▁interesting ▁manner , ▁as ▁the ▁first ▁person , ▁all ▁that ▁Del hi ▁has ▁been ▁to ▁Nad ir ▁Shah , ▁Ta im ur ▁and ▁Aur ang z eb ▁etc . ▁who ▁pl under ed ▁and ▁destroyed ▁her , ▁and ▁to ▁Me er ▁Ta qi ▁Me er ▁and ▁Bah ad ur ▁Shah ▁Z af ar ▁whom ▁Del hi ▁destroyed ; ▁he ▁looks ▁through ▁the ▁eyes ▁of ▁semi - histor ical ▁characters ▁like ▁Mus add i ▁L al ▁Kay as th , ▁a ▁H indu ▁convert ▁working ▁under ▁the ▁host ile ▁G hi y as ▁ud ▁din ▁Bal ban ▁in ▁the ▁four teenth ▁century — the ▁dawn ▁of ▁the ▁M ug hal ▁Empire , ▁right ▁up ▁to ▁ ▁Ni hal ▁Singh , ▁a ▁S ikh ▁mer cen ary ▁who ▁sett les ▁his ▁historical ▁score ▁with ▁the ▁M ugh als ▁by ▁helping ▁the ▁British ▁in ▁cr ushing ▁the ▁Se po y ▁Mut iny ▁of ▁ 1 8 5 7 ▁– ▁the ▁sun set ▁of ▁the ▁M ug hal ▁emp ire , ▁Mrs . ▁Alice ▁Ald well , ▁the ▁wife ▁to ▁an ▁English ▁civil ▁servant ▁who ▁converts ▁to ▁Islam ▁to ▁escape ▁per sec ution ▁( but ▁is ▁still ▁ra ped ), ▁the ▁dynamic , ▁invent ive ▁and ▁sh rew d ▁P un j abi ▁entrepr ene urs ▁ ▁who ▁won ▁the ▁British ▁contract s ▁to ▁build ▁L ut y ens ' s ▁Del hi ▁( S ir ▁Sob ha ▁Singh , ▁the ▁writer ' s ▁father , ▁was ▁one ▁such ▁person ), ▁to ▁an ▁angry ▁young ▁H indu