Most Awaited Book ‘Akbar’ Witnesses Mega Launch
New Delhi, Wednesday, January 4th: Most awaited book of the season ‘Akbar’, written by Shazi Zaman and published by Rajkamal Prakashan Samuh was launched here on Wednesday evening.
Renowned historian Mukul Kesavan was in conversation with the author. The next one hour of the questions and answers session revealed a lot about the adventure and hardship of writing a historical fiction on Akbar. Mukul Kesavan said, “ ”
Shazi Zaman studied all primary sources of Akbar’s time to understand how his mind was reacting to events around him and how his mind was shaping events around him. He has meticulously read official and voluminous history of AbulFazl –Akbarnama, the unofficial and secretly written critical account of Mulla Abdul QadirBadaoni Muntakhabuttawarikh, and many, many more. His quest for the subject, took the author from the Indian Museum, Kolkata to Victoria & Albert London.
The book ‘Akbar’ is the result of two decades of unparalleled research by Shazi Zaman on the life of the celebrated Mughal emperor. Speaking on the occasion, author Shazi Zaman said, “I am overwhelmed by the response Akbar has evoked. Obviously it is testimony to the fact that the emperor is very much alive in the collective memory of the people of Hindustan. The tale of Akbar’s inner and outer battles has never lost relevance.”
People across media fraternity and other intellectuals attended the event at the India International Center. The evening was enlivened with Maand singing by Abid Ali Khan. He sang ‘jalla’, a composition sung in Rajasthani weddings. The song finds a relevant mention in the book.
Sanjeev Kumar, Associate Professor, Deshbandhu College, Delhi University, who anchored the event, said, “This book has been written with a lot of preparation. In fact, it is one of the few books in Hindi, written with so much of homework. One can realize that while reading. Considering this, it’s a very significant book.”
The book is published in Hindi by Rajkamal Prakashan and Speaking Tiger has bought the rights for its translation into English.
About Shazi Zaman: Shazi Zaman is a well known Hindi author whose latest novel ‘Akbar’ deals with the inner and outer battles of one of India’s most influential emperors. His earlier novels are ‘Premgali Ati Saankri’ and ‘Jism Jism Ke Log’. He is a graduate in History from St.Stephen’s College, Delhi. A journalist by profession, he is Group Editor of ABP News Network and has served with the BBC, Star News, Zee News, Aajtak and Doordarshan. He is the President of the apex body of editors of national and regional TV news channels, the Broadcast Editors’ Association (BEA) and is a member of the executive committee of the Editors’ Guild of India. He has been member of the governing council of premier media institutes – Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), and Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC).
About Rajkamal Prakashan: Rajkamal Prakashan Samuh is a publication house with credibility of more than 6 decades. It’s a name synonymous with literary distinction, blend of ethnicity, and intrinsic value in the Hindi publishing world. RajkamalPrakashan has a publishing history of 65 years, that boasts of almost all the legendary writers in Hindi language and their work, besides books of other languages translated in Hindi. Shazi Zaman’s earlier novels ‘Prem Gali AtiSankari’ and ‘Jism Jism Ke Log’ were also published by Rajkamal Prakashan.
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