About The Author: IZ is an author who believes in making this world a better place for all.
Summary Of The Book: A lover or a hater, a saint or a satan, a liberator or an oppressor? Was he a protector of the weak, the saviour of their lives, or just another arch nemesis of their rights and lives? Who was Shah Jahan truly? This extensively researched book will answer all these mysteries. It sheds light on the dark and atrocious past of Emperor Shah Jahan, Ruler of the Mughal Empire, which historians and society have completely ignored. It shows how the Taj Mahal has worked as a blanket under which the darkest deeds of Shah Jahan have been buried. This book puts a big question mark on the legacy of Shah Jahan and the Taj Mahal as we know it today.
1. Can you tell us a little about your book?
As the name of the book speaks for itself, It is a book that revolves around Shah Jahan, the 5th Mughal emperor of India, and the Taj Mahal, which is considered his most magnificent achievement in present times. The Taj Mahal isn’t just a sumptuous building; it has become a monument and a symbol of love. It has become a place of worship for lovers, and Shah Jahan has been viewed as a true lover, the Indian Romeo; he has become a saint, and his Taj Mahal has become a shrine. But in reality, all of it was a lie and always has been.
2. Is there a specific event that inspired this story or was this an out of the blue idea?
Curiosity. As a teenager, when I started to gain some intellectual thinking skills, when I started to get familiar with the Internet, and when I got to know about the heinous misdeeds and religious bigotry of the Mughal Emperors, especially Aurangzeb, Then I started to ask myself questions about Shah Jahan and his legacy, as Aurangzeb was the son of Shah Jahan. Many people like me were having similar queries, and from there, this quest for the revelation of the true identity of Shah Jahan began.
3. What got you writing in the first place?
Initially, I just wanted to write an article about it, but as I started digging into more details and, during the process, kept on discovering many original sources, the article kept on getting bigger and bigger. Finally, from there, I decided to convert it into a full-length book.
4. What was your impression of your first draft when you read it?
I was happy that I was done with the first draught at last. Also, I was a little demotivated as the first draught was just around 20,000–25,000 words; it seemed to me a bit shorter.
5. Which part of your story connects the most with you? Why?
The Chapter THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT is the one which connects to me the most. The chapter THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT teaches us how love and hate are passed from generation to generation and how we are affected by them, as well as how we are connected to each other in one way or another.
6. What makes your book the one to read?
If you are like me as a kid, the Taj Mahal is a symbol of undying love and a splendid monument that is the pride of India as it represents the beauty of our culture and architecture. In the same way, if you view Shah Jahan as a true lover and a benevolent emperor who built this glorious, extravagant mausoleum in memory of his wife Mumtaz, then this book is for you because all of it was a lie and always has been. This book could be able to make you reconsider your opinions and perspectives regarding Shah Jahan and his so-called symbol of love, TAJ MAHAL. Because the facts and incidents mentioned in this book have been taken from various well researched authentic sources written by well known historians that also include Shah Jahan’s Autobiographies (known as Court Chronicles) which were officially funded by Shah Jahan’s administration.
7. What was the best advice you got while writing?
I believe that sometimes we get unmotivated and anxious while writing, but it’s not a big deal; it’s a part of the process. Everybody has to face it throughout their lifetime, so we shouldn’t let it take over our dreams and ambitions. Because it doesn’t matter how many times we fall or how hard we fall on the ground, the thing that matters most is how many times we pick ourselves up. That’s the best advice I got while writing, which is to keep pushing and picking ourselves up after falling.
8. Who’s your all-time favourite author? Which book of his/hers made you fall in love with them?
Frankly speaking, I don’t have a favourite author, but some of my favourite books are The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F**k by Mark Manson and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
9. What is your evergreen tip to the writers out there?
My evergreen tip to ambitious authors would be to don’t lose hope and believe in yourself, and if you have any idea that you want to present to the world, then Just Do it and start working on it right now, even though it’s just an idea. It’s just a line that came up in your head one day while you were sitting on your couch watching TV or Netflix.
Because DOING SOMETHING IS BETTER THAN DOING NOTHING AT ALL.
10. What was your hardest scene to write?
There were two aspects of the book that I found to be the hardest to write. The hardest one was BIBLIOGRAPHY. I thought that I would be able to complete the Bibliography Chapter within a week as I already have a list of all the sources from which I have taken facts and information, but in reality, it took me over a month to finish it. The main reason behind it was that I have to follow a long list of APA guidelines, and I also have to go through every line and every source repeatedly because many sources provide the same information, but I have to select the most authentic and original source among all these. The second one was the ANALYZATION and ORGANISATION OF INFORMATION & FACTS which I have taken from various original sources and books. Basically, over here, I have to compare and choose sources and information. Along with that, I also have to choose where I should add quotes, paraphrase the text, and add notes so that it is easier for the readers to comprehend the information being provided to them.
11. Do you have another plot brewing?
Yes, I have another plot brewing.
Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.in/dp/9395868155?ref=myi_title_dp
