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GREAT GREAT EMPEROR
by Mike Gandhi on Mar 07, 2007 11:58 PM

Published by bhupinder February 16th, 2007 in History.

Francois Gautier has stirred a hornet%u2019s nest with his simplistic take on the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb ignoring the fact that Aurangzeb%u2019s policies were contradictory and reflected the gnawing contradictions of what has been called %u201Cfeudalism from above%u201D.



On one hand was the increasing religious symbolism while on the other was greater secularization- for example, Aurangzeb%u2019s court had far more Hindus than any other Mughal ruler.



Gautier%u2019s insistence to look at Aurangzeb from colonial historians%u2019 glasses is critiqued by Sharique.



Mr. Francois Gautier just parroted the concerns of the RSS. His argument being that history should be told as it is to the younger generation because this will bring transparency. Well assuming correct history is not being told and the examples he cites, about France and French Catholics and Protestants, are indeed genuine, that doesn%u2019t prove anything



while Manvir Singh takes a Sikh religious view of the persecution of Sikhs by Aurangzeb, something that Gautier refers to in the beheading of the 9th Sikh Guru Tegh Bahadur.



Yes, we say, %u2018SARBAT DA BHALAA%u2019. We ask for the good of %u2018ALL%u2019. Guru Gobind Singh Sahib jee did NOT say, %u201CI ask for the good of all EXCEPT for AURANGZEB who cowardly murdered my two young sons.%u201D No. When we do Ardaas we do not say, %u201CSarbat Da Bhalaa, but NOT that person who swore at me last week%u2026 I don%u2019t want his bhalaa (good).%u201D



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3 Responses to %u201CThe Truth About Aurangzeb%u201D

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1 Aniruddha G. Kulkarni

Feb 17th, 2007 at 12:55 am

Like most of the past, Aurangzeb continues to be complaex and challenging.



For example, contrary to his image, his administartion made handsome donation to temple of Pandharpur- seat of deity Vitthal.



Historian the late D G Godse has claimed that trustees of Vitthal temple were more worried about marauding Maratha armies than the Mughal one.



Akbar%u2019s piety and tolerance as against Aurangzeb%u2019s policies should also be seen in the light of funds in their respective treasuries.



2 kuffir

Feb 17th, 2007 at 1:02 am

gautier is a complete idiot - any guy who thinks most of the rickshawwallahs in banaras and domestic cooks in andhra pradesh are brahmins.. and goes around trying to publicize that %u2018truth%u2019.. is not just ignorant but a complete idiot.. and it%u2019s only in india that idiots like him are read and quoted.



3 Sharique

Feb 17th, 2007 at 11:17 pm

Kuffir,

He is quoted because few %u2019social workers%u2019 want him to. He is endorsed by many even though his 33 years of stay in India has taught him very little about this country. But then who cares about his as long as the message is propagated.







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The truth about Aurangzeb