I n the year 1607, Mirza Nathan, a young man barely out of his teens accompanied his father Ihtimam Khan to the eastern frontier of the empire, where he was to serve as Mir Bahr (commander of the imperial war fleet). Ihtimam’s armed riverboats were deployed to consolidate the imperial hold over recently conquered areas in Bengal, where restive Afghan zamindars still dreamt of restoring the Afghan Sultanate displaced by the Mughals during the previous century. Shortly after their arrival, Mirza Nathan fell seriously ill. His condition deteriorated rapidly till the seventh night when he had a life-changing vision. In his dream, ‘ the ruler of the spiritual and temporal domain ’, Emperor Jahangir appeared, and thus addressed himself to him, ‘O Nathan! Is this the time for a tiger to lie down? Arise, I have granted you security from pain and trouble through my prayers to the Almighty and Omnipresent Lord. Be quick, rise, and embrace manliness. Be a sincere comrade to your great father. B
Inspired by Amar Chitra Katha; Backed by Solid Evidence