How real is the character of Arjumand or Mumtaz Mahal?
It’s 90 per cent fiction. There’s very little literature on her. There are sketchy references to her in history, as a beautiful lady who was also charitable and courageous. There are her pictures in the Delhi museum. I wonder how original they are because no one really saw her. The purdah system was very stringent those days. Moreover, how many people would have had the occasion to actually see the Empress? How did you portray her? As an extremely beautiful, courageous and charitable lady. She used to accompany her husband on his tours. She remained a nomad even in her death. Her original tomb is in Burhanpur, on the other side of river Tapti. Her son Murad disinterred her and buried her where the Taj Mahal now stands. All this is factual and recorded in history. What inspired you to write Taj? When I got married, I brought my wife Maureen to India. She’s an Australian. We visited the Taj Mahal. She was very curious to know about the history of the monument. My knowledge on it was very
