To the Discussion Leader
The year is 1627. The country is India. Author Kathryn Lasky introduces young readers to Princess Jahanara, the favorite daughter of Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal, for whom the Taj Mahal was built. In turn, Jahanara’s diary entries reveal to young people a royal world of privilege, treachery, tradition, joy, and tragedy. Jahanara’s love for her powerful parents is juxtaposed against an equally strong hatred between the Princess’ two brothers Dara and Aurangzeb. Then add to this familial discord, a conniving grandmother whom Jahanara describes this way: “But to me she is The Snake and she coils into my dreams at night. She strikes, hissing, into my thoughts. She poisons all around her....”
Her beloved country comes alive as the Princess describes Ramadan, writes of the Koran, details the increasing power of the East India Company, and describes territorial battles filled with the sounds of the Elephant Walk— “...the sound of skulls being crushed by the feet of elephants, of a face caving in as the elephant plants its immense foot squarely on the head of a wounded person.”
For her fourth book in the Royal Diaries series, Kathryn Lasky chose to tell Jahanara’s story after the author traveled to India and toured the rooms once occupied by the Princess. Lasky writes, “From all I could gather, Princess Jahanara was indeed a young woman of great intelligence and tolerance. If she had been able to rule, I am completely confident that she would have been in the tradition of her father and great-grandfather. That, of course, is the fun part of writing these fictional diaries: I, as a writer, can always imagine ‘what if?’ So for me the story really never ends.”
Today’s children and young adults will ask “what if?” as well. What if I had lived in India in the 1600s? What if I had to live a life where I was lavished with jewels but always had to be hidden behind the screens of purity? What if I could help starving people? What if? It’s a good question that lingers in the reader’s mind long after Jahanara’s last diary entry.
Summary
"Tonight I can hardly sleep, for tomorrow my father shall be crowned Emperor of India. It is too bad that the building of his throne, the one that he is calling the Peacock Throne cannot be completed in time. In fact, it will take seven years, but no matter. There will be magnificence enough," writes Princess Jahanara, eldest child of Shah Jahan. Jahanara has just turned fourteen in 1627. She and her family, which includes her mother, siblings, her father's other three wives, and numerous servants, have returned to their palace in Agra after being exiled for more than a year.
Jahanara lives in luxury, with "thirty servants and eight elephants trained especially for me." She has her own spacious living quarters, with walls inlaid with jewels, and a marble, bathing basin surrounded with flowers and vials of perfume. She is loved by all and is especially close to her mother Ami, who calls her, "my precious jewel." Yet, Jahanara is troubled. She repeatedly has nightmares about The Snake, and she longs to be reunited with her brothers Dara and Aurangzeb who were taken hostage three years earlier. When Dara and Aurangzeb are released, the reunion is bittersweet. Thirteen-year-old Dara is overjoyed to be back, but Jahanara sees a dramatic change in the behavior of ten- year-old Aurangzeb. He is sullen, rude, and critical of everything. Jahanara believes he is cursed, and she writes, "I feel as if I am caught between two brothers. One with no heart... The other with a heart, too large I do believe... One is supposed to be emperor and the other I believe would kill to be emperor."
Life is full, however, with banquets, games, foreign visitors, and lessons. Jahanara, a Muslim, learns about Hinduism and Christianity from her father's other wives. She also learns that women, although hidden behind screens from public view, have power: They see and hear everything, and the Emperor values their advice on matters of state.
It has been a time of peace, but when the Emperor's most trusted general joins forces with an opposing ruler, Shah Jahan must travel to the Deccan to "present himself to the people of that territory." He takes his entire family on this long and arduous journey. The land is bleak, famine has struck, and throngs of starving people line the roads. Nearby, the enemy's elephants can be heard pounding the earth at night.
As they travel, Jahanara's sixteenth birthday is marked with a surprise feast and a special gift, a brilliant star sapphire from her beloved Ami. News comes that the Emperor's army has been victorious. But the happiness is short-lived. Ami, pregnant for the fourteenth time, dies soon after in childbirth, and the family is plunged into mourning.
In the sad days that follow, Jahanara's grief turns to gratitude. She is profoundly thankful for the time she and Ami shared on earth together. She says if she were to be reincarnated, as the Hindus believe, all she could wish for would be for Ami to be her mother again. That, Jahanara concludes her journal, would be "all the richness I would ever need. Indeed there would be a splendor in my life no gold could match."
Thinking About the Book
1. Why are Jahanara and her family exiled from their home?
2. Why did Jahanara’s father drink three goblets of goat’s blood?
3. Retell the story of Nur Mahal’s adventure with a cobra. Why is this story important in Jahanara: Princess of Princesses?
