Serene Nostalgia

“Warm water used to flow down in winters
From naturally hot springs, and cool waters in summer.”

The guide’s voice at the Alhambra took me back to Fatehpur Sikri,
Not far from the famous Taj Mahal, in Agra.
Decorated pillars had hanging buds or custard apples
Finely cut, geometrically patterned screens, inlay work on marble.
Did the architects of both the Alhambra and Fatehpur Sikri,
A quarter of a world apart, have access to the same knowledge?

Fatehpur Sikri was not just an elevated city enclosed by solid walls.
Its red stones were burnished with centuries-old patina
Where Akbar’s sun had burned brightly enough
To cast its glow even four centuries later.
Five stories nostalgically filled with memories of the grand emperor,
Akbar, whose very name meant “great,”
Who synthesized cultures, while playing chess with real human bodies.

Some remains of Jodha Bai, his Hindu wife’s kitchen still remain intact,
Where she must have suffused the air with magical spices.
Did Akbar ever enjoy a fully vegetarian meal?
Giving up the tasty delicacies of the Mughal cuisine,
Where sometimes his chefs managed to balance a hundred ingredients together
To create a healthy, wholesome dish? Most likely.

For Akbar left behind a legacy of a long and peaceful reign.
Was that because four out of his nine Navratanas were Hindus?
Did the legendary Tansen’s voice and music bring down rain
To the heated courtyards of Akbar’s centre of power?
The rose-petal filled pool echoing with laughter of his
Longed for sons, noble children.

Where did those blue tiles come from? I asked a guide.
From China, my lady, he replied in a courtly manner,
In keeping with the vibes of the place
Where we were strolling; the walls ever watchful,
So we had to stay mindful of manners.

* * *

We jumped back in surprise, as one of the lions
In the main courtyard spewed out a longer jet of water.
Soon the other lions started pumping out boiling bursts of fumes.
Were they angry at some tourists mocking
The foreign Moorish rulers of the past?
“A malfunction.” A guide tried to laugh at this incident
Even as officials turned off the water completely,
And we were ushered out before closing time.