The South Asian Studies Program’s Annual Sheth Lecture in Indian Studies, at Emory University’s Glenn Memorial Auditorium was delivered on 25th February by Salman Rushdie who is currently Emory’s Distinguished Writer in Residence.
The topic, “The Composite Artist,” had Rushdie transporting the audience into the world of the 16th century India. Rushdie’s latest novel in the making is a “story which unites the India of the Mughal Empire with the Italy of the High Renaissance. It’s a fantasia, set at the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries called The Enchantress of Florence. And I must say, “added the famed writer, “that, given how horrible the world is, it’s really quite nice to spend some time in the 16th century.”
The focus of the lecture was primarily the reign of Akbar and Mughal art during his time, with special emphasis on the Hamzanama, an artistic project that originally comprised of 1400 canvas folios created in the 1553 to 1578 under the emperor. Most folios had a painting that was created by blending Indian and Persian artistic styles with Arabic text on the other side.
Amir Hamza was an uncle of the prophet Mohammed and the Hamzanama depicts adventures of a hero based on his character. These adventures comprised of fighting demons, strange creatures, encountering magic along the way. Faeries and spies of both sexes made their appearance in these fantasy driven series. At one point an elephant was raised with one hand, which so impressed two adversaries they promptly converted to Islam.” So you had to be Muslim to lift an elephant,” quipped Rushdie his tongue firmly in his cheek.
Akbar was not called Akbar the Great for nothing, said Rushdie. A tall strapping lad, who spent the early years of his life in the rough terrains of Afghanistan, the teenage emperor in the making, on ascending the throne, also made it his life’s mission to rule a kingdom that was as great as its emperor. The Hamzanama was the first major project undertaken in the royal art studios as it were and there were over one hundred artists and allies, aligning to etch and sketch a masterpiece befitting their monarch’s vision. The most remarkable feature of these works, said Rushdie was the fact that they presented a collaborative effort of different artistic traditions on each individual picture. The result not only created a synthesis of different styles, it also became a symbol of unity in diversity, rising above all that was divisive. The project was very much in sync with the vision of Akbar who believed in secularism and encouraged it throughout his reign.
With humor( he can lay claim to doing one of the best imitations of Monty Python!) and his usual wit Rushdie blended history and art in a mesmerizing presentation combined with anecdotes, a slide presentation of scenes from the Hamzanama bringing history and the Mughal art alive in an hour long presentation.
The audience was an interesting multicultural mix from young teenagers to students to community leaders and academicians. Dr Jagdish Sheth said that he was very impressed by Rushdie’s presentation on several levels. “His sense of humor made the hour long lecture very refreshing. Its essential to bring comic relief at the right points to keep the audience engaged and Rushdie did an excellent job. I was also amazed at the amount of research he had done. I think he can teach history with as much ease as he teaches literature. I was also very impressed by the unique point he brought out about art rising above the artist. It was fascinating to be told that respected and illustrious artists put aside their egos and created a beautiful series of paintings collectively, and still retained their uniqueness through their specialty. I was also very impressed by the diversity of audience. It shows Rushdie’s appeal is as universal as we think it to be.”
Many visitors admitted that they had either not read Rushdie, or only read The Satanic Verses because of the hype around it, but now after attending his lecture they were impressed enough to head out and read more books by him.
The lecture series, according to Dr Sheth had been initiated to keep Emory interactive with the Atlanta community. Emory said Dr. Sheth should not just create but disseminate knowledge, and these lectures were a step in the right direction. The lectures are also intended for showcasing India’s global appeal on contemporary issues. The series has hosted great artists of South Asian descent from different genres, and the sold out event on the 25th, only reinforced the fact that the Sheth Family Foundation, created by Dr Jagdish Sheth and his wife Madhu is yet another way the generous couple continues to give back to the community.