Articles by Parvez Mahmood

Group Captain Parvez Mahmood served in Pakistan Air Force on Air Traffic Control, administrative and staff duties. After retiring in 2000, he did his MCS (with a gold medal) and MS in software engineering. He has worked in software industry for 15 years. He has been writing for various magazines. Many of the articles appearing here have appeared in the weekly The Friday Times, Lahore, where they can be previewed and accessed by clicking here. He lives in Islamabad and can be reached at parvezmahmood53@gmail.com 

PERSIAN ADVENTURER IN INDIA

• Persian Adventurer in India 
  Parvez Mahmood on the meteoric rise of Mir Jumla from small-time trader to mighty statesman. Read Part I here, Part II here and Part III here.

A KHORASANI GIFT TO THE DECCAN

• A Khorasani gift to the Deccan – I
  A historical and geographical context to the Deccan region and the Bahmani state by Parvez Mahmood.

• A Khorasani gift to the Deccan – II
  This article, second of the series, describes the life of Mahmud Gawan, the Prime Minister of the Bahmani Sultanate and his madrassah.

• A Khorasani gift to the Deccan – III
  Parvez Mahmood on the madrassah built by Mahmud Gawan – the first of its kind in South Asia.
  

MUGHAL HISTORY

• The Padishah’s Painful Realisation
  Parvez Mahmood on how the fact of European primacy at sea was brought home to Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in a horrific manner

• The Princess and the Physician
  Did the East India Company win a foothold in India because a doctor was at the right place at the right time? Parvez Mahmood tells the tale.

• A Mughal Tragedy
  Parvez Mahmood tells the dreadful tale of Prince Khusrau and his doomed rebellion.

• The Unfortunate Princess
  Parvez Mahmood tells the story of Princess Nadira Banu Begum – beloved and loyal companion of the ill-fated Prince Dara Shikoh.

• Decadence of the Mughals – I
  Parvez Mahmood describes a time of frivolity at the court as the Mughal Empire totters.

• A Caligula in the Red Fort
  Parvez Mahmood tells the tale of eighth Mughal Emperor Jahandar Shah and what he chose to do with his 11 months in power.

• When Emperors turned on Gurus
  Parvez Mahmood traces the origins of a feud between Sikhs and Muslims in Punjab.

• Cursed by Imperial Birth
  On the life of Emperor Shah Alam II – arguably the most unfortunate of the Mughal Emperors.

• Mughals on the move – I
  The movement of the imperial court was a massive affair. Parvez Mahood describes how emperors toured the land.

• How the Mughals travelled – II
  Parvez Mahmood takes us back in time to a journey with the Mughal court.

• When Good Governance Came to Medieval India
  How Sher Shah Suri became known as the administrator who even the British Raj looked up to.

SACKING THE SUB-CONTINENT

• Sacking the Subcontinent – I
  In the first of a four-part series, Parvez Mahmood focuses on the raids of Mahmud of Ghazni.

• Sacking the Subcontinent – II
  In the second of a four-part series, Parvez Mahmood looks at the invasion by Emir Timur, a self-proclaimed Scourge of God.

• Sacking the Subcontinent – III
  In the third of a four-part series, Parvez Mahmood writes about what might be the biggest armed robbery in human history.

• Sacking the Subcontinent – IV
  In the fourth instalment of the series, Parvez Mahmood describes Ahmed Shah Abdali’s bloody struggle for plunder and supremacy in Punjab.

• Sacking the Subcontinent – An epilogue
  Parvez Mahmood on the effects of the British arrival in Bengal – which redefined the very notion of looting.

PRINCELY STATES OF INDIA

• How an Abyssinian Slave came to Rule the Deccan
  Parvez Mahmood tells the fascinating story of Afro-Indian statesman and strategic genius Malik Ambar.

• From Dancing Girl to Mighty Ruler
  Parvez Mahmood tells the fascinating tale of Begum Samru, whose military skills, diplomatic acumen and personal charms kept an Empire alive.

• From fugitive to Nawab
  Parvez Mahmood on the rise of Dost Muhammad Khan – from impulsive, violent youth to founder of the Bhopal state.

• Prince of Pindaris
  Parvez Mahmood traces the journey of Nawab Amir Khan of Tonk from plunderer to potentate.

• A Gentleman in a Time of Intrigue – I
  Parvez Mahmood tells the story of the seasoned nobleman Nizam-ul-Mulk, who went on to found the enduring Hyderabad state.

• A Gentleman in a Time of Intrigue – II
  Parvez Mahmood tells the story of the seasoned nobleman Nizam-ul-Mulk, who went on to found the enduring Hyderabad state.

• A Gentleman in a Time of Intrigue – III
  Parvez Mahmood tells the story of the seasoned nobleman Nizam-ul-Mulk, who went on to found the enduring Hyderabad state.

• A Gentleman in a Time of Intrigue – IV
  Parvez Mahmood tells the story of the seasoned nobleman Nizam-ul-Mulk, who went on to found the enduring Hyderabad state.

BRITISH EAST INDIA COMPANY

• Rulers on Land, Helpless at Sea
  Parvez Mahmood on the last conflict where the Mughal Empire was able to impose terms on European powers.

• Addiction of a Nation
  Parvez Mahmood gives us an idea of the scale of British opium trade with China.

• The Begum’s War
  Parvez Mahmood on Begum Hazrat Mahal, who declared undying war on the British Empire.

• Road to Rebellion
  On the fascinating story of Azimullah Yusufzai, and how he came to partner with Nana Sahib in the 1857 revolt.

