4.1.1. Looking for sources

Our understanding of the workings of rural society does not come from those who worked the land, as peasants did not write about themselves. Our major source for the agrarian history of the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries are chronicles and documents from the Mughal court.

This chunk emphasizes that historians do not have primary writings from peasants, as they typically did not document their own experiences. Instead, historians rely on chronicles, like those from the Mughal court, which provide insights into agrarian life. This situation highlights the challenge of studying history when the voices of everyday people are absent.

Think of a group of friends where only one person keeps a diary. If you wanted to understand all their experiences, you would have to rely solely on that one diary, which might not capture everyone's story equally. Similarly, historians depend on a limited set of documents to paint a broader picture.

One of the most important chronicles was the Ain-i Akbari (in short the Ain, see also Section 8) authored by Akbar’s court historian Abu’l Fazl. This text meticulously recorded the arrangements made by the state to ensure cultivation, to enable the collection of revenue by the agencies of the state and to regulate the relationship between the state and rural magnates, the zamindars.

The Ain-i Akbari is a crucial source that provides detailed accounts of how the Mughal state supported agriculture and managed revenue. It was written by Abu’l Fazl, who documented state policies regarding agriculture and the roles of zamindars, or landowners. This text gives us important insights into the political landscape of the time and its influences on agrarian society.

Imagine a government's budget report detailing how funds are allocated for schools, roads, and hospitals. While it may tell you a lot about government priorities, it won’t tell you the experiences of students or patients directly. The Ain plays a similar role by telling us what the government planned and executed rather than providing the peasants' personal perspectives.

The central purpose of the Ain was to present a vision of Akbar’s empire where social harmony was provided by a strong ruling class. Any revolt or assertion of autonomous power against the Mughal state was, in the eyes of the author of the Ain, predestined to fail. In other words, whatever we learn from the Ain about peasants remains a view from the top.

This piece explains that the Ain was crafted to depict a harmonious relationship between the ruling Mughal dynasty and its subjects. Abu’l Fazl portrays the empire as stable and orderly, thus downplaying conflicts or struggles of the peasants against the state. This perspective limits the understanding of peasant experiences and may obscure social unrest.

Imagine a report on a school where only success stories are highlighted—students excelling and winning awards—without mentioning struggles like bullying or inadequate facilities. This would create a misleading picture. Similarly, the Ain presents an overly optimistic view of Mughal rule while ignoring the challenges faced by peasants.

Fortunately, however, the account of the Ain can be supplemented by descriptions contained in sources emanating from regions away from the Mughal capital. These include detailed revenue records from Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan dating from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

This paragraph highlights the availability of additional resources that complement the Ain’s perspectives. For example, revenue records from regions outside the Mughal capital offer more localized insights into the agrarian system and the conditions of peasants, providing a broader view of rural society during this time.

Consider a TV documentary about a country that mainly covers life in the capital city. To get a complete picture, you would seek documentaries focusing on rural towns and less-explored regions to hear different stories. Similarly, these additional records allow historians to understand the complexities of peasant life in specific areas.

Further, the extensive records of the East India Company (see also Chapter 10) provide us with useful descriptions of agrarian relations in eastern India. All these sources record instances of conflicts between peasants, zamindars and the state. In the process they give us an insight into peasants’ perception of and their expectations of fairness from the state.

This section notes that records from the East India Company document not only agricultural practices but also conflicts and grievances among peasants, zamindars (landlords), and the Mughal state. These conflicts illustrate the tensions in agrarian society and offer insights into what peasants hoped for from their rulers, thus shedding light on their perspectives.

Think about a community meeting where residents express their concerns about local governance, voicing their needs and expectations. Such meetings capture the community's voice, much like how these historical records reflect the peasants' frustrations and desires regarding their treatment by the state.

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