There was Saturday showdown on Twitter after Bollywood actor Swara Bhasker shared an old article which argued that the Mughals, rather than being barbaric invaders, made India rich.
There was Saturday showdown on Twitter after Bollywood actor Swara Bhasker shared an old article which argued that the Mughals, rather than being barbaric invaders, made India rich.
The article by historian Rana Salvi pontificates that even that even though the Mughals came to India as conquers, they remained as Indians.
The author further tries to buttress the point by pointing out that Mughals were accepted by Indians which led to Indian soldiers rallying around the wizened Bahadur Shah Zafar and coronated him ‘Emperor of Hindustan’ in 1857.
Many denizens of Twitter disagreed with the hypothesis.
Blogger and author Arnab Ray wrote: “The Mughals were a genocidal occupying force & to justify Mughal rule by saying they "developed roads etc" is no different than justifying Hitler by saying he took a war-devastated Germany to Europe's number one power or by justifying Stalin for making USSR a super-power.”
Historian Hindol Sengupta also pointed out that this was ‘completely nonsense’ and pointed out that recurring facts of Mughal India were ‘devastating famines’. He wrote: “This is of course nonsense, and you would be particularly lacking in reading to believe anything as simplistic as this. In fact, most people in Mughal India were utterly, cripplingly poor even though of course a lot of wealth was concentrated in the hands of the monarchy and the nobility. One of the resounding and recurring facts of Mughal India were the devastating famines.”
He added: “From Mundy to Bernier to Early have noted in detail how the devastation the peasantry faced and the subjugation even though the princes and nobility and of course the monarchs lived in great style and spent absurd amounts in their wars. I have mentioned three writers and there are many more who have detailed the cruelty of abject poverty faced by most in Mughal India. Let's not progagate (sic) simplistic fairytales. No doubt the Mughals made SOME people rich but MANY others suffered terribly, and were persecuted mercilessly. One striking example: W H Moreland who did the seminal economic study of medieval India in his From Akbar to Aurangzeb: A Study in Economic History noted the torture, desperation, extortion and inequality and termed the period "an inferno" for the common man in India.”
Swara Bhasker is a vocal critic of the current dispensation. During the 2019 elections had campaigned for CPI candidate Kanhaiya Kumar in Begusarai, CPI(M) candidate Amra Ram Sikar, INC's Digvijaya Singh in Bhopal and AAP's Aatishi in East Delhi. All of them lost by huge margins. She had also backed Congress’ Milind Deora and Urmila Matondkar in Mumbai
1. 'Mughals made India rich'
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Mughals made India rich.. #history #fact https://t.co/DAfwm14MLn
— Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) July 13, 2019
I have read it. I'm afraid you, though, have not read any of the voluminous research on this. While monarchy can be rapacious (French, Russian AND Mughal), not all monarchy is as rapacious - esp cruel was of course Aurangzeb (his endless wars needed endless extortion of money). https://t.co/zuR4SJxOEX
— HindolSengupta (@HindolSengupta) July 13, 2019
nobility. One of the resounding and recurring facts of Mughal India were the devastating famines. From Mundy to Bernier to Early have noted in detail how the devastation the peasantry faced and the subjugation even though the princes and nobility and of course the monarchs lived
— HindolSengupta (@HindolSengupta) July 13, 2019
MANY others suffered terribly, and were persecuted mercilessly.
— HindolSengupta (@HindolSengupta) July 13, 2019
2. 'Like justifying Stalin for making USSR a super-power'
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One striking example: W H Moreland who did the seminal economic study of medieval India in his From Akbar to Aurangzeb: A Study in Economic History noted the torture, desperation, extortion and inequality and termed the period "an inferno" for the common man in India.
— HindolSengupta (@HindolSengupta) July 13, 2019
The Mughals were a genocidal occupying force & to justify Mughal rule by saying they "developed roads etc" is no different than justifying Hitler by saying he took a war-devastated Germany to Europe's number one power or by justifying Stalin for making USSR a super-power.
— Arnab Ray (@greatbong) July 13, 2019
Just like Osama bin Laden made world PEACEFULhttps://t.co/wHZUyen8UV
— Srikanth (@srikanthbjp_) July 13, 2019
3. 'Mughals pulverised India'
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Wrote this two years ago
— Rana Safvi رعنا राना (@iamrana) July 13, 2019
Outrage happening today!
Great that it's being shared again.
https://t.co/wUxMJX7A4W
I think what you describe is true of monarchy in general! I suggest you read the article first.. https://t.co/ucpiONd6p8
— Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) July 13, 2019
While in Arabia, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Mughal invaders were not even able to put up a tent. No historical monuments there. But somehow in India they became so skilled, that they constructed magnificent forts & mahals, yeah! Ek number ke chor, just appropriated ours as theirs! https://t.co/vZcryUvGLN
— गीतिका (@ggiittiikkaa) July 13, 2019
Mughals invaded India and pulverized it with religious and economic atrocities.... Of course, their objective was to make it rich! #Respect https://t.co/w75c9dwBmu
— Keh Ke Peheno (@coolfunnytshirt) July 13, 2019
4. 'Just like British made India independent'
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Mughals ruined Indian Culture and its Civilization.. Stop the nonsense please. https://t.co/seGcZ5OMmm
— श्रीMurali (@mayamadhava) July 14, 2019
Just like British made India Independent.. https://t.co/pt4r2kgunJ
— shashank (@black_mamba07) July 13, 2019
History will never forget What Mughals did with Sikh Gurus. https://t.co/NMrzsRhaIm
— Prince Pandey (@princepandey_) July 13, 2019
Hitler made the world disciplined. https://t.co/uYBB8RDKe0
— Lassi Gilaas (@punjabi_lassi) July 13, 2019
This is of course nonsense, and you would be particularly lacking in reading to believe anything as simplistic as this. In fact, most people in Mughal India were utterly, cripplingly poor even though of course a lot of wealth was concentrated in the hands of the monarchy and the https://t.co/zp90QErZzE
— HindolSengupta (@HindolSengupta) July 13, 2019
Don't let facts get in the way of your propaganda. India's percent of world GDP dips under Mughal rule, becomes even worse during British.
— Sankrant Sanu सानु (@sankrant) July 13, 2019
Islamic rule devastated India's knowledge systems, destroyed universities, scholars. British carted away wealth.https://t.co/2eVFz6Dwse
A group of people come to ur house, uninvited. KiII all those who resist. Heavily tax those who survive. Use that tax money to improve infrastructure of the house. Centuries later, those invaders are gone but house peopIe are stiII singing praises for them. Classic cuck mindset.
— THE SKIN DOCTOR (@theskindoctor13) July 13, 2019
