04-15-2004, 08:30 PM
From Deccan Herald
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Mughal emperorâs kin seeks Sikhsâ pardon
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Amritsar, April 14: The wife of a descendant of the Mughals on Wednesday paid obeisance at the Akal Takht, marking a historic moment in time as she sought pardon for the atrocities committed by her ancestors.
Sultana Begum, the widow of Mirza Mohammed Bedar Bakht, great grandson of Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last recognised Mughal emperor, arrived in this Sikh holy city on Tuesday night just when everybody had given up hope.
âI am feeling relieved,â she said after paying homage at the Golden Temple.Sultana Begum left for Delhi on Wednesday to seek forgiveness at Gurudwara Sis Ganj in Chandni Chowk where the ninth Sikh Guru Tegh Bahadur was beheaded on the orders of Aurengzeb.
âI am not doing it for any kind of publicity. I had this heartfelt desire to seek forgiveness because our family has suffered a lot of misery,â she said. She did not meet any Sikh religious leaders.âI hope the community forgives our lineage and hatred for the Mughals is no longer there. Islam doesnât permit cruelty against anyone,â she said. Mother of five daughters and a son, who works as a cook in Saudi Arabia, Sultana Begum also went to the Durgiana temple here.
âI belong to a royal lineage. Look at my pathetic condition, living in poverty. I only have a tea-stall in Howrah.âHer plight was highlighted last year after which she got a financial assistance of Rs 50,000 from the Central government.
âSince I am a descendant from the Mughal family, the government should give me two bighas of land and a Rs 50,000 monthly pension,â she demanded. Sultana Begumâs apology at the Golden Temple here marks one more event in the tumultuous history of the Sikhs and the Mughal emperors, who reigned over India for seven generations.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Mughal emperorâs kin seeks Sikhsâ pardon
Â
Amritsar, April 14: The wife of a descendant of the Mughals on Wednesday paid obeisance at the Akal Takht, marking a historic moment in time as she sought pardon for the atrocities committed by her ancestors.
Sultana Begum, the widow of Mirza Mohammed Bedar Bakht, great grandson of Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last recognised Mughal emperor, arrived in this Sikh holy city on Tuesday night just when everybody had given up hope.
âI am feeling relieved,â she said after paying homage at the Golden Temple.Sultana Begum left for Delhi on Wednesday to seek forgiveness at Gurudwara Sis Ganj in Chandni Chowk where the ninth Sikh Guru Tegh Bahadur was beheaded on the orders of Aurengzeb.
âI am not doing it for any kind of publicity. I had this heartfelt desire to seek forgiveness because our family has suffered a lot of misery,â she said. She did not meet any Sikh religious leaders.âI hope the community forgives our lineage and hatred for the Mughals is no longer there. Islam doesnât permit cruelty against anyone,â she said. Mother of five daughters and a son, who works as a cook in Saudi Arabia, Sultana Begum also went to the Durgiana temple here.
âI belong to a royal lineage. Look at my pathetic condition, living in poverty. I only have a tea-stall in Howrah.âHer plight was highlighted last year after which she got a financial assistance of Rs 50,000 from the Central government.
âSince I am a descendant from the Mughal family, the government should give me two bighas of land and a Rs 50,000 monthly pension,â she demanded. Sultana Begumâs apology at the Golden Temple here marks one more event in the tumultuous history of the Sikhs and the Mughal emperors, who reigned over India for seven generations.
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