The Third Prince by Phiroz H. Madon is an extremely interesting and well-written adventure story. It is 1603 and Emperor Akbar is extremely ill – the fate of the Mughal Empire is uncertain. The search is on for a capable heir to the throne. It is already decided that Akbar’s son, the alcoholic debauch, Jahangir, is unsuited for the throne.
The nobles congregated in the royal court, all intensely powerful in their own right, along with the ministers, are doing their utmost to avert a bloody war of succession – and Jahangir – with his obsession for wine and women, does not inspire their confidence. Under the circumstances, they take recourse to a rare council meeting, in which nobles are permitted to choose a successor from among the Emperor’s direct descendants. They are on the look out for the Third Prince, a forgotten child sired by Akbar during a long-ago campaign on the battle-field. The only way to track this Prince down is to find the precious jewel that Akbar had gifted to his mother.
Around the same time, Paru, a young girl, is travelling towards Agra, ostensibly to adopt the life of a concubine. She happens to have a beautiful jewel in her possession along with a valuable document. Paru trains herself to be a dancing girl. Thereafter follow strange and dangerous adventures. As she leaves a house of ill-flame after servicing a client, a man attempts to murder her for reasons unknown.
She survives another attempt by cosying up to the captain of the palace guard. A third time, she survives with her precious possessions because the killers panic when they see the king cobra of the snake charmer she is travelling with. When the fabulous jewel is stolen from her, Paru is shattered. She is once again on the run in fear of assassins pursuing her. At her wit’s end, she decides to turn the tables on her adversaries, in the hope that she can, with her charm, manage to start a new and safe life.
Read this intriguing tale intertwined with the military campaigns of Jahangir and Khusrau as their armies ride across the plains on thousands of horses.
The Third Prince
By Phiroz H. Madon
Jaico Publishing House
Price Rs.295