4. Dara and Aurangzeb are brothers, but they are as different as they can be. List the major differences between the two brothers.
5. In her diary entry for December 2, 1627 Jahanara shares her opinion of her father's other wives? How does that change and why?
6. Why does Jahanara stop writing in her diary for almost a year (January 8 to December 5, 1629)?
7. Why does Jahanara suddenly have a young child to care for? What does that tell you about Jahanara?
8. Princess Jahanara lives a life of luxury with devoted servants, fine jewels, and the best foods available. Yet, she writes this in her diary: “Is it not bad enough that I must live in the world of purdah behind screens of purity, forever veiled, locked in a cage of lace shadows that despite their prettiness might as well be iron bars?” Do you feel sorry for Jahanara? Explain your answer.
9. What causes Ami's death? Just one week after her mother's death why does Jahanara say, "I am joyous. "
10. Why is Jahanara called Princess of Princesses? What responsibility comes with that title?
Student Activities
1. If you had to select two of Jahanara’s diary entries to encourage other students to read this book, which two entries would you choose? Why? Compare your selections to those others in your group picked. Did any of you choose the same entries?
2. Identify each of the following:
| Flirting Bazaar | Ramadan | Koran |
| East India Company | Elephant Walk | mahout |
3. In your discussion group have each person respond to this question: In Jahanara: Princess of Princesses, does religion bring people together or pull them apart? Now discuss the various comments voiced by your discussion members.
4. Jahanara often refers to the great epic tale of India, the Ramayana. What is an epic? Find a plot summary of this story and share it with your group.
5. Jahanara greatly admires Queen Elizabeth I of England. Read the Royal Diary, Elizabeth I, Red Rose of the House of Tudor, also by Kathryn Lasky. How are Elizabeth and Jahanara alike? What is it about Elizabeth that makes Jahanara think so highly of her?
6. During Ramadan, all Jahanara and Dara think about is food. One of their favorites is halwa, "a sweetmeat with almond paste." Try making this Indian treat using the recipe found at the http://ae.boston.com/dining/recipes/a/almond_halwa.htmllwa.html
7. Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal as a tomb for his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, Jahanara's mother. Go to http://www.angelfire.com/in/myindia/taj2.html to see a color photo of this beautiful structure. Its original name meant Tomb of Light. Why might that be a good name for the Taj Mahal? It has been called one of the wonders of the world. Do you agree?
8. Jahanara writes of enjoying the game Pachisi. Find out more about this old and popular board game at the web site below. http://www.tradgames.org.uk/games/Pachisi.htm
Try playing pachisi, also known as parcheesi.
An Interview with Kathryn Lasky
Richard F. Abrahamson, Ph.D. & Eleanore S. Tyson, Ed.D.: You have written several other books in the Royal Diary series, and yet you have said that Jahanara's story was the most challenging. Would you share some of the unique challenges this book posed for you?
Kathryn Lasky: Well, this was my first royal diary outside the “western hemisphere”, outside the Judaic Christian tradition (although there haven’t been that many Jewish royals). In short, the clothes were different, the food was different, and the culture was different. It was all “strange” in the best sense of the word, and most excitingly, all very exotic. But I really had to educate myself about the architecture, the clothes and all the things that usually, even though I am not a princess, I have some sort of knowledge or passing acquaintance with. And then again I had to divest myself of stereotypic notions. For example, it is very tempting to say that all the women and girls wore saris. That is the piece of clothing most westerners think of when they think of Indian couture. But I had to delve deeper and find out what a Moghul Indian female wears. And I found articles of clothing such as the trousers churridaars, and then the tunic tops called Kameez. Much of this clothing has, in fact, found its way into non-Moghul Indian life. But it would really be wrong if I had put every female in a sari. Similarly it would have been easy to have everyone eating curry for every meal. But I bought several Indian and Moghul cookbooks and found other dishes—like julabmost, the sherbet-like dessert.
RFA & EST: What was the most memorable part of your research on Jahanara's life?
KL: Going to India and discovering Jahanara! And I shall never forget standing in those rooms that constituted her private apartments, which were still so beautiful after three hundred plus years, and thinking “imagine being a girl and having all this lavished upon you.” To me, the architecture, the decoration was so much more pleasing than that of Versailles where Marie Antoinette lived. I loved the fact that she had this swimming pool/bath right in her chambers!
RFA & EST: You mention that when you went to India and found out about the existence of Jahanara you then wanted to find out all that you could about this Moghul princess. What characteristics did Jahanara possess that you admired most?
