Bhopal Connections: A Royal Affair

This gorgeous production by @rolibooks is a special treat for anyone who loves royalty because it’s written by a descendant of Bhopal’s royal family!

Dost Muhammad Khan, the son of an Afghan warlord leaves his tribe 3 centuries earlier and makes his luck as a Mughal commander. As an opportunist, he creates the kingdom of Bhopal and establishes himself as the Nawab, beginning a long association with the beautiful city. The book chronicles generation after generation of this family, filled with pious Queens, weak princes, alluring foreigners, creating a tapestry of intrigue. As every branch of the family contests to be the next ruler of Bhopal, battles and strategies worthy of Game of Thrones come into play.

The author recounts this history as a grandfather telling his grandchildren stories of the their ancestors, with the fact mixing with gorgeous personal descriptions of every characters. Whether it is Sultan Jahan, the Begum who travelled to Britain, or Badcock, the British butler who settled in Bhopal as a loyal servant of the last generation of Nawabs. Whether it is about Sarkar Dulhan, a Christian wife to loyal Spaniard advisers to the throne, who integrates into Bhopali lifestyle, or whether it is about the Begum of Junagadh who went to jail for murder.

This book talks to us of a bygone era, filled with characters we can only find in fairytales, jesters, soldiers, heroes, princesses…

It’s short enough to enjoy and long enough to savour...pick it up!