The term “People’s History” was first used by Lucien Febvre in his now famous quote “histoirevued’en bas et non d’en haut” [1](history as seen from below and not from above) in 1932. This  compelled scholars to revisit history and view it from a different prespective. In his fantastic work, The Making of the English Working Class,[2]E. P.Thompson retells the history of the working-class of the late 18th and early 19th century from a very different perspective.The important role that the book played in shaping of British historiography is summed up by Emma Griffin when she points out how Thompson

"…uncovered details about workshop customs and rituals, failed conspiracies, threatening letters, popular songs, and union club cards. He took what others had regarded as scraps from the archive and interrogated them for what they told us about the beliefs and aims of those who were not on the winning side. Here, then, was a book that rambled over aspects of human experience that had never before had their historian.[3]

In setting out his different approach to writing history from below, Thompson clarifies in the Preface:

“I am seeking to rescue the poor stockinger, the Luddite cropper, the "obsolete" hand-loom weaver, the "Utopian" artisan… from the enormous condescension of posterity”.[4]                                                                            

Howard Zinn reiterating this emphasis says,

“The history of any country, presented as the history of a family, conceals fierce conflicts of interest (sometimes exploding, most often repressed) between conquerors and conquered, masters and slaves, capitalists and workers, dominators and dominated in race and sex. And in such a world of conflict, a world of victims and executioners, it is the job of thinking people, not to be on the side of the executioners."[5] Travelling back to 16th century,  India was adivided  state in the clutches of feudalism. Around the same time Babur had ascended to the throne at a young age of 12 in 1494.For 10 years (1494–1504) Babur aspired to recover Samarkand and was successful to briefly occupy it in 1497 and could retain it only till 1501 when he was  defeated at Sar-e Pol. In1503 he also lostFarghana. In 1504 hehowever was successful in conquering Kabul (Afghanistan).  His last unsuccessful attempt on Samarkand (1511–12) made him realise that victory was next to impossible.  Giving up the futile quest, he then started to concentrate on expansion elsewhere and turned his attention to Sindh  and India. He was successful in securing Kandahar which was a strategic site  on his journey towards Sindh.Since Timur, his ancestor had conquered some part of Punjab earlier, Babur felt he had a legal right over these areas. Above all, Babar’s main motive was to keep India as a base as he planned  his operations against the Uzbeks.However India had also always lured him because of its famed riches and its abundance.

When Babur made his first raid into India in 1519, Punjab was part of the dominions of Sultan Ibrahim Lodi of Delhi. Not all was well at the court with the Governor Daulat Khan Lodi and the Sultan not seeing eye to eye, the former resenting the latter’s attempts to diminish his authority. Therefore by 1524 when  Babur invaded  Punjab for the third time, Delhi sultanate that was involved in this contentious quarrelling,was already ripe for overthrow. After mounting a full-scale attack there, Babur was recalled by an Uzbek attack on his Kabul kingdom, but a joint request for help from Alam Khan, Ibrahim’s uncle, and Dawlat Khan encouraged Babur to attempt his fifth, and first successful raid.

Babur attacked India with a force that is estimated  to be around 1 lakh men and 1000 elephants. This battle is significant because  gunpowder was used for the first time in India.Baburnamaquantifies that  heavy canons were mounted on four wheeled carriages. The heavy gun, pulled by an elephant, was called ‘Gajnal’ and the one pulled by a camel was known as ‘Shutarnal’.[6]

The latter frightened the huge force of elephants who ran helter-skelter, totally frightened and confused, and in the process trampling men. It was estimated that around 15,000 men were killed in the battle.Though Ibrahim Lodi’s army consisted of 1,00,000 men and 1,000 elephants, it was nevertheless no match to the Mughal army  of 12,000 which was smaller in size but was well trained and a highly disciplined one.The battle ended at noon when the Afghans were completely routed and took to flee, leaving some twenty thousand dead, including Sultan Ibrahim Lodi.[7]

Turning to history,  Babar is seento be a great ‘commander  of genius’, ‘prince with engaging qualities and strong leadership abilities’. Healso wrote his memoirs in the Changtai language titledTuzk-e-Babri which literary translated means “Book of Babur” or Baburnama. This has been considered a very important source for the history of its time. It was translated by Abdul Rahim in 1589 in Persian. Baburnama[8]gives a detailed account of his invasion of India and it is this book that is often referred to by the historianswho have praised the book for its authenticity. Thacktson for example writes, "Babur's Chaghtai is fluid, idiomatic and colloquial - written in a simple, unaffected and yet very pure sytle"[9]and A.L. Srivastava continuing in the same vein says, "They (Memoirs of Babur) are considered to be one of the most enthralling and romantic work in the literature of all time".[10]This is reinforced by Babar’s own claim in Babarnama. He avers, “I have written the plain truth. I do not set these matters down in order to make known my own deserts ; I have set down exactly what has happened. In this History I have held firmly to it that the truth should be reached in every matter”.[11]