KL: She was the most beloved child of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal so that alone was intriguing. Why her? She was said to be very bright. But perhaps most of all there were facts about her later life that I discovered that interested me. When her brutal brother Aurangzeb succeeded her father she was ostracized from the court for many years. But then Aurangzeb called her back. He needed her because she was so smart. She dared to criticize her brother and actively protested his increasingly oppressive measures for women. This took guts! Even though the diary does not cover this portion of her life I knew that the roots of her activism must have been cultivated in some way in her youth. I wanted to explore the foundations of her courage. It was her courage and her intelligence that impressed me the most.
RFA & EST: Was Nur Mahal, Jahanara's step-grandmother, as ruthless and cruel as portrayed in the book? What did you discover that supported your portrait of her as ambitious and sinister?
KL: I think she was every bit as cruel as I portrayed her. She did, indeed, hold Dara and Aurangzeb as hostages. She was known for her ingenious methods of torture and her network of spies. The story of the cobra, although not ever substantiated, was one I came across consistently in accounts of Nur Mahal’s life. And it was known that she encouraged her husband’s addiction to opium for in disabling him it gave her more power.
RFA & EST: Panipat is beloved by Jahanara and serves as her trustworthy confidante. What role did eunuchs play in the palaces of India?
KL: Eunuchs technically were guardians of the harem, but they also served in other ways. Their asexual condition allowed them a freedom to move fluidly between the two worlds of the Moghul court—the zenana, the women’s quarters and the halls of government, run by the men. Because of their unique status they made ideal spies, and were often used in this way.
RFA & EST: Throughout much of her diary, Jahanara mentions her interest in Queen Elizabeth and, in fact, wears a miniature of the Queen around her neck. Did these two royals have much in common? Why was Jahanara so taken with Elizabeth?
KL: You have to understand that it was during the reign of Queen Elizabeth that the East India Company was formed. This East India Company was to have an immense impact on Indian history. It was the British foot in the door, so to speak, into Indian, the first step in bringing the subcontinent into The Empire! However, back then it is my opinion from reading histories of the East India Company and also documents concerning the various interactions between the Moghul court and the East India Company that the Indians were really fascinated by this woman monarch. Remember, the Moghuls never allowed a woman to rule. They also kept their women hidden away in zenanas and behind veils. Well, here you get this powerful Queen of England who defeated the Spanish Armada among her many accomplishments, refused to marry, basically runs an empire and had fiery red hair! The East India Company always had portraits of their Queen about. She looked very different and exotic to Indians. She was an incredible enigma to them—a mixture of power, femininity, and bizarre physical appearance. She had all the makings of a myth, but she was real. Of course, she had died by the time Jahanara was born, but I think she had already become a legend in the Indian mind. She was perhaps a female Akbar! For indeed she, like Akbar, supported religious freedom.
RFA & EST: Is Jahanara's diary a story about the importance of religious tolerance?
KL: Religious tolerance is certainly an element of Jahanara’s story. I did not set out to write about religious tolerance but it was fairly unavoidable. I think it was Mark Twain who said that India, as a country, was a millionaire in terms of their religions for they had so many.
RFA & EST: Historical fiction, while set long ago, often offers young readers lessons or thoughts for living in today's world. What do you believe is the most important message Jahanara: Princess of Princesses holds for today's readers?
KL: I think Jahanara was essentially a very human princess, which in some ways seems a miracle given the extraordinary trappings of the Moghul court and from our point of view the very unnatural life that women were supposed to lead. I would not call Jahanara crafty, but she was wise in the way she negotiated the dangerous shoals of the court. She also had a very deep sensitivity and appreciation of the way in which her father and great grandfather had embraced all religions and still were able to be good Muslims.
I would hope that readers would realize because of recent events it is very easy to develop stereotypic notions about Islam and Muslims. But one must push beyond those stereotypes and understand that they only apply to a very small fraction of the Muslim people, in the same way that certain Christian or Jewish stereotypes cannot describe the majority of Christians or Jews. Most importantly I hope readers realize the richness of the Muslim tradition, which to me is absolutely incredible. Their architecture, in particular, their mosques, their gardens, the arts that they cultivated, the developments in mathematics and astronomy for which they were responsible made an essential and priceless contribution to the civilized world.
Discussion Guide written by Richard F. Abrahamson, Ph.D., Professor of Literature for Children and Young Adults, University of Houston and Eleanore S. Tyson, Ed.D., Clinical Associate Professor, University of Houston, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Houston, Texas.
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