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 🧵
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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#India has long been accused of attempting to stop the declassification of documents from 1947 pertaining to #Kashmir out of concern that the "sensitive" letters might have an impact on international relations.
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The letters, also known as the Bucher papers, are thought to include political and military grounds for Jawaharlal Nehru, #India's first prime minister, to request a cease-fire with #Pakistan and grant the state of Jammu & Kashmir special status.
2/14
For the current nationalist government in Delhi, which has derided Nehru's decision to reach a compromise on status of disputed Kashmir as an ignorant "blunder," the correspondence from the then-commander-in-chief, Gen. Roy Bucher, will have major political implications.
Movements of women's rights in #SouthAsia can be traced on junctures of striving for justice in social issues & handling external (often post-colonial) influences.
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In #India, it was 1980 when the Mathura rape case propelled an anti-rape feminist-led movement that remains the biggest wave till today.
But the current wave spreads beyond protection against sexual violence, to economic rights and has taken up significant digital space.
2/6
In #Pakistan, Women Action Forum (WAF) remained the face of women’s movement through 1980s & beyond.
A fresh start came about in 2018 when yearly demonstration called ‘Aurat March’ surfaced. Its momentum has equally met with backlash from different segments of society.
To promote Indian state of #UttarPradesh as film production hub, controversially islamophobic CM @myogiadityanath met directors, producers, actors & musicians on Thursday. He asked for their input to develop upcoming Film City...
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... in Greater #Noida & offered them security, good connectivity & locations with scenic beauty & historical significance.
World: Russian embassy in US slammed Washington’s decision to transfer $3.5b from Afghan Central Bank’s reserves to Afghan Fund as violating norms of intl law, & stressed its the right of Afghanistan's ppl to independently command their assets without any external control.
World: Russian embassy in US found Afghan Fund establishment decision "contrary to numerous calls from American and world public, humanitarian and human rights organizations as well as prominent economists," the embassy wrote on its Telegram channel on Sep 14th.
World: Russian embassy in US "strongly believes" such actions of US, like transferring Afghan assets into Geneva-based Afghan Fund, "no matter which humanitarian mottos it uses as a smokescreen, will only exacerbate misery of the Afghan people."
At the special invitation of 🇨🇳 State Councilor & FM Wang Yi, 🇵🇰 FM Qureshi left for China on a 3-day visit to attend 3rd Summit of Afg's Neighboring Countries.
Pak's Sp Rep for Afg M. Sadiq is also accompanying FM Qureshi.
🇵🇰 FM Qureshi to hold bilateral meetings with 🇨🇳 State Councilor & FM Wang Yi.
Meetings are also expected with Russian FM Lavrov & Iranian FM Amir Abdullahian.
Important regional & global issues of mutual interest, incl bilateral relations & promotion of bilateral cooperation in multilateral fields, to be discussed.