Today is the birth anniversary of one of my heroes, the multi faceted, very talented #BahadurShahZafar
He was a Crack shot- could hit a target from a moving sedan, an ace calligrapher, unparalleled in one arm combat, had no equal in horse riding and sword play in his era, a sensitive poet, a mystic, an ordained Sufi and an upholder of justice- everyone be they of aNY religion, caste or Creed got equal justice from him ( read Dastaan e ghadar translated by me)

The Uprising of 1857 was fought under his banner: be it Hazrat Mahal, Rani Laxmibai or Tantia Tope, Azimullah or Babu Kunwar Singh.
We see him only as that toothless, helpless man lying in captivity.
That was a propaganda photo.

There’s much more to him.
Do read my various articles and @williamdalrymple ‘s The Last Mughal, S Mahdi Hasan’s book Bahadur Shah Zafar