India Foundation, in collaboration with India Habitat Centre, organised a book discussion on the book After Me, Chaos: Astrology in the Mughal Empire by Shri M. J. Akbar, Author & Former Union Minister, Government of India, at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, on 21st January 2026. The session was moderated by Captain Alok Bansal, Executive Vice President, India Foundation. The panel featured Shri Sudhanshu Trivedi, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha); Ms. Shazia Ilmi, National Spokesperson, Bharatiya Janata Party; and Mr. Come Carpentier, Distinguished Fellow, India Foundation. The discussion examined the intersections of science, governance, and civilisational knowledge in Mughal India, with a focus on reassessing historical narratives surrounding astrology and statecraft.
The panel deliberated on the commonly held perception that astrology and Mughal governance were incompatible and highlighted how astrological knowledge was institutionally embedded within imperial administration. Drawing on primary sources such as the Ain-i-Akbari, Baburnama, Humayunama, Akbarnama, and Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri, speakers noted that astrology informed key decisions, including coronations, military campaigns, succession planning, and court rituals. Extensive astrological references in Mughal chronicles were cited as evidence of its formal role in governance.
A key focus of the discussion was the transmission of Indian astronomical knowledge—particularly Aryabhata-based methods—into Mughal administrative practice. The panelists highlighted the establishment of formal positions such as Jyotishraj and the inclusion of Sanskrit-trained scholars, underscoring a synthesis of Indic, Persian, and Islamic intellectual traditions rather than rigid religious compartmentalisation.
The discussion also addressed how colonial and ideological historiography selectively marginalised astrology in Mughal narratives despite its prominence in original sources. Beyond administrative use, astrology was discussed as a philosophical framework that encouraged humility, detachment, and an understanding of natural order within governance. The session concluded with a consensus that After Me, Chaos restores nuance and complexity to India’s historical understanding and reinforces the idea of knowledge as a shared civilisational inheritance shaped by continuity, assimilation, and intellectual exchange.