There is no contesting the opinion that Babar was a great poet and the poetry of Babarnamaqualifies as a fine specimen. This quote from the same aptly exemplifies the theory:

They saw the blackness of the foe ;

Stood idle-handed and amazed ; 

I arriving, went swift that way,

Pressed on with shout, " Move on ! move on !

I wanted to hurry my men on,

To make them stand up to the foe.

With a " Plurry up !" to my men,

I went on to the front.

Not a man gave ear to my words.

I had no armour nor horse-mail nor arms,

I had but my arrows and quiver.

I went, the rest, maybe all of them, stood,

Stood still as if slain by the foe !

Seeing me go, my men also moved.

Leaving their terrors behind.

With me they swift spread over the slope, 

Moving on without heed to the shaft ;

Sometimes on foot, mounted sometimes.

Boldly we ever moved on.

Still from the hill poured the shafts.

Our strength seen, the foe took to flight. (p.911)

One can see that Babur's keen observations here and a very pleasant forthright style that takes the reader along.Even the minutest things are described in with such meticulous detail that one feels  that the things unfolding before their very eyes.

But one ought to remember that  history can be quite biased. And if one is elucidating on one’s own life event, then  it can be doubly so. One’s value systems and judgements are bound to come in one’s way. History also can and has been used for varied purposes and served narrow ends.Rulers and politicians,  have often manoeuvred it to justify their right to power or to question that of their opponents/enemies. In one of his famous speech Winston Churchill, famously announced that history would be kind to him as he intended to write it. The idea of history as a story written by winners is also the fundamental undertone  of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. In the oft quoted lines Dan Brown reaffirming the above says, “History is always written by the winners. When two cultures clash, the loser is obliterated, and the winner writes the history books-books which glorify their own cause and disparage the conquered foe. As Napoleon once said, 'What is history, but a fable agreed upon?’”[12].

One is reminded of Geoffery Chaucer’s The Canterbury’s tales where in theprologue, the Wife of Bath refers to the Aesopian fable of the painting of the lion.The lion complains of a picture showing a man killing a lion and suggests that if a lion had painted it the result would have been different. “Who peyntede the leoun, tel me, who?”[13]

Taking a second look then at Babar’s memoirs one is aware of the missing history and the unsaid story of the vanquished. It is here that 4 hymns written by  Nanak  come into the picture. Being an eye witness to the atrocities unleashed by the plunderer, these are soulful cries of one who had felt the suffering, the pain and the anguish of the masses.

JanamSakhis mention that he himself was taken captive at Saidpur as he was at that time traveling back home after his trip to Mecca, and had stayed with  Bhai Lalo.  Guru Nanak and Bhai Lalo, along with other older men, women and children were imprisoned by Babar and how he along with Bhai Lalo were made to carry loads of wealth on their backs for Babar’s troops to take away. A line of his, outside of Babarvani hymns, indicates that he may have been present in Lahore when the city being plundered. In six pithy words this line conveys, "For a pahar and a quarter, i.e. for nearly four hours, the city of Lahore remained subject to death and fury"[14]

The first  hymn of Babarvaanibegins with

“khuraasaankhasmaanaakee-aa hindusataandaraa-i-aa.”

aapai dos na day-eekartaa jam karmugalcharhaa-i-aa.” (S.G.G.S.p.360)

Lord, Thou takest Khurasan under Thy wing, but yielded India to the invader's wrath.

The Creator Himself does not take the blame, but has sent the Mugal as the messenger of death.

This is reference  to the historical fact that Babur had initially planned to attack Khurasan but then on second thoughts diverted his attention to India.A compassionate soul like Nanak  cries out in despair as he witnessed the fury unleashed by the invader. The tone is that of a child complaining to the father of the unequal treatment meted out.The empathetic cry touches the very recesses of the soul:

“Atti maar payee karlaanetekidardnaaayaa”(S.G.G.S p.360)

How is it that you remained unaffected and not feel the stab when so much pain is released all around?

This one line has more truth in it than all the 1200 pages of Babar’s memoirs put together as it is truth letting out its grief in poetry emanating from the heart.

