Dara Shukoh, Avik Chanda
Dara Shukoh, Avik Chanda
List: $28.99 | Sale: $20.29
Club: $14.49

Dara Shukoh
The Man Who Would Be King

Author: Avik Chanda

Narrator: Kalpan Mitra

Unabridged: 11 hr 3 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/29/2025

Synopsis


Dara Shukoh -- the emperor Shah Jahan's favourite son, and heir-apparent to the Mughal throne prior to being defeated by Aurangzib -- has sometimes been portrayed as an effete prince, incompetent in military and administrative matters. But his tolerance towards other faiths, and the myths and anecdotes surrounding him, continue to fuel the popular imagination. Even today, over 350 years after his death, the debate rages on: if this 'good' Mughal had ascended the throne instead of his pugnacious younger brother, how would that have changed the course of Indian history? Dara Shukoh: The Man Who Would Be King brings to life the story of this enigmatic Mughal prince. Rich in historical detail and psychological insight, it brilliantly recreates a bygone age, and presents an empathetic and engaging portrait of the crown prince who was, in many ways, clearly ahead of his times.

About Avik Chanda

Avik Chanda holds degrees in economics from Kolkata's Presidency College and the Delhi School of Economics. With two decades of global Big 4 Consulting experience, he is a business adviser, entrepreneur, trainer and a speaker at the Outstanding Speaker's Bureau. He has published two poetry collections, Jokhon Bideshe, in Bengali (Protibhash, 2006) and Footnotes (Shearsman, 2008), besides a novel, Anchor (HarperCollins, 2015). His acclaimed business book, From Command to Empathy: Using EQ in the Age of Disruption (HarperCollins, 2017), co-authored with Suman Ghose, was featured in 2018 in Amazon India's Best Reads, under ‘Business, Strategy and Management'.A global soul, Avik divides his time peripatetically between the Middle Ages and the twenty-first century.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Bharath on May 10, 2021

With his tolerance and sincere attempt at understanding & fostering harmony between different faiths during Mughal rule – Dara Shukoh holds respect among most Indians. It is also difficult to refer to Dara Shukoh, without also mentioning Aurangzib. So, this book is as much about Aurangzib, as it is......more

Goodreads review by Bookish Indulgenges with on November 17, 2019

I was hoping for a fictional story to tell me about the life of this ‘could-have-been-king’ prince when I picked up the book. Instead what I found between the pages was a non-fictional but well researched biography. It was my fault as I overlooked the genre mention in the review request email. Howev......more

Goodreads review by Aishwarya on December 07, 2019

I have read a lot of biographies but I must say this is the most informative and very well researched. The book is detailed about Mughal wars with various kings of Deccan, Rajasthan, Persian etc. Dara Shukoh, was ShahJahan's favourite son and was the correct candidate for the Throne. He excelled in Cal......more

Goodreads review by Amit on August 04, 2022

I have always been curious about Dara Sukoh in the Mughal history. This book gave me a rare opportunity to read / listen / know about him. The man who would be the king - but never was. I can say this is a detailed account of the Mughal period from Jahangir to Aurangzeb and in an very delightful way......more

Goodreads review by Ashok on May 07, 2023

A must-read book for Indian history lovers.......more

Add to Cart
Add to Wish List