Anarkali-Harshali Singh

Book: Anarkali
Author: Harshali Singh
Publisher: Readomania

I was provided a media copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Have you heard the story of Anarkali?

A woman loved by many but understood by none. Was Anarkali a pawn in the hands of a controlling monarch, or was she the knight? Anarkali’s dream of becoming a celebrated courtesan in Emperor Akbar’s harem in 16th-century Hindustan is realised. But soon life at Lahore’s Shahi Mahal becomes mundane for the free-spirited girl. In the midst of this ennui, Anarkali is pulled into a taboo relationship with the childlike Salim, Akbar-e-Azam’s heir apparent and favourite son. Marooned amid relationships that shatter her heart and threaten her life, Anarkali traverses the intrigues of the royal harem using her wiles to survive while skirting passion, danger and violence. She uses her charms, knowing men only want parts of her and never the whole—until she makes the ultimate mistake of raising her voice against powerful men. Was she purposefully erased from the annals of history for questioning free will? And yet, her story resonates even today, its myriad connotations catching our imagination, resulting in a rainbow of possibilities and hope.

Harshali’s retelling of the story of Anarkali is extremely well written and nuanced. The book explores the fictional tale of Anarkali based on real-life events. The book, however, is not just the story of Anarkali the courtesan, but also of her other facets of a pawn and a queen. The book starts from the moment when Anarkali was being immured into the wall and the story then travels back into time and we meet Nadira, before she became Anarkali. The book then explores the events that lead to her first meeting with Akbar and how he becomes enamored with her. the book then moves on to her first performance in front of the emperor which starts off a new dimension in her life and she becomes Anarkali from Nadira. Harshali’s portrayal of her is interesting because we have always known her as a courtesan, but never as a person. The author puts a face to this enigmatic character and paints a picture of a woman who was sharp and could play multiple roles at one time. I loved how Anarkali senses the politics of the harem, adopts an approach that helps her control the power dynamics in her favour. But while we see Anarkali as a courtesan in the harem in the first half of the book being practical to survive, the second half is where the brilliance of the writing shines through. Her first interaction with Salim and Durjan has been written with perfection and conveys the message she wants to convey perfectly. As we move in the story, the emotional side of Nadira comes forth over the practical one. The love story of Anarkali and Salim has been explored quite nicely. Their hush-hush sojourns and the interactions have been contrasted very well as compared to her interactions with Akbar, and you can actually feel her emotions when you read the book. While the story of Anarkali, Salim and Akbar is known to all, Harshali has put in a third arc in the story of Anarkali and Durjan which I felt was the ace in the deck. The emotional tension between the two is quite palpable and has been written with finesse.

While they storytelling is the star of the book, there is one more aspect of this book that astounded me and that are the chapter titles. Drawing reference from the game of Shatranj, each of these is a chess move and the description of each move forms the beginning of the chapter. These titles, however, serve a deeper purpose. They pre-empt the tone of the chapter and if you read carefully, you’ll be able to relate the two.

Coming to the climax (or climaxes), I am not sure what to say!!!, the author manages to create a sense of awe even in an historical fiction. As the story ends, you get to recall these little red herrings that had been left in the book which play a pivotal role in what happens at the end. I would recommend the reader to keep an eye out for anything that seems out of place while reading, because I can assure you that there are no random events in the book.

The review won’t be complete without mentioning the visual storytelling that Harshali has adopted in the book. The scenes are visually detailed and you can almost see the events as they take place. One scene that has stuck in my mind is when the sentence of Anarkali is being carried out and the trowel slips from the mason’s hand and hurts her. The description is so vivid that you can almost see the blood dripping. Another scene that I would love to mention here is the very first chapter. You can almost see all the primary characters of the story and it looks as if there is a play on the stage and the cast is standing there, addressing you.

So, long story short, if you want to read a very well written historical fiction, please pick up a copy of Anarkali and give it a read. This is a 5-star read for me for the storytelling, the characters, the visual cues and the chess references.

Get a copy of the book from your nearest book store or on Amazon India.