Reflections on Mughal Art & Culture, published by the K R Cama Oriental Institute and Niyogi Books and edited by Roda Ahluwalia, a scholar of South Asian art, with an interest in painting and the book arts, religio-philosophical thought and the material culture of South Asia, offers enriching essays on the imperial Mughal age in the Indian subcontinent. Featuring diverse themes such as portraits of royal women, sub-imperial patronage of temples, wordimage relationship, among others, it includes voices by leading experts such as Catherine B. Asher, Sheila R. Canby, Vivek Gupta, Mika Natif, Gülru Necipoglu, Kavita Singh and others along with the editor herself. Excerpts from an interview with Ahluwalia: Could you give us an insight into some of the essays published in the book? Professor Gulru Necipoglu’s fascinating chapter on trans-regional architectural comparisons between the three Islamicate superpowers of the early modern period, the European- based Ottomans, the Safavids in Iran and the Mughals in the Indian subcontinent discusses iconic building types chosen by each Empire for their dynastic self-representation and challenges assumptions that their architecture has developed in a linear fashion. Their shared Turko-Mongol and Persianate- Islamic cultural heritage and deliberate deviations from these common roots enriched and enlivened the architectural conversations between all three Empires. Dr Vivek Gupta’s chapter on the Mughal military outpost of Burhanpur, experientially engages with the city and discovers its textile culture. Abd al-Rahim Khan-i Khanan, commander in chief of Akbar and Jahangir, who lived in Burhanpur, composed a poem in Hindi titled Nagarshobha or Splendour of the City in which he speaks of the rangrejina or dyer woman and rang or colour of textiles produced in the city. Considering the meanings of popular textile ornament patterns such as the poppy and discussing Burhanpurs’s textile exports to the Armenian community in Europe, Gupta gives us a fascinating glimpse of the culture of this splendid city. I focus on an important phase of Mughal painting, the change in content and visual language that occurred between the Akbari and Jahangiri periods, by tracing the career of an unknown painter called Nanha. This talented ustad appeared to pre-empt the Jahangiri painting style 10 years before Jahangir acceded to the throne. He should be remembered as an excellent portraitist who entered into the spirit of the person being painted. Tell us about the representation of women in Mughal visual culture? Women in literary and visual Persianate cultures of Mughal and Safavid spheres, such as Nal and Damayanti, Shirin, Zulaikha and Laila were popularly represented and foregrounded distinctive genres. In Ottoman lands, however, the Indian woman did not garner any special status in their visual culture; she is painted as another woman, among many women of the world. Courtly women possessing Central Asian-Timurid heritage, such as Hamida Banu Begum (Akbar’s mother) and Mahim Anaga (Akbar’s foster mother) were prominently represented in Mughal chronicles and their portrayal did not differ from the representation of royal men. Were there any discoveries for yourself about Mughal art after going through the submissions? This book has been a journey of discovery for me. Working closely with 12 carefully researched chapters (13, including mine) written by leading scholars has given me a wealth of knowledge that, as a scholar, I feel privileged to have accessed upfront, and worked so closely with, over several years. As an art historian of South Asian art, I have learnt that art and cultures need to be discussed and analysed, not merely on a pan-Indian scale, but by trans-regional comparative analyses as well. What are the challenges of curating an anthology? The challenges are manifold, but the end result is infinitely rewarding. I received starkly different advice regarding ‘editing’ from a professor who taught me at SOAS and other experienced editors; some described their experiences as ‘torturous’, others said they were ‘rewarding’. I think both these descriptions hold true. The process can at times be frustrating as one has to deal with many contributors, deadlines and, as in this case, joint publishers. But my conviction that this publication would add great value to scholarship strengthened my resolve to see it through. And the end result has been greatly rewarding.