• Skeletons in Yale’s Closet
  Before becoming the benefactor of a great educational institution, Elihu Yale was anything but a philanthropist in India.

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER

• A Diamond that Bore the Names of Three Mughal Emperors
  Parvez Mahmood tells the story of the Akbar Shah, which once adorned the Peacock Throne itself.
  

• Fabulous Diamonds of Golconda
  Parvez Mahmood on one of history’s fabled treasures – the great diamond mines of India.

• Fabulous Diamonds of Golconda – II
  Parvez Mahmood on one of history’s fabled treasures – the great diamond mines of India.

• The Diamond that was Stolen Twice
  Parvez Mahmood tells the story of Golconda d’or and two heists: once by Nader Shah’s armies, then by modern burglars.

ANCIENT MIDDLE EAST

• The Most Extravagant Weddings in Muslim History – I
  Parvez Mahmood on the context for two grand marriage ceremonies from the Abbasid caliphate.

• The Most Extravagant Weddings in Muslim History – II
  Parvez Mahmood on the context for two grand marriage ceremonies from the Abbasid caliphate.

• The Most Extravagant Weddings in Muslim History – III
  Parvez Mahmood takes us to the most magnificent wedding celebration in Islamicate history.

• The First Written Peace Treaty
  The story of how two ancient powers, fighting bitterly over territory, managed to find peace and reconciliation.

AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ARTICLES

• A Tale of Two Cities
  Parvez Mahmood’s family was among the millions to experience the displacement of Partition. The trauma is still alive.

• Requiem for an Ordinary Life
  In remembering a beloved relative, Parvez Mahmood ended up telling the story of his family – of survival under colonialism, war, mass migration and the glaring inequalities of independent Pakistan.

• Gangs of Gowalmandi
  Parvez Mahmood on a memorable childhood – growing up in the lively, rough and evergreen heart of Lahore in the 1950s.

• Picking up the Pieces
  In this peoples’ history of post-Partition Lahore, Parvez Mahmood depicts his family rebuilding their lives after their 1947 migration from Amritsar.

• Learning the Ropes
  Parvez Mahmood recounts the struggles of a father of limited resources to get his children an education in a young Pakistan.

• Going Places – I
  Parvez Mahmood describes his life in transition from the crowded inner city to an elite cadet school.

• Going Places – II
  Parvez Mahmood describes his life in transition from the crowded inner city to an elite cadet school.

• “I Fly Kites, Sir!”
  Parvez Mahmood recalls how his skills at kite-flying and his ‘kapi’ (copy) for stamps got him through the most important interview of his life.

• Of Air-raids and Ants
  Parvez Mahmood shares his reminiscences of the 1965 war.

• As Everything Fell Apart
  Parvez Mahmood was on sentry duty while the country became engulfed in a horrific conflict in 1971.

• A Mother’s Odyssey
  Parvez Mahmood writes about his mother: a tale of the struggle and triumph of a generation uprooted by Partition.

PERSONALITIES

• When Hate Wins
  Parvez Mahmood thinks about the destructive power of hatred as he mourns the loss of his nephew, the bright Dr. Haroon Mahmood, in the Christchurch terror attack.

• A Freelance Life
  Parvez Mahmood paints a portrait of an unlikely but enduring friendship, in writing about poet, collector and lifelong adventurer Orooj Ahmed Ali.

• Encounter with a Tormented Soul
  Parvez Mahmood recalls his encounters with poet Saghar Siddiqui.

• A Judge’s War
  Justice Salahuddin Mirza (retd.) recounts his memories of the 1965 Indo-Pak war, as narrated to Parvez Mahmood.

• Lady of the Lotus
  On the history and lore surrounding the fearless Rani Roopmati and her lover Baz Bahadur.

• Beyond Padmavati
  Parvez Mahmood tells the tale of a real, ill-fated Rajput princess at the court of Alauddin Khilji.

• A Real Rajput Princess in a Time of War
  Parvez Mahmood writes about Princess Krishna Kumari: a tale of conflict and disempowerment of women – a far cry from Bollywood depictions.

• Aurangzeb in Love
  He is remembered for piety, but as a prince fell passionately in love with Hira Bai. Parvez Mahmood tells the tale.

HERITAGE

• Our Lost Heritage – I
  Parvez Mahmood on what modern-day Pakistanis have lost in their efforts to distance themselves from their Subcontinental origins.

• Our Lost Heritage – II
  Parvez Mahmood on what modern-day Pakistanis have lost in their efforts to distance themselves from their Subcontinental origins.

• The Way of the Ghazal
  There is a constant theme in Urdu ghazal pertaining to suffering in silence. Parvez Mahmood takes us on a survey of ghazals to study the torments of the lover.

• What No Invader Could Do…
  Parvez Mahmood writes about his horror at the state of the famed Mariyam uz Zamani Mosque in Lahore.

• A Mosque in Sikh Architecture
  Parvez Mahmood on the contested past of the Sunehri Mosque in Lahore, and its place in the Walled City today.

• Punjabi Games in the Outback
  Parvez Mahmood visits a mass event of sports and Punjabi Sikh culture in Australia, which marks the tragic killings of 1984.

• Celebrating Oranges Down Under
  Parvez Mahmood takes a trip to orange country in Griffith, Australia.

• Whither those Bards?
  Parvez Mahmood reflects on the journey of Punjabi from the language of mystical ecstasy to being shunned in Pakistani Punjab.

THE WAGES OF ORTHODOXY

• The Wages of Orthodoxy – I, II
  Parvez Mahmood examines some of the places where Muslim communities have been hit hardest by rigid attitudes. Read part I here, and part II here.