Long ago in India, a little boy dared to invite an Emperor to dinner..
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Food-loving Anwar lives with his mum, Paro, in a humble village in India.
One day, the Great Emperor and his caravan of people are passing by. v
What happens when Anwar dares to invite the mighty Emperor to dinner – and accidentally all his followers too?
No matter how frantically Paro chops more onions, mixes more spices and pours more water into her dal, it JUST isn’t enough…
Can Anwar save the day?
Inspired by a true story of sharing, community and food. Illustrated in a unique style that mixes contemporary and traditional Mughal miniature painting.
Long ago in India, a little boy dared to invite an Emperor to dinner..
Soni Zuberi Shah
Author
"101 Dishes for the Emperor is inspired by an event that happened to my family a very long time ago. My father used to tell me the story when I was a little girl. I wrote down this tale, so it could be shared with you."
Soni trained as an environmentalist and worked in conservation and development. She has also worked in science communication at the BBC, and has gone on to work in community arts.
101 Dishes for the Emperor is Soni’s first children’s picture book, it is inspired by a story about her ancestral heritage.
Soni says ‘With universal values of sharing, kindness and the love of good food, 101 Dishes for the Emperor is as relevant today as it was in 16th century India.’
Dr Fatima Zahra Hassan
Illustrator & Mughal Miniature Painting Expert.
“This book is dedicated to my beloved mother, who has been a great source of inspiration to me.”
Dr Fatima Zahra Hassan is a London based visual artist, educator, and researcher, trained in Visual Islamic and Traditional Arts. She specialises in Indian, Mughal and Persian Miniature Painting.
Zahra has also introduced new courses at the School of Traditional Arts, The Prince’s Foundation London, and the University of London and the British Museum’s joint World Art Programme in South Asian Art and Design held at the British Museum and Asia House London.
Zahra has conducted many workshops and has given talks in museums in the UK on Indo-Persian Miniature Painting and Islamic Illustrated Manuscript Illustration. She is part of international research groups and publishes on South Asian and Middle Eastern Art with an approach that bridges the practice with theory.