The Legacy of Muslim Rule in India c10.7

c10.7

Bernier was only experiencing what Babur had witnessed a century ago. The latter notes in his memoirs that in Hindustan they have no good flesh, no grapes or musk-melons, no good fruits, no ice or cold water, no good food or bread in their *bazaars* And every artisan there is follows the trade that has come down to him from his forefathers.⁷ Bernier did not get food to his liking in the *bazar*, he could not get good wine, and for both these he himself provides correct explanations. What Bernier saw everyday in the *bazars* was the arbitrary ways of the nobles and their unfair use of force to get things at low prices. A hungry Bernier felt the pinch of non-availability of good food and heady wine in the open market, what he saw was the *Korrah* of the *Amirs*⁸ and the wretched condition of the poor hawkers and fisherman. He missed to notice, at that point of time or in that mood at least, the middle or intermediate class, the accomplished artisans, hereditary craftsmen, rich jewellers and influential bankers or *sarrafs*. Most middle class people carried on with their hereditary crafts, in printing calico, stretching embroidery, or manufacturing jewellery. These worked mostly at home and did not exhibit their artistic products in show-cases in shops. That is why he wrote what he wrote in a limited context and perhaps under the influence of an empty stomach and thirsty throat when he could only see the rich *Umara* grabbing away the best fish and meat from the poor people with the help of the *Korrah*. There were no standard hotels serving good food in Delhi and Agra and other large cities where gentlemen like Bernier and Indians of his class could have dined without any doubt about the quality of food. But the Mughal gentry, as he himself noted, preferred to eat at home as the meats in the cooking joints in the bazar were sometimes adulterated. Also eating at home and not in hotels was also a matter of habit. Berniers statement is a case of arriving at a major conclusion on the basis of a minor inconvenience.