And then follows the reasoning of why it hurts the way it does:

“jay saktaasaktay ka-o maaraytaa man rosna ho-ee.

saktaaseehumaaray pai vagaikhasmaisaapursaa-ee”(S.G.G.S.p.360)

A fight between equals is somewhat justified.

However an unequal fight remains unjustified as when  a powerful lion (like person) pounces over a weak herd, kills them, then their creator must surely answer for it.In other words it is the inequality of the fight that troubles him.It is also a historical record of the superior weaponry  put into action by the invader. The mass destruction and loss of lives that resulted because of the use of  gun powder  is what had made this battle more dreadful.

 As the battle between the pathans and the Mughals was joined

On the battle field were wielded swords,

One side fired guns, the other made elephant charge. (S.G.G.S.p.885)

The second hymn dwells upon the condition of women- both hindu and muslim-whohaving lost their husbands, suffered humilation at the hands of the invaders:

jin sir sohanpatee-aa maan gee paa-ay san dhoor.

say sir kaateemunnee-anih gal vichaavaiDhoorh

mehlaaandarhodee-aa hunbahannamilnihadoor

(Those heads that used to be adorned with braided hair, lovingly  painted with vermillion

- those very heads today are shaved , and the throats are choked with dust).

mehlaaandarhodee-aa hunbahannamilniHhadoor.

(The  palatial mansions that were once theirs, have shooed them away now.)

oh how charming they looked  standing with their chosen one

The palanquins that carried them were of ivory

They rolled in luxuries as water was sprinkled over their heads and glittering fans were waved above them to keep away the heat.

They also rolled in wealth, as money flowed wherever they went.

They were served the finest foods, like  coconuts and dates and all they did was to rest comfortably upon their beds.

In contrast now they are bound with ropes around their necks, and their strings of pearls have been broken.

The very abundance that earlier gave them so much joy, has now become their enemy

why blame the  soldiers for they only followed the order that was given to them S.G.G.S P.417

This evocative and vivid description of the suffering of both hindu and muslim women clearly points to the fact that Babar killed indiscriminately and people were tortured irrespective of their religion. The women who suffered are specifically referred to asHinduani, Turkani, Bhattiani and Thakurani. These lines from  Babarnama also point in the same direction:

We got out on the hill ; we drove the Hazaras,

Drove them like deer by valley and ridge ;

We shot those wretches like deer ;

We shared out the booty in goods and in sheep ;

The Turkman Hazaras' kinsfolk we took ;

We made captive their people of sorts ;

We laid hands on their men of renown ;

Their wives and their children we took.(p.911)

That Babar killed savagely and unleashed all kinds of terror on people is also quite clear in hi own words.  Phrase like ‘drove them”, ‘shot’, ‘made captive’ ‘lay hands on’ ‘took wives and children’are testimony to the savegery and brutality unleashed, and also point to lack of any kind of remorse therafter. When Babar killed the people of Saidpur, much of its male population must have been eliminated in the attack and that is the reason that Guru Nanak only mentions the plight of the women. And in any battle anyways, it is always the women who suffer the most and Guru Nanak chooses togive voice to these unheard voices.He further continues:

Khoonkaesohilaegaaveeahinaanak rath kaakungoopaaevaelaalo|1|(S.G.G.S P.722)

(Sing the songs of murder, O Nanak, sprinkling kungooof blood, O Lalo)

‘Kungoo’ a  dye produced by powdering  a particular variety of millet and was used as make-up by women. The death metaphor is further elaborated upon and the divine poet says though this is ‘kungoo’, but it is of a different kind as it is the kungoo of blood. He feels an urgent need to sing sad songs  of this wide spread carnage for the world to know.

Looking for some justification of the act, his faith in the Almighty is restored when he chooses to see a divine will in operation. In spite of his destructive role, Babar is then seen by Guru Nanak to have been an unwitting instrument of the divine Will. Malhotra says:

“Because the Lodhis had violated God's laws, they had to pay the penalty. Babar descended from Kabul as God's chosen agent, demonstrating the absolute authority of God and the retribution which must follow defiance of His laws. Guru Nanak's commentary on the events which he actually witnessed, thus becomes a part of the same universal message. God is absolute and no man may disobey His commands with impunity. Obey Him and receive freedom. Disobey him and the result must inevitably be retribution, a dire reckoning which brings suffering in this present life and continued transmigration in the hereafter.”[15]

These heart-rending scenes then force the guru to sadly reflect and he avers the universal truth that that all this fight for supremacy is  going to perish one day and man ultimately is going to turn to dust. He questions:

Where have  the stables, the horses gone? And the games you played?

