Mah Laqa Bai

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Portrait of Mah Laqa Bai

Mah Laqa Bai (born Chanda Bibi , also known as Mah Laqa Chanda , born April 7, 1768 in Aurangabad , † 1824 in Hyderabad ) was an Indian poet , courtesan and philanthropist . In 1824 she became the first female poet to have a divan published over her works . It was a collection of ghazels written in Urdu called Gulzar-e-Mahlaqa . She lived at a time when Dakhini , another version of Urdu, was just transitioning into Persian- heavy Urdu. Bai's literary works offer an insight into the linguistic changes in what was then South India. She was also an influential courtesan. The Nizam of Hyderabad made her Omarah , a member of the highest nobility. In 2010, her memorial in Hyderabad, which is also home to her grave, was restored through donations from the US federal government .

Life

Mah Laqa Bai was named Chanda Bibi on April 7, 1768 in Aurangabad in today's Maharashtra as the daughter of one of Rajputana hergezogenen courtesan named Raj Kunwar and a military official from the court of the Great Mogul Muhammad Shah born called Bahadur Khan. Khan moved from Delhi to Hyderabad and met and married Kunwar there. Bibi was adopted by Kunwar's childless sister, Mehtaab Ma, the wife of Nawab Rukn-ud-Daula, a prime minister of the ruler of Hyderabad.

Bibi's adoptive father personally took care of her education and gave her the best teachers. She had access to a well-stocked library. At the age of 14 she mastered horse riding and archery . Because of her skills, she accompanied Nizam Asaf Jah II in three wars in which she wore men's clothing and was known for her arts in archery and spear throwing . For their contributions to the wars, the rulers of Hyderabad awarded their own land ( Jagir ) several times . She was also given the title Mah Laqa (= face of the moon). She never married, but had a relationship with the military official Raja Rao Rambha Rao, who fought against Maratha and became the favorite of the second ruler of Hyderabad, and also made the acquaintance of John Malcolm .

She was an influential woman at the royal court during the reigns of the second and third rulers of Hyderabad. At that time she was the only woman in the Principality of Hyderabad who was officially recognized at court. In addition, she was made Omarah , a member of the highest nobility. Mah Laqa was often sought advice from the rulers of the state. As was customary for the nobility at the time, a battalion of 500 soldiers was assigned to her, who accompanied her on visits by officials. She was also a courtesan while the rulers resided at their seat of government and was a mistress of the prime ministers. She died in 1824 and bequeathed her property, including land, gold, silver, and diamond-set jewelry, to homeless women. Her residence, located in what is now Nampally, a suburb of Hyderabad, has been converted into a state-funded girls' university.

Services

Lyric text from the collection

Mah Laqa was influenced by the literary works of the mystic and poet Siraj Aurangabadi (1715–1763) and learned poetry from the later Prime Minister Nawab Mir Alam . Her mother tongue was Urdu; she also spoke fluent Arabic , Persian and Bhojpuri . She was the first female poet to publish a Diwan , a complete collection of Urdu ghazels . The collection called Gulzar-e-Mahlaqa consists of 39 ghazels and was published in 1824 after her death. In addition, the manuscript collection Diwan e Chanda , which Mah Laqa collected and calligraphed in 1798 , was given as a gift to John Malcolm on October 18, 1799 and is now in the British Museum .

She was the first female poet from this region to present her poetry at a Mushaira, a poetry symposium. This was previously only available to men. In addition to her poetry, she sometimes sang songs composed by the Mughal Mughal Muhammad Shah and the Sultan of Bijapur , Ibrahim Adil Shah II.

Mah Laqa learned singing and the classical Indian music style Thumri from Kush hal Khan, who was a court musician at the time and the great-grandson of Tansen , the court musician of the court of the Mughals. She mastered singing in several ragas (keys) and was versed in singing styles such as tappa and dhrupad and sang love songs in the Kathak dance style. She founded a cultural center where 300 girls were taught by her and other teachers. Laqa's library contained manuscripts and books on poetry, other arts, and science. She funded and oversaw the publication of Mahnamas , a historical book about the period of rejuvenation in the Principality of Hyderabad. Mah Laqa was a practicing Muslim but was also influenced by Hindu philosophy and books in her works .

Memorial in Hyderabad

Mah Laqa Bai's tomb

Near a hill in Moula-Ali, a suburb of Hyderabad, Laqa had a walled area built where she often held mushairas. In 1792 she had a grave built for her birth mother within this area. After her death, Laqa was buried next to her mother. The grave was in the style of Mughal and Rajasthanarchitektur in Chahar-Bāgh built type. In addition to a mausoleum, this area contains a pavilion in the center, which is decorated with elaborate stucco , and in which there is a mosque , a Dharamshala (a pilgrims' hostel) and two step wells .

Scott Kugle, an Emory University professor and researcher, studied the life of Mah Laqa Bai. He visited the memorial, which was in a dilapidated condition at the time. He suggested that they be restored. In 2010 the Center for Deccan Studies began a year-long restoration project through donations sent by the US government to the Consul General of Hyderabad. The "Muslim Educational, Social and Cultural Organization" also supports the project. In the process, rubble was removed, water channels rebuilt, trees and bushes replanted and the buildings and their decorations restored.

