Five hundred years ago, Emperor Humayun was a sovereign on the run, with his dynasty’s future hanging by a thread. At that precarious juncture, the Ranas in Amarkot (now Umerkot, Tharparkar, Sindh) bestowed refuge upon Queen Hamida Bano Begum and the newborn prince Akbar. Without their protection, the Empress and the infant prince might have been captured by the forces of the rebel and usurper General Sher Shah Suri.
In that case, Akbar’s cradle could have instantly become his grave, and the course of history would have been altered. History thus owes a considerable debt to the Royal Ranas of Tharparkar for their rectitude and noble act, as it not only saved the life of young Akbar but also paved the way for him to become one of the greatest rulers India has ever known.
Even if we buy into realpolitik considerations behind the decision of the Hindu Ranas in offering refuge to a Muslim royal family, it was a legendary lesson in kindness and compassion, one that undoubtedly etched itself into the young prince’s soul.
From the Archives: General Zia ul Haq visits deposed Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in the Government House, Murree, where he was kept in protective custody
Instead of cravenly surrendering to pressure, the fact that the Hindu Ranas chivalrously stood as a steadfast bulwark during the direst of times, defying all odds, must have left an indelible impression on Akbar.
Among the myriad intertwined influences that consciously committed him to his policy of pluralism and the coexistence of communities and cultures, this early lesson in friendship and fellowship imbibed in Amarkot must be counted as the most foundational one. In more ways than one, the Ranas of Tharparkar, by providing a safe haven to the infant prince, did more than save his life; they played a pivotal role in shaping an Imperial Colossus. Akbar’s vision that eventually earned him the honorific title of “The Great” was partly forged in that crucible of grace.
Today, this meaningful and mesmerizing saga of honor, hospitality, and harmony fades into oblivion, Harmony’s Labor Lost! The birthplace of Emperor Akbar in Umerkot, once a vibrant emblem of valor and virtue, now festers like a neglected pond, its stench rising from stagnant waters, overgrown with weeds and buzzing with mosquitoes. A narrow, unlit road winds toward this historic site, where a fragile, crumbling relic intended to honor that crucial chapter in our history lingers in neglect, forsaken by both the state and society. The air is thick with darkness and disrepair, a silent testament not only to our failure to preserve and cherish our history of harmony but also to the fading ideals of multiculturalism and mutualism.
This place that once symbolized the peaceful co-existence and collaboration of communities and cultures is now decaying, neglected by a state too distracted to care and by a society too deeply conditioned into following the dark path of differences and divisions. What should have been a cherished garden of fellowship and friendship, of pluralism and peaceful coexistence, has, both literally and metaphorically, transmogrified into a fusty site. This desolation reflects yet another profound loss: our abiding inability to learn from history. Perhaps we are so overwhelmed by our unending struggle for survival that all our will, wit, and wisdom required to remember and uphold our honorable legacy have been drained.
Such evidence of fellowship and friendship, of coexistence and cooperation between communities and cultures, posed a direct threat to the colonial agenda of fracturing solidarity and perpetuating fragmentation. This narrative of cultural concord contradicted the imperial project that rested on communal disunion, distrust, and disputes. That is why we could expect the colonial regime to elide this fascinating saga, as it directly undermined their toxic creed of eternal and unbridgeable differences, cunning confabulations crafted by the imperialists to keep the Indian society splintered and subdued, thus enhancing as well as prolonging their iron grip.
However, our post-colonial state fared no better; it did not reject or condemn the corrosive colonial mindset it inherited.
Even after decolonization, we neglected to embrace the sanguine path of pluralism and tolerance values that could have led the way to an alternative vision grounded in respect and reciprocity between communities and cultures, and thus hopefully fostering growth and development. Instead, we became trapped in a never-ending cycle of instability and insecurity based on binary divisions-shackles passed down from the defunct colonial regime.
We failed to preserve and uphold the values and virtues ingrained in this grand narrative of goodwill and concord. Consequently, our political landscape now stands as a denuded monument, much like the site where this story of honor, hospitality, and harmony unfolded, a place where pluralism, tolerance, and coexistence lie discarded. Harmony’s Labor Lost.
Emperor Akbar’s birthplace in Umerkot also serves as a spectral echo of a deeper, unrelenting wound. Five centuries ago, Emperor Humayun and his family fell victim to usurpation by General Sher Shah Suri, compelling them to flee from Suri’s rebel forces in hot pursuit.
Tragically, the same disheartening struggle between rogue praetorians and rightful rulers endures even to this day. The lawful Humayuns still flee from our rap-scallion Suris, and it is no coincidence that not far from Akbar’s birthplace lies the grave of another legitimate Humayun, hanged in 1979 by another usurping Suri of the times who had unconstitutionally and illegally seized power following yet another coup d’état in 1977.
The age-old conflict between legitimate rulers and illegitimate praetorians remains unresolved, even after five centuries. The riddle of the Roman poet.
Juvenal (100 CE) “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?” (Who will guard the guards themselves?) remains unsolved and continues to plague our state. Had we truly learned from history, we could have found solutions to the problem of the endless cycle of coups d’état by centurions against civilian leaders
This momentous and mesmerizing story from our past carries yet another poignant lesson for our times. Five centuries ago, at least one valorous family in Amarkot was willing to face overwhelming odds, risking the wrath of the usurping potentates of the era to provide a safe haven for a legitimate sovereign in distress. Five centuries later, we must ask: Are any valiant and virtuous Ranas of Tharparkar left in our land who would dare to shelter a rightful ruler in distress from a rogue supplanter?
The virtues of pride and principle that this consequential story once embodied have faded away. Perhaps our relentless daily struggle for survival has sapped the time, tenderness, and talent needed to nurture such noble and gracious traditions.
Five centuries later, we must ask: Are any valiant and virtuous Ranas of Tharparkar left in our land who would dare to shelter a rightful ruler in distress from a rogue supplanter?
By neglecting this chapter of our history, with its vision of friendship and fellowship, coexistence and cooperation, we have forsaken the very ideals that could have served as an alternative blueprint for a more principled, productive, and peaceful future.
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was hanged in 1979
This alternative vision of tolerance and harmony now lies buried beneath the harsh din of binary divisions and ceaseless disputes.
If we fail to revive the ethos of mutual respect and reciprocity, we risk remaining ensnared in the vicious cycles of division and distrust.
However we should very well know by now that history is neither just destiny nor mere contingency, it is also a mirror reflecting our choices and their consequences. We can unfetter ourselves from our current crisis of disputatious discord and build a better future worthy of our heritage by reclaiming this story’s forgotten but sagacious values echoing from our history.
“…What’s past is prologue, what to come, in yours and my discharge.”
Shakespeare: The Tempest
The writer is a lawyer & can be contacted at asim_ali@ksg03.harvard.edu