The drums and the trumpet that glorified you also have disappeared

The baldrics,the chariots and the crisp scarlet uniforms are also nowhere in sight

Where are the beautiful faces and the rings that adorned them? I cannot see them.(S.G.G.S.p.417)

Once the transient value of these worldly glories is established, Nanak then turns to the supremacy of the almighty:   

This world is Yours; You are the Lord of the Universe.(S.G.G.S.p.417)

The fourth hymn is again a beautiful rendering, probably addressed to Bhai Lalo. It ends on a prophetic note, alluding  to the rise of Sher Khan, who defeated Babar's son and successor, Humayun in June 1539 (during the lifetime of Guru Nanak), and who finally drove the Mughal king out of India in the following year. The hymn in Tilang measure is, like the other three, an expression of Guru Nanak's feeling of distress at the moral degradation of the people, at the imposition by the mighty. It is a statement also of his belief in God's justice and in the ultimate victory of good over evil.

Oh Lalo I speak onlyas the lord instructs me to
Babur’s marriage procession is sinful as he comes and invades from all the way from Kabul, demanding land as his wedding gift.

Modesty and Dharma both have vanished, and falsehood struts about like a leader, O Lalo.
What is the need of Qazis and the Brahmins when it’s the  Satan himself who now conducts the marriage rites, O Lalo. (S.G.G.S Page: 722)

Nanak puts a stamp of authenticity to his description of Babar’s atrocities in this hymn by making it clear that it is khasamkibaani(god’s voice). It is also the voice of conscience. And in that scenario it must have taken a lot of courage doing what he did. Guru Nanak’s poem is especially courageous because it could have resulted in him losing his life. Despite this, he chose and dared to write the truth.

The wedding metaphor of a wedding ceremony isvery poignant and telling.Wedding are often used as metaphors of death in sufi poetry.  Just like the bride leaves her temporary house and goes to her husband’s house, the soul too leaves the body to proceed towards its merging with the lord. Guru Nanak extends this metaphor chillingly — the wedding party has come from Kabul and “demands” land.  This sin has come from greed.  Through this poem he slays the greed of acquirers of land and women.

‘Modesty and righteousness have hidden themselves and falsehood struts around like a leader, O Lalo.’(S.G.G.S.p.722)

He like W. B.  Yeats laments the passing away of innocence and rues to quote Yeats that “the best lack all conviction and the worst are full of passionate intensity.”[16]

1. It was Lucien Febvre who first used the phrase 'history from below' when in 1932 he observed that Albert Mathiez, a founding member of the Annales tradition, had sought 'histoire des masses et non de vedettes; histoirevued'en bas en non ..."
2. Thompson, E.P. The Making of the English Working Class.Harmondsworth:Penguin, 1968.
3. Griffin, Emma (6 March 2013). "EP Thompson: the unconventional historian". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
4. E.P. Thompson, The Making of the English Working Class. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1980, p.12.
5.  "A People's History of the United States: 1492 - Present". Zinn Education Project. Retrieved 2019-07-27.
6. Majumdar R.C&Pusalkar A.D (eds.), History and Culture of Indian People: The Mughal Empire (Vol. VII), Bombay: Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, 1974, p.34.
7. Chandra, Satish.Madhyakalin Bharat: Rajaniti, SamajAurSanskriti (Hindi), Hyderabad, 2009, pp.199- 200.
8. https://archive.org/stream/baburnamainengli01babuuoft/baburnamainengli01babuuoft_djvu.txt. All subsequent quotations have been taken from the above edition
9. and have incorporated in the text.
10. Thacktson, W.M.TheBaburnama: Memoirs of Babur, Prince and Emperor, New York: Modern Library, 2002, p-11.
11. Srivastava, A.L. The Mughal Empire, Agra: Shiva Lal Agarwala& Co, 1989, p-34.
12. https://archive.org/stream/baburnamainengli01babuuoft/baburnamainengli01babuuoft. (p.911)
13. Brown, Dan. The Da Vinci Code. New York: Doubleday & Company, 2003. p.215-16
14. Geoffrey Chaucer (ed. Larry D. Benson). The Canterbury Tales (in The Riverside Chaucer). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987.Prologue, 692.
15. S.G.G.S, 1412. (Trans G.S.Talib).All subsequent quotations have been taken from the above edition and have been incorporated in the text.
16. R. P. Malhotra, R.P. N.Delhi:Global Vision Pub House, 2003 Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Punjabi Literature.
17. Lynskey, Dorian (30 May 2020). "'Things fall apart': the apocalyptic appeal of WB Yeats's The Second Coming". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 May 2020.