonder just as the British were starting their plunder.”
This theme of cultural syncretism — and that the roots of modern Indian culture are actually deeply situated in a variety of global influences — was something both Kanisetti and Ali also spoke about.
“We don’t understand Indian civilisation and culture the way these people did — and they were so grounded in it that they saw beauty in a faith they didn’t share,” said Ali in his opening remarks, launching the book.
“It’s something that’s important for future generations to understand. This Ganga-Jamuni culture is crafted beautifully, but with a strong, sad undercurrent of turmoil ripping things apart.”
The turmoil includes how rulers like Shuja-ud-Daula navigated a crumbling Mughal Empire as the British slowly accumulated power. One aspect was the presence of French leaders at his court, who would commission paintings and atlases to take back to France and bring Indian life to Europe.
And it wasn’t just European influence. During the Third Battle of Panipat, Shuja-ud-Daula chose to side with Ahmad Shah Abdali, regarded as the founder of modern-day Afghanistan. The Afghans, with Shuja-ud-Daula’s army, defeated the Marathas in a crucial military victory curbing their influence in North India. But Mukhoty pointed to an important caveat: Shuja-ud-Daula was unabashed in expressing his Shia identity despite being allied with the Sunni Afghans, and wanted to save the lives of Maratha soldiers after the war ended, convincing the Afghans to extend mercy.
“Such rulers were pragmatic enough to know that India was so diverse even then, and to respect that,” said Mukhoty.
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Writings from the zenana
Mukhoty, who has written extensively on women in Indian history, also talked about rediscovering the relationships within the zenana.
The women of Awadh had their own money and lands, which, according to Mukhoty, was shocking for the British who did their best to diminish the power of women.
Writings from the zenana are “very rare but very eye-opening,” and Mukhoty drew from a limited number of sources to talk of the relationships and rivalries between women in Awadh. Her presentation included two vastly different paintings of zenanas and Nautch Girls — one was commissioned by a Frenchman for a French audience, while another was by an Indian for an Indian audience.
Both show women as individuals – out in the open in their zenanas, enjoying themselves – without being derogatory or sexualising them, reflecting how both cultures recognised them as women with some degree of power. It was a very different depiction when compared to the usual British villainisation of women with agency.
“The British found it horrifying that a woman should have all this freedom and appoint ministers, they found it unwomanly,” said Mukhoty, referring to the influence Bahu Begum had over Awadh.
“‘Unwomanly’ is the best insult you can give a woman, especially in the 18th century,” she added, to laughter.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)