The Jahan’s story is very romantic, although it is not your typical Hollywood “boy meets girl” romance – think rather of the forbidden fruit, throw in angry parents on the bride’s side and we have a story that will tug at any heart, even the most hardened.
Years ago there lived an Indian woman of bewitching beauty, the indefatigable Lady Kashmira. She was a brilliant dancer, a talented artist, an impeccable composer and a prolific writer who had inherited her artistic traits from her ancestor, the revered Shah Jahan, emperor of the Indian Mughal Empire from 1628 to 1658.
Kashmira honored traditions but never shied away from innovations, like the traditional natakas she used for some of her dance-dramas. She also loved traveling and painted her travelogues on exquisite landscapes.And she fell madly in love with the British poet Lord Byron.
Her family strongly opposed the union. They wept and tried to cajole her because they wanted her to marry an Indian aristocrat. But she refused to follow the script. Kashmira and Lord Byron eloped, escaping the clutches of her family in search of true love, and they lived happily together on a boat, aptly named The Jahan, after her illustrious ancestor.
Lady Kashmira spent most of her time recreating her childhood memories in The Jahan. The rooms were reminiscent of her adolescent years and the colors and hues of the boat were tastefully chosen. The couples’ room was in white marble as a lasting tribute to the glorious Taj Mahal, which was built by Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife. One of the most beautiful buildings in the world, it still stands today as a symbol of eternal love.
Indeed, Lady Kashmira’s artistic skills turned The Jahan into a harmonious mélange of East and West. But alas, the love story took a heartbreaking turn when the British troops withdrew from India in 1947, and Lord Byron had to return to England.
Lady Kashmira remained in India as she could not tear herself away from her family or her country. She was heartbroken but continued to care for the boat and she displayed her paintings in The Jahan, drawing admirers from all over the world.
Then one day, to her utter joy, Lord Byron returned to India and he lived with Lady Kashmira until his death in 1977. As they were childless, Lady Kashmira sold the boat and donated the proceeds to a school of arts for the impoverished children of Rajasthan.
