Letter#6 William Fraser, The White Mughals & The Betrayal in the 19th Century

"India has always had a strange way with her conquerors. In defeat, she beckons them in, then slowly seduces, assimilates and transforms them." - William Dalrymple

Dear Friend,

I love reading William Dalrymple's books because I get to read the quirky stories of William Fraser. Last month, I was traveling with a friend In Delhi and walked past the Hindu Rao hospital, which used to be the bungalow of William Fraser. I am a person who likes to imagine the past and think about the lost era. The images of the Fraser in his bungalow started emerging on my walk to Chandni Chowk.

William Fraser was a British Indian civil servant who was greatly influenced by the Mughal culture. In his book "The White Mughals," William Dalrymple referred to Fraser and some other Britishers as white Mughals because the Mughals so much influenced them that they started living like the Mughal emperors. They used to dress like Mughals, smoke Huqqah and have multiple wives.

William Fraser was commissioned as an ambassador to the Mughal court of Bahadur Shah Jafar, where he advised the emperor. He was very much fluent in Persian and Urdu and was a big admirer of Ghalib. I often go back and read "The Mirror of Beauty" by Shamsur Rahman Faruqi to read more about William Fraser. By the narrative of Faruqi, The assassination of William Fraser is quite an exciting story. 

Early in the 19th century, Vazir Khanum, the youngest daughter of Kashmiri-born craftsman Muhammad Yusuf Sadakar, resided in Delhi. William Fraser and the Nawab Shamsuddin of Loharu State are attracted to her. She prefers Nawab Shamsuddin. Her decision plants the seeds for a contentious argument between Fraser and Shamsuddin that culminates in Fraser's murder and Nawab Shamsuddin's subsequent execution.

I’ll end my letter here, my friend. I’ll write again.

Yours,

Bohemian Dialogue