Friday, September 08, 2017

Two Yards of Land

PHOTO PROMPT © Danny Bowman
The Emperor was dying.  Denied even a pen to write he scribbled verses on the wall with a burnt stick.

Bahadur Shah Zafar, descendant of the Mughals, his influence confined to just the Red Fort.  When the mutiny started, the rebels rode to Delhi and declared him the Emperor of Hindustan.

He paid the price for the rebellion when Major Hodson killed his sons and grandsons.  In his eighties he was exiled to a prison in Rangoon.  


“How unfortunate is Zafar! For his burial
Not even two yards of land were to be had, in the land of his beloved.”

**



Written for Friday Fictioneers Word Count : 100.

Submitting a story for Friday Fictioneers on a Friday but I am still late :-) (Because it's best done on a Wednesday).  

Hard to write historical Fiction in 100 words but I hope I was able to give you a feel for the tragic story of India's last Mughal Emperor who died a sad lonely death in exile.   The words written in the end are believed to be Bahadur Shah Zafar’s last verses.  There may be a dispute upon that but popular belief is that these are his words.  Click here for a wonderful translation "My heart is not content in this barren land"


I am still canvassing  support for my entry in the Indian Blogger Awards 2017  run by Indiblogger.  Please vote for me by commenting on my entry page here.  

To read the other stories this week click here
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30 comments :

  1. Iain Kelly8:21 am

    Nice slice of history.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Subroto12:36 am

      Thanks Iain. The story of Bahadur Shah Zafar is fascinating and a bit hard to condense in hundred words :-)

      Delete
  2. moon8:35 am

    A tragic end, indeed.
    Great take on the prompt .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Subroto12:37 am

      It was a terrible way to go. Thanks for your comments Moon, I am glad you liked it.

      Delete
  3. Christine G12:55 pm

    interesting piece of history most of us aren't aware of. So sad for him, a pawn in power politics of the day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Subroto6:57 pm

      He was a poet at heart and so unsuited for the life he had been born into. Thanks for reading and commenting Christine.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous5:52 am

    The last Mughal ...... loved your take.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Subroto2:28 am

      Thanks YS I am glad you liked it.

      Delete
  5. Riya12:30 pm

    lovely post..
    keep it rocking up..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Subroto2:30 am

      Thanks for your comments Riya.

      Delete
  6. Katherine1:46 pm

    Wow, that really is a tragic story. Well done for putting it in such few words!

    Kathrin -- http://mycupofenglishtea.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Subroto2:37 am

      True, sometimes it's hard to stick within the 100 words. Thanks for your comments Kathrin, I am glad you liked it.

      Delete
  7. Sandra Crook12:33 am

    A whole lot of story in this piece. Well done.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Subroto2:45 am

      Thanks Sandra, I glad it came through alright.

      Delete
  8. Linda9:14 am

    Poignant, especially because it's true. Great story.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Subroto7:24 pm

      True, he was a tragic figure in history. Thanks for your comments Linda.

      Delete
  9. draliman9:27 am

    A nice piece of history, distilled to 100 words.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Subroto7:21 am

      Thanks for your comments Alistair, I am glad you liked it.

      Delete
  10. Unknown2:52 am

    I loved how you tied the story to the picture! My take on the same prompt http://www.sunshineandzephyr.com/2017/09/perfect-shot-100-word-fiction/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Subroto5:38 am

      Thanks for your comments Shweta. I am glad you liked it.

      Delete
  11. Deepa4:14 am

    Hi Subrato,

    I have nominated you guys for the Liebster award. (http://mrsdashsayss.blogspot.in/2017/09/liebster-award.html)

    Hope you do accept it and link me back with the reply.

    XOXO

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Subroto10:36 pm

      Thanks for the nomination DeeDee. I am going to have to decline as I have already done one of these before. But thanks for the thought.

      Delete
  12. Rochelle Wisoff-Fields4:28 am

    Dear Subroto,

    Good use of the prompt. You did quite well writing historical fiction in 100 words. A writer after my own heart.

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Subroto7:17 am

      Thanks Rochelle. I'll take that compliment as you are the Queen of historical fiction.

      Delete
  13. Lynn Love8:29 am

    Thanks for sharing this touching snippet from history. Sad and poetic tale

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Subroto10:23 pm

      Thanks Lynn I am glad you liked it.

      Delete
  14. Gah Learner9:16 am

    I think you did very well in creating interest for his tragic story.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Subroto7:12 pm

      Actually the story wrote itself. Thanks for your comments Gabi I am glad you liked it.

      Delete
  15. umashankar9:48 am

    The sher at the end in the jewel in the crown.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Subroto10:25 pm

      The credit for that goes to the poet - Zafar. Thanks for your your comments Umashankar.

      Delete

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