Bøker av Royina Grewal

on the eve of the battle of panipat, zahiruddin muhammad babur gathers his forces to fight the formidable lodhi sultan and regain hindustan, the land of riches that his ancestor temur once ruled. his confidence is boosted by his pride in the martial skills of his beloved son and heir, humayun. but little do the father and son know that their biggest threat lies not in the fields of war, but within the intricate web of relationships they have woven around themselves babur with his wives, who are constantly engaged in games of oneupmanship, and humayun with the alluring concubine sona. can babur really trust anyone, even those who are closest to him? will the mughals be able to defeat their enemies, both outside and within?

The Taj Mahal is synonymous with Agra. But, as Royina Grewal discovers in her wanderings, there is much more to the city. Its strategic location on important trade routes attracted empire-builders from the Lodhis to the Mughals and the British, each of whom left their mark. Now, however, Agra has fallen prey to apathy and neglect. Large parts of the city have succumbed to decay and haphazard development, and the Yamuna River has become a stream of sludge. Only the spirit and enterprise of the everyday inhabitants of the once-glorious city sustain it.Juxtaposing the past with the present, delving into myth and history, and drawing upon her interactions with the city's diverse population, Grewal takes the reader on a fascinating journey through Agra, exploring its lanes and by-lanes, and its attractions other than the Taj, even as she investigates the significance of the monument in the lives of the locals. And as she helps us understand the reasons for Agra's spectacular decline, she also shows us signs of hope, looking at ways in which the city can be restored to some of its former glory. This revised edition of In the Shadow of the Taj is not just an ode to the city's past, but also offers deep and often surprising insights into its present, and its future.