November 3 being Aurangzeb’s birthday, it would be a good occasion to recall an anecdote which gives hilarious and instructive insights into the man who is thought of by many as a monster in human guise. It has a samosa connect to it.
A Persian prince wanting to establish matrimonial alliance with Emperor Aurangzeb’s daughter came to India and made his intention known. The Emperor, not being the “my word is law” kind of man he is presumed to be, offered his daughter the option to check out the suitor by talking to him. The meeting was held, but, as was the custom, with a curtain serving as a visual barrier, the purdah, between the two.
While the exchange was taking place, the prince being the prince, like most of his ilk, got romantic ideas. In that very subtle and typically royal manner which comes with training and practice, he made his desire known to the princess by saying, “Sambosa e besan mi khwaham. The Indian word ‘samosa’ has a Persian origin and is called sambosa there.
What the prince said simply means: “I am desirous of having samosa of gram flour”. But when it is said in Persian with a “B” in it, the word sambosa also touches upon the four-letter word ‘bosa’ meaning kiss.
Orthodox minded, Aurangzeb’s daughter, was well brought up in courtly etiquettes and manner of talking. She instantly understood what the prince was hinting at. Her retort to this flirtatious overture was: “Az matbakh-e-madar talab kardan (this you order from your mother’s kitchen).”
So here we have Aurangzeb who is progressive and pragmatic in his approach to worldly matters and his daughter who shuns lascivious behaviour even if it is from a prospective husband.
