Life and Conditions of the People of Hindustan (1200–1550 A.D.) c5.s2.t1.46

c5.s2.t1.46

The intellectual equipment of a *Nadim* was comprehensive. He combined in himself a variety of talent : he knew the niceties of sartorial equipment and personal decoration until it almost became a fine art; his conversation was in the choicest language; his intellectual culture covered a variety of knowledge, namely, the study of the chronicles, the Qur’an, poetry, folklore, together with some acquaintance with metaphysics and the occult and mystic elements of Islam. Finally, he was an accomplished player of chess and draughts and a fairly good player of some musical instruments. But above all these attainments, his great art consisted in putting the Sultan into good humour, by a careful study of his psychological reactions and his oddities and idiosyncrasies.² The Rajput *Bhats* do not come up to the same standard of refinement and elegance as the *Nadims* of the Sultan, although their stronger attachment to their masters, and their greater courage on occasions, cannot be disputed. In the course of time, the royal courtiers degenerated into vile and mean flatterers and became discredited even in the eyes of their employers.¹ At the present day the term *Nadim* (or *Musahib*) is in some way associated with sycophancy and a certain want of virile qualities.