In this work of fiction set in Delhi of 1857, just before the start of Ghadar or the first War of Independence, the very first thing that p...
In this work of fiction set in Delhi of 1857, just before the start of Ghadar or the first War of Independence, the very first thing that piques your interest is its title, Murder at the Mushaira. And when you are told that the poet laureate Mirza Asadullah Khan “Ghalib” is the main protagonist of this murder mystery where he is going to investigate a murder, you’re practically committed.
A grand mushaira has been organised at the palatial house of a Delhi nobleman, attended by the crème de la crème of the city. One of the participating poets, Sukhan Khairabadi, is found dead by a servant the following morning. Khairabadi was a man of dubious distinction, a collaborator with the East India Company at a time when the air was suffused with the news of imminent revolt by the Indians against the company, unrest in the army barracks being a particular matter of concern.
And, because of Khairabadi’s proximity to the East India Company, the senior officials at the company are keen to resolve this murder case at the earliest. A young police officer, Kirori Mal Chainsukh, is given the task of investigating this case. Kirori Mal is a novice in the police department and finds it difficult...
