Alongside the busiest Mathura Road in Delhi, the newly-renovated garden tomb overlooks the Yamuna river.
But do you know of the poet this monument houses?
Discover in this 🧵
1/10
This massive square edifice with a central dome is the tomb of Abdul Rahim Khan-e-khanan – one of the nine jewels of Mughal Emperor Akbar.
The structure is one among an almost 100 historic mausoleums in this vicinity of #Delhi.
2/10
What is even more interesting is the fact that two other timeless poets are buried within hardly a kilometer of stretch.
The legends being Mirza Ghalib & Amir Khusro. But history could not accord a similar stature to Abdul Rahim & the neglect his tomb faced speaks of it.
3/10
It was only recently, in 2014, that renovation of the tomb was undertaken and 3000 craftsmen restored it in the original abstract 6-sided stars & medallions on the interior.
His well-known couplets have also been made part of the process of decoration.
4/10
Many would attribute love to Taj Mahal but little do they know of the love that made Abdul Rahim to get this tomb made for his wife, Mah Banu.
The architects of Taj Mahal took inspiration from this red sandstone & marble structure.
5/10
Built in 1598, Abdul Rahim himself was also buried here in 1627. Carried by four chhatris, it is fashioned in the Mughal famous charbagh style, and is a double storied tomb.
It is said that the garden surrounding this tomb extended up to Humayun’s tomb.
6/10
A fine statesman, so close to Akbar to accompany him on military expeditions, Abdul Rahim was the son of Akbar’s mentor – Bairam Khan.
He was the Mir Ard of the Emperor’s court, which means he would hear hundreds of applications addressed to Akbar.
7/10
Owing to his command over multiple languages, Rahim was no less than a linguist. Apart from #Persian & #Sanskrit, he could speak some Portuguese and had command over #Arabic as well.
He wrote two books on Astrology in Sanskrit, but is known more for his dohas.
8/10
Rahim translated Baburnama from Turkish to Persian & remained an advocate of making poetic expression simpler and readable.
A respected courtier of the Mughal Era, he served Emperor Jahangir for 21 years after Akbar but missed Akbar’s fondness of him dearly.
9/10
Abdul Rahim’s legacy is that of inclusiveness & multiculturalism, alongside graceful statesmanship.
Stationed in the #Delhi metropolis, Rahim’s tomb draws attention toward the near-silent literary stature of this lesser-celebrated poet.
10/10 End
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Thread | The Sacrifice No One Expected: Bahadur Shah Zafar's Historic Eid-ul-Adha
Imagine a holy day used as a weapon. That's what the British planned for Eid-ul-Adha in 1857 Delhi.
Their target: Unity. But here's where Bahadur Shah Zafar stepped in.. [1/13]
1857: A Secret Plot to Tear India Apart on Eid
1857, Delhi: The flames of rebellion raged against British rule. But the enemy wasn't just on the battlefield. They sought to tear India apart by exploiting religious differences.[2/13]
In the heart of the fight stood Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal emperor. As Eid-ul-Adha approached, a sinister plot was brewing... [3/13]
1️⃣ #SAT Analysis: Chairman Michael McCaul from the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee says the #IEA is arming the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) against #Pakistan.
IEA denies this, but, figuring out how TTP got high-tech weapons is an interesting research question.
Let's find the answer ⬇️
2️⃣ As per a Pentagon report, the #UnitedStates provided $18.6 billion in equipment to #Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) between 2005 & August 2021.
The report indicates that following the completion of the U.S. withdrawal on August 30, 2021, equipment valued at $7.12 billion remained in #Afghanistan.
3️⃣ Moreover, According to the report, at the time of the U.S. military withdrawal, more than 300,000 out of the total 427,300 weapons provided by the United States to Afghan forces were left within #Afghanistan.
Notably, these weapons found their way into the possession of anti-Pakistan terrorist groups under the supervision of the IEA.
1️⃣ #SAT Analysis: Is #India under the scrutiny lens of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)?
The FATF is going to start its fourth evaluation of India's actions to stop illegal money.
A thread to explore India’s performance in its compliance with FATF targets. ⤵️
2️⃣ Initially, Amnesty International has highlighted that #Indian authorities are using false foreign funding & terrorism accusations to single out, intimidate, harass, & silence critics.
This action is seen as a clear breach of #FATF standards.
3️⃣ Amnesty International points out that during its third #FATF review in 2010, the Indian government itself deemed the risk from the nonprofit sector to be "low."
However, since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took office in 2014, authorities have employed overly broad legal provisions to suppress critics & terminate their activities. This has included revoking their foreign funding permits and prosecuting them under counterterrorism laws & financial regulations.
1️⃣ In the South Asian region, #Pakistan has hosted #Afghan refugees since the mid-1970s, with 3.7 million currently residing there.
Meanwhile, #India's treatment of Afghans has been less accommodating, prompting a closer look at India's behaviour towards them.
2️⃣Firstly, when the Soviet Union invaded #Afghanistan, #India was one of the countries that did not condemn the #USSR.
3️⃣ Furthermore, during the early 1990s, when former #Afghan President Najibullah sought assistance from the government of #NewDelhi, the administration under Prime Minister Narasimha Rao did not facilitate the evacuation of Najibullah from #Kabul.
This decision persisted even in the face of a request by Boutros-Ghali during an unscheduled visit to #India.
The UN is set to hold an #Afghanistan Envoys meeting with the Secretary-General, shortly.
This will be a one-of-its-kind conference since the takeover of #Kabul in 2021. Recognition of the #Taliban will be on agenda.
A 🧵
2⃣ The announcement came from UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, while she was speaking at Princeton’s School of Public & International Affairs.
Though exact date was not mentioned, but Zalmay Khalilzad wrote on his Twitter that meeting will convene on May 1 in #Doha.
3⃣ Amina Mohammed, in her talk, also mentioned another conference of high value being planned.
It will be hosted by Saudi Arabia & convened by the #OIC. The discussion will be on Women in #Islam.