- Aditi Saksena
Tales of Companions: Akbar and Hawai (S3 E5)
Thank you so much for listening to our episode: Akbar and Hawai, let us know in the comments below what you think about their relationship and where you heard us from? We would love to give you and the platform a shout-out in the upcoming episodes!
Now like we promised
Transcript for the episode
Rose: Hey everyone! Since we have no idea at what point of the day you are listening to us, we wish you a very green day! Well, last time we told you about the amazing achievements that came our way because you guys loved us so much. So today we are going to tell you about Khakhed- the mother brand for The Wilderness Live. At Khakhed we give you what we like calling an alternative life choice. If I learned something from suits- it is 1. Harvey Spectre is like a coconut, he is tough on the outside, soft on the inside, if he falls on you, you are at least going to have a concussion and he is nuts, and 2. When you have a gun pointed at your head there are about 416 options that you can pick instead of agreeing or dying. Well, whatever we choose in life, our services, our products, our houses in fact where your money is invested, everything has some impact on the environment. Some may have more than others. We at Khakhed, don’t tell you what to do, that’s not our choice. We inform you of alternative eco-friendly and sustainable choices that have a minimal environmental impact while you can enjoy the life you earned! If you want to check out the mother brand and see the kind of work we do, we will be leaving the link in the description. Do check it out!
Now that I’ve done sufficient promotional efforts, let's move to today’s story. The story of honor, bravery, a little bit of lunacy, and most importantly loyalty.
Shashwat: This story comes all the way from 1561 when India was under the rule of a mighty empire- The Mughal empire. The king we are going to talk about today is one, loved and cherished by almost everyone, he is no other than Emperor Akbar.
Emperor Akbar was known and loved for various reasons, he was a scholar, he had a passion for the arts, he learned a number of languages, had amazing war tactics, his administration policies, and above all his 9 crowned jewels- Navratna which included Ustad Tansen and the witty Birbal.
What you might not know about Emperor Akbar however was his love for animals. He admired them so much that he would keep his favorites in the court including his two cheetahs that helped him in hunting. One of the emperor's favorite pastimes and something most kings wouldn't do in order to avoid any unnecessary injuries was fighting and mounting elephants. Even though it would take place in a controlled environment, Akbar’s attempts to mount the elephants were a spectacle to watch. There are many theories as to why Akbar enjoyed this sport. Some sources say that it was beyond a physical need, it was how he wanted his subjects to see him- as a brave, fearless leader who could bring even the biggest enemies to their knees, some others point out that he did this to create a bond between him and the elephant which was based on trust and loyalty, while others claimed that this was a way for him to understand the elephant's strengths and use it more effectively in the war and yet other sources say that Akbar believed that if he survived by the end of the mounting, it was because Allah wanted him to survive. But these are just theories, maybe he just liked doing it for all we know.
However, it's said that fighting and mounting Elephants was very easy for him until he met his match- Hawai. Hawai was a part of Akbar's war spoils after he beheaded Hemu in the Second Battle of Panipat. And so far was the only Elephant Akbar was having trouble with. Hawai was known for its short temper and temperamental mood which made him perfect for a war elephant. But that was not all, Hawai's massive size was highly deceiving, as he was extremely fast.
Soon Akbar and Hawai met on their battleground and the fight started, Akbar desperately tried to mount the elephant but Hawai fought back with all of his ferocity, it came to a point when Akbar’s officials and onlookers were worried for his life and wanted to stop his conquest, but Akbar was relentless and continued in his quest to mount and tame the beast. After trying his best for some time Akbar was able to successfully mount the elephant and as soon as he sat on its back he gained Hawai’s trust and loyalty, they walked together over river Yamuna and proclaimed to the entire kingdom that Akbar was a powerful emperor. After that battle Hawai and Akbar became inseparable and he accompanied Akbar in many battles while fearlessly fighting by his side.
Akbar and Hawai don't have a lot of mentions in the pages of history however there is a painting made by Baswan and Chetar Munti depicting Emperor Akbar's first time riding Hawai over a bridge across the Yamuna River.
Rose: Well, Hawai has been featured in a lot of movies and books based on Akbar’s life but he never received the kind of admiration this relationship should have. If you don’t know who Akbar was or want to see 5 seconds of this battle, we are linking the movie Jodha- Akbar starring Climate Change hot Hritik Roshan and equally beautiful and elegant Aishwarya Rai Bacchan in the show notes on the website. And for those who do not know what was the second battle of Panipat was, we have attached a link to help you uncover that too! We are also posting the amazing painting of Emperor Akbar and Hawai, which was very hard to find in the show notes for the episode: Tales of Companionship: Akbar and Hawai S3 E5. The link to the website is down in the description.
If you are listening to us from Apple Music, please leave us a review, we would love to hear your thoughts on the relationship that was shared by Akbar and Hawai. If you are listening to us on Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcast, or any of the other podcast hosts, you can leave us a review on the website or slide into our dms on Instagram or Twitter, the links would be in the description. We want to hear from you guys, your feedback, and how we can make our podcasts better! As always please remember, if you liked our podcast, don’t forget to share the episode with your friends and family. We are a group of young graduates who want to protect the beauty this world has to offer, and we can't do that without your help! Have an awesome and green day! Team TWL and Team Khakhed signing off, until the next episode!
About Akbar
Emperor Akbar was the third Mughal emperor of India. The son of Humayun and the father of Jahangir. Emperor Akbar without a doubt is one of the most famous emperors in India, loved for his administrative policies, his interest in finer arts, and who doesn't know about the Tales of Akbar and Birbal. Well, he came to the throne at the age of 14 when he lost his father to a tragic end.
I imagine his life wasn't easy but as he grew into his role as the emperor, he did work really hard to make policies that would forever change the administration.
Well, if you want to know more about him like I promised here is an awesome Bollywood movie: Jodha- Akbar
And the battle where Akbar won Hawai in warfare was the battle against King Hemu of India- The Second Battle of Panipat.
The painting that depicts Hawai crossing of Yamuna river with Akbar
Please remember if you liked our episode, drop us a review in the comments! We would absolutely love to hear what you have to say! Share the episode with your friends and family. It would help us a lot!