Legacy and Influence

Abdul Halim Sharar (1860–1926), a writer writing in Urdu, presented Mah Laqa Bai in his novel Husan Kay Dakoo (The Robbers of Beauty) as an educated woman who benefited from the modern education system. Based in Hyderabad scholars Sajjad Shahid wrote in his series of in The Times of India published articles that Bai the inspiration for the 1899 published novel Umrao Jaan Ada by Mirza Muhammad Hadi Ruswa was. Ruswa worked briefly at the "Hyderabad Translation Bureau" which was later expanded into the Osmania State University before writing this courtesan's fictional tale. Umrao Jaan Ada is considered to be the first true novel in Urdu literature. Narenda Luther, an expert on the history of Hyderabad, states that Mah Laqa Bai, India's first female poet whose anthology was published, "brought Hyderabad a lot of pride." Pallabi Chakravorty, a Kathak-style dancer and professor at Swarthmore College, and Scott Kugle, stated at a seminar that, in addition to being an aristocratic courtesan, Mah Laqa Bai was also a staunch mystic and was fascinated by elements of Sufism . During a festival in Hyderabad in 2013, a monologue stage play called "Maha Laq Bai Chanda", which was about her life and was funded by the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation, was performed.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ "MNC to help restore Chanda tomb charm" ( Memento from July 15, 2014 in the Internet Archive ). The Times of India. August 20, 2010.
  2. ↑ a b c d Susie J Tharu, (1991). Women Writing in India . New York: The Feminist Press. ISBN 978-1-55861-027-9 . Pages 120-121.
  3. ^ Sajjad Shahid. "The elite performer" . The Times of India. December 30, 2012.
  4. ↑ a b c d e f g h Bilkees Latif, (2010). "Forgotten" . Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-306454-1 . Pages 81, 107, 118, 123-124, 128-129
  5. ↑ a b "Latif's Forgotten salutes women" ( Memento from June 8, 2013 in the Internet Archive ). Hindustan Times. March 8, 2011.
  6. ^ A b Rajani Rajendra. "Glimpse into Mah Laqa's life" . The Hindu. April 19, 2013
  7. ↑ a b William Dalrymple, (2002). " White Mughals ". Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-303046-1 . Page 172–173
  8. ^ A b Karen Leonard, (2011). "Hindu temples in Hyderabad: state patronage and politics in South Asia" . South Asian History and Culture. Pages 355-356.
  9. ^ "A poet called Moon" . Fountain Ink. May 7, 2013
  10. ↑ a b Kugle Scott, (2010). "Mah Laqa Bai and Gender: The Language, Poetry, and Performance of a Courtesan in Hyderabad". Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East . Duke University Press. ISSN 1548-226X .
  11. ↑ a b Serish Nanisetti, "Rediscovering Mahalaqa Bai" . The Hindu. February 22, 2013.
  12. ↑ a b c "US Consulate funds renovation of Mah Laqa Bai's tomb" . Daily News and Analysis. August 19, 2010.
  13. ^ "Iron lady Mahlaqa Bai Chanda's haveli reduced to rubble" . The Siasat Daily. April 18, 2013.
  14. ↑ Mohan Lal, (1992). Encyclopaedia of Indian literature: sasay to zorgot . Volume 5. Sahitya Akademi. ISBN 978-81-260-1221-3 . Page 4109.
  15. ↑ "'Wah', once again please" . Live Mint. April 29, 2011.
  16. ↑ a b Serish Nanisetti. "Towering blunder at Moula Ali dargah" . The Hindu. 4th August 2009.
  17. ↑ Tahera Aftab, (2008). "Inscribing South Asian Muslim Women: An Annotated Bibliography and Research Guide" . Brill Publishers. ISBN 978-90-04-15849-8 . Pages 521-522.
  18. ^ A b Syed Ali Asgar Bilgrami, (1992). "Landmarks of the Deccan" . New Delhi: Asian Educational Services. ISBN 978-81-206-0543-5 . Pages 14, 16.
  19. ↑ Prashanti Ganesh. "Mad and divine women from India celebrated" . The New Indian Express. December 27, 2011.
  20. ^ A b "Mad and Divine women; mystic saint poets of India and beyond" ( Memento of November 8, 2011 in the Internet Archive ). Kartik Fine Arts. December 25, 2011.
  21. ^ "India: For the love of a woman" . The Daily Telegraph. October 8, 2002.
  22. ↑ Serish Nanisetti. "A slice of history" . The Hindu. February 16, 2010.
  23. ^ "Refurbished Garden Tomb of Mah Laqa Bai Inaugurated by Consul General" ( Memento from May 2, 2013 in the Internet Archive ). US Consulate General, Hyderabad (website). March 6, 2011.
  24. ↑ a b "Mah Laqa Bai's tomb restored, to be reopened on March 6" . The Times of India. March 4, 2011.
  25. ^ Gull Hina (2012). "Modernist trends and varied responses: reflections on Muslim women in Urdu prose by male authors of South Asia (1900-1936)" . A Research Journal of South Asian Studies. University of the Punjab. ISSN 1026-678X . Page 472.
  26. ^ Sajjad Shahid. "The Elite Performer" . The Times of India. December 30, 2012.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Bai, Mah Laqa
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Chanda Bibi; Mah Laqa Chanda
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Indian poet, courtesan and philanthropist
DATE OF BIRTH April 7, 1768
PLACE OF BIRTH Aurangabad (Maharashtra)
DATE OF DEATH 1824
Place of death Hyderabad (India)