Stories legends are made of

Love is the funeral pyre, where the heart must lay its body – the words of a sufi poet Hafiz hold truth – be it any love – the beloved’s affection for his lover, a doting father’s love for his daughter, the love for the land one has cherished and the love for duty.

The legendary Mughal Viceroy of Bengal in 1685, Subedar Shayista Khan, a poet, warrior, sufi and visionary, an able administrator, a valiant fighter under whose rule Bengal became free from pirates and war mongering enemy armies, prospered, and became the centre of culture and commerce is for some reason confined to legends, mostly popular in East and parts of West Bengal.

Bangladeshi novelist Shazia Omar pens the story of valour, weaves in the human element of love, heartbreak and friendship, and embellishes it with the mystical world of pirs, black magic and spells, to the otherwise lesser known life of the brave Subedar.

By making the most precious diamond ‘Kalinoor’, feared to bring bad luck to the owner, the central theme, Shazia Omar created a page-turning thriller with ‘Dark Diamond’, a historical fantasy published by Bloomsbury.

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Bangladeshi novelist Shazia Omar discusses her latest literary offering, ‘Dark Diamond’, a historical fantasy with the Mughal Viceroy of Bengal, Subedar Shayista Khan, who built the Lal Bagh Fort, as the central character

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With little material on Shayista Khan to draw from, the author tells how she had to rely enormously on her imagination and talks of her inspirations, to weave the semi-factual fiction.

How popular or legendary is Shayista Khan and how did you first hear of him?
Dark Diamond is a historical fantasy set in 1685 about the Mughal Viceroy of Bengal, Subedar Shayista Khan, who built the Lal Bagh Fort.

My grandmother’s house was next to Lal Bagh Fort so I was always curious about Shayista Khan. He is mentioned briefly in our history books, but no more than a few dry paragraphs. No novels or movies singing about his conquests. Thus I set out to give him some flesh.

The most popular legend about Shayista Khan is how he was defeated in a surprise battle with Maratha warrior Shivaji, which leaves him three fingers less.

To me, this seemed like it did a grave injustice to ‘the other side of the story’. Here is a man who transformed Bengal from a pirate-infested hinterland to the global center of culture and commerce. Surely, he deserves a little more attention?

What attracted you to the character and made you decide you will be writing a story around him?
I was looking for a time in history that Bengalis could be proud of and a hero who could inspire our youth. I wanted to look beyond 1971, to remind our youth of our rich, secular, pluralistic past.

On another note, I wanted to portray the outer, inner and secret meanings of Islam that come under threat when radical power structures are in place. I think these discussions need to take place in our society, lest we fall victim to oppressive ideologies that don’t support progress, empowerment and freedom.

As I researched, I discovered, Shayista was not only a Governor, he was a poet, a warrior, a Sufi and also a visionary who tried to oppose the rise of the corporation (East India Company) and the radical Islamists.

It became apparent to me, that his story had something to teach us today, as our contemporary enemies are not so different from the ones he fought.

How does your being a social psychologist help you in writing the book?
Prior to my Masters in Social Psychology, I thought writing was all about the imagination and the creative flow.

After my Masters, I realized that a great deal of research goes into any writing, fiction or not, and a structure is needed to hold the story together.

Thus, I think the masters gave me the foundational skills needed to write. Apart from that, social psychology is the study of how social contexts influence personal beliefs. This is a theme I like to explore. What one person accepts as the ‘truth’ is not necessarily true for someone else.

Do you believe in black magic and spells - how come it is such an integral part of the story?
Black magic is very much a part of our culture in Bangladesh. Millions of people pay pirs for exorcisms and djinn-driven errands.

This fascinates me. I wanted to expose the popular conception without necessarily dismantling it; I wanted to present what is accepted as ‘truth’.

I love the genre of magic realism. Garcia and Rushdie are two of my favorite authors. When exploring magic in the context of South Asia, the creatures inhabiting the psychic space are not wizards, elves and goblins, but djinn and pirs. Hence, they are part of the story.

You say most of your characters are real. How much of ‘Black Diamond’ is factual?
I read many books to learn about Shayista Khan and his life, but very little is written about the Mughal experience in Bengal. Even less is written about the women.

Thus, in creating the women, especially their thoughts, I was drawing mostly on my imagination. But the events in the story, the battles, were all historical.

Many of the elements that people think I made up are actually real. I just coloured it in.

Which part of the research did you enjoy the most?
I enjoyed learning about the Mughal period. I enjoyed learning about Sufism. My research was not just book-based.

I also spoke to several historians, including Rosie Llwelyn, William Dalrymple, and the Chair of the History department at Dhaka University, Sonia Amin. These conversations helped me sort through some of the areas where I was stuck.

With so much of history-based fiction happening. Do you think that the thin line between history and fantasy is getting blurred?
I’m not sure there is even a thin line. History is based on who wrote what back then. The victors painted situations in one light; the defeated poets described the same events very differently.

Perspectives are different and memory is also porous. I think what’s more important is to bring history into our present day thoughts and the best way to make it accessible is through novels, movies, etc.

There is more to Bengal's history. Do you plan to explore more in your future works?
Yes! As Dark Diamond explored Bengal’s Sufi past, I think I would next like to explore Bengal’s Buddhist past…