Safarnama #3 Encounters in the Lanes: The White Mughals

So vast is India, and so uniquely resilient and deeply rooted are her intertwined social and religious institutions, that all foreign intruders are sooner or later either shaken off or absorbed.

I couldn't believe my luck when I unexpectedly encountered Ghalib himself. It was a moment filled with disbelief and awe, making me question whether it was truly the same Ghalib I had come to know through his timeless works. The thought of asking for his autograph on my cherished copy of Diwan-e-Ghalib crossed my mind, but I quickly realized the impracticality of such a request to a poet from the 19th century. I wondered if anyone in this modern era had ever approached him with a similar plea, and if so, how awkwardly they must have felt.

Ghalib introduced himself in the same witty and clever manner I had read about in books, further intensifying my admiration for him. Countless questions raced through my mind, eager to be voiced in his presence. Yet, in typical fashion, I found myself offering only a simple "Acha" (okay) in response. I couldn't help but wonder why I reacted that way, as my ambivert nature tends to lean towards introversion in such extraordinary circumstances.

Continuing my stroll through the narrow lanes, I couldn't help but notice that everything seemed transformed, presenting a Delhi unlike any I had grown accustomed to. The city appeared as if it had transcended time, embracing a fusion of past and present. Suddenly, a figure caught my attention—a white man, but not an ordinary one. He appeared as if he had stepped out of a costume show or emerged from the world of theater. Clothed in traditional Mughal attire, he wore a Kamar bandh, a turban adorning his head, a long kurta, and Hindustani pajamas. A staff accompanied him, held by a man who fanned him with a majestic peacock feather fan. It was as if an Eastern prince had descended upon the lanes of Delhi.

Recognizing the familiar face, I recalled him as William Fraser, though momentarily entertaining the thought that he could be David Ochterlony. However, upon closer reflection, it became evident that he was indeed William Fraser.