On my way home from office, few days back I was completely aloof from outside the world as usual and involved intimately into my iPod listening to 1986's rare Tabla piece (a tribute to Khawaja Nizamuddin, in a Delhi Mehfil) I witnessed the irony of my society. on the signal around the corner of Club Road, the car stopped and my complete attention was taken by a lady, an old, rugged, messed up lady walking as a numb between the mayhem of cars straight looking into air.. Her focus was on some invisible thing which I was unable to comprehend. I slid down the window glass thought she will approach me to grab few coins in my hand, but she didn't see that.. She crossed me as I was not even there, and a foul smell stuck to my nostrils.. Maybe it was the effect of music I was hearing (taal posta) which resolutely fit in the situation and for few seconds I felt.. I really felt the destitute state of that lady, who just walk passed me like a ghost.. was she really there with her senses or not I don't know, I just remember me and like hundreds of other people on signal not doing anything about her. I was literally taken aback yet I knew that in an hour or two I will forget about her.. but perhaps I didn't..

The very next day I was discussing it with a friend of mine at office, and as we carried away I told him how much that lady reminded me of Bushra Ansari's performance from a Drama 'Ab Mera Intezar Kar', as she walked away from the hero (forgotten the name of actor) in similar state which I witnessed. He told me that the Drama was inspired by life of Bahadur Shah Zafar II's daughter.. and at that time it occurred to me how ignorant I am of our own history. At the monthly visit to the Liberty Books' Catalog I located a book 'The Last Mughal' by William Dalrymple. Bought it couple of days ago, book is really captivating.Though Before this what I have heard of was whether Imperial or National Point of View. I first time am reading an account which convey a common man's point of view. 'What happened with Delhi..?'.. I am in the beginning of the book however I can see how it is developing while saving itself from obscured views of two parties mentioned above. Mainly based on the facts over documents found from National Archives of India and Punjab Archives at Lahore (in Tomb of Anarkali), it makes its way through history discussing and narrating the Chaos and Destruction of Delhi personified as Zafar..

I will add up my comments with time to time as I move further in the book.
I wonder how human mind works.. a lady on road who didn't even know that I was there watching her made me read this book (which maybe don't know Bahadur Shah Zafar as well). But there was something in her.. which have a history of its own.. It chilled my spine that day..  does anyone know or remember that..Are there books written on them (I dont think so). That dejected life, story, history whatever you want to call it may have been erased from the memory of everyone involved.. But that exists.. and the presence of that lady is the witness to it. It's a history forgotten..