Page 21 - Pakistan Link - November 15, 2019

COMMENTARY NOVEMBER 15, 2019 – PAKISTAN LINK – P21

n By Dr Syed Amir Emperor Shah Alam’s Beloved Daughter rived for Begum Samru to return the favors be-
Bethesda, MD stowed upon her by Shah Alam.
The Rohilla chieftain, Ghulam Qadir,
uring the twilight of the Mughal is believed to have been an Austrian. He spoke described by historians as a crazy, avaricious,
Empire in the eighteenth century, In- both Urdu and Persian with a heavy accent, ruffian maneuvered himself as the prime min-
Ddia witnessed the emergence on the had adopted Mughal dress and many local cus- ister at Delhi in 1788. Then, he employed the
country’s turbulent landscape of a colorful toms. Most importantly, he had four battalions most evil methods to extort money from the
and intriguing woman. of soldiers and guns at his command and was old king, treating him and his family in a bar-
Known as Begum Samru, actively courted by various warring groups. Re- barous manner. Qadir himself brutally blinded
she eventually founded the mini inhardt had also amassed a fortune in Bengal, Shah Alam with a crude knife, and pulled his
autonomous state of Sardhana robbing the treasuries of Nawab Mir Qasim, beard to humiliate him. However, he could find
in Meerut, in present-day Utter with whom he was allied for a time, after Naw- no money, since there was none.
Pradesh, the only Catholic-ruled ab’s defeat by the British. After drifting about, The news of the emperor’s pathetic con-
principality that ever existed in he finally settled in Delhi. dition and shabby treatment generated much
India. Although a well-known, dynamic fig- On one of his visits to Chauri Bazar estab- sympathy and anger across the region. His sup-
ure in her time, Begum Samru, curiously, finds lishments, he came in contact with Farzana and porters, under the command of Begum Samru,
scant mention in contemporary Indian chron- became besotted with her. She was fifteen at the fought their way into Delhi, drove Ghulam Qa-
icles. time and he 45. Reinhardt admitted Farzana dir out and rescued the old emperor. The grate-
Many details of her early life are shrouded to his Harem in 1765 as a concubine. From ful monarch honored Begum Samru in the
in mystery. John Lall of the Indian Civil Ser- then on, she became known as Begum Samru, majestic Delhi Red Fort, calling her “his most
vice, a historian and prolific author who served a more prestigious and dignified title, though beloved daughter.” Ghulam Qadir was soon
From left: Dr Akbar Ahmed with Hailey Woldt during fieldwork in Arab Alabama, with members of his research team at the Statue of Liberty, and at the oldest US mosque in Cedar Rapids as Commissioner of Agra in the fifties, draw- there is no evidence that they were ever legally caught and summarily executed.
ing upon old archives, has authored a well-re- married. Delhi at the time was ruled by the last Begum Samru had an enigmatic, flam-
searched book that constitutes the single most effective sovereign of the Mughal dynasty, Shah boyant personality. Years after the death of her
reliable source of information about her. A Alam II (1728–1806), who had been placed on presumed husband, in 1788 she converted to
young woman of dazzling beauty, Begum Sam- the throne by the victorious Afghan King, Ah- Roman Catholicism and built the largest cathe-
ru’s original name was Farzana Zeb-un Nissa. mad Shah Durrani. The emperor, with progres- dral in North India, designed by an Italian ar-
She was brought up as a dancing girl in the old sively dwindling powers and shrinking territo- chitect, in her capital of Sardhana. Some of the
city of Delhi, in its infamous Chauri Bazar, in ry, was beset with a host of insurgencies. In the When the issue of legal succession to the es- clergy doubted the sincerity of her conversion.
the shadows of Shah Jahan’s magnificent Jama year 1773, Agra was occupied by bands of Jats, tate came up, she received strong support from According to author Dalrymple, she continued
Masjid. Author Dalrymple in his book, The who were pillaging the city, raiding Lal Qilla both native and European officers of her mili- to observe many Muslim practices, including
Last Mughal, cites 1751 as the year of her birth and Taj Mahal. At this difficult time, Samru Sa- covering her head. Several European visitors
and her ethnicity as Kashmiri. hib provided crucial help to the Mughal army Known as Begum Samru, noted that she, unlike most Indian women, on
Societal disintegration often accompa- which drove Jats out of the city. The emperor formal occasions adorned a Mughal-style tur-
nies general moral decay. It was a common was so appreciative of the help that he rewarded she eventually founded the ban, while a servant carried around a hucca for
practice of the rich and powerful in decadent the Austrian mercenary with the estate of Sard- mini autonomous state of her at dinner parties she hosted. At her court,
eighteenth-century Delhi to patronize courte- hana, with annual revenue of six lakh rupees, established Mughal etiquettes were scrupu-
sans, frequently adopting them as mistresses and bestowed upon him a royal Sanad. Sardhana in Meerut, in lously observed. Begum Samru had eclectic
or concubines. Farzana, daughter of a courte- Begum Samru was an active participant present-day Utter Pradesh, interests. She took pride in her patronage of
san and a Muslim aristocrat, landed in Delhi in her husband’s various campaigns. In fact, Urdu poetry, and the annual Christian festivi-
as destitute. She was adopted and brought up author John Lall comments that “Reinhardt the only Catholic-ruled ties also included, an Urdu poetry reading ses-
by an aging courtesan, trained in the tools of would have been completely lost in the snake principality that ever existed sion. Three European mercenaries serving at
trade -- singing, dancing, and the long estab- pit of intrigues without his begum’s interven- her court became well-recognized Urdu poets.
lished etiquettes of the profession. Her reputa- tion, active and behind the scene.” Samru, how- in India. Although a well- When the British finally took effective control
tion spread widely. The imperial authority at ever, did not last long to enjoy his sovereignty known, dynamic figure in of India, Governor General Lord Cornwallis
Delhi had largely dissipated, and the vacuum over Sardhana and, after thirteen years of mar- reaffirmed her title to the estate of Sardhana.
caused by the absence of a central power was riage, died in 1778. Begum Samru became a her time, Begum Samru, Her highness Farzana Zeb un-Nissa, known as
filled by rogue states, Maratha, Jats, Sikhs and widow at the young age of 27 years. curiously, finds scant mention Begum Samru, the first and only Catholic ruler
Rohilla. The prevailing anarchy attracted many The Begum, meanwhile, had already es- of an Indian state died in 1837. Her age at the
foreign fortune seekers who arrived in droves. tablished herself as an able battlefield com- in contemporary Indian time of her death has been reported variably as
These mercenaries raised private armies, be- mander, earning the respect and loyalty of her chronicles eighty-five or ninety.
came warlords and supported various warring troops and officers. She had inherited enor- India had not seen a female leader like her,
factions, all for a price. mous wealth from her husband. Her battlefield tia. Emperor Shah Alam, favorably disposed, both sagacious and audacious, since the brief
One such adventurer was General Walter exploits became legendary, transforming her extended recognition to her as the legitimate reign of Razia Sultana Begum (1205-1240)
Joseph Reinhardt, known as Samru Sahib, who into a mystical figure with mythical powers. heir and ruler of Sardhana. The time soon ar- nearly seven centuries earlier.
Development of Pakistani Literature in English ‘Tattaya’ in

Hybrid Tapestries and critical writings on the di- out trousers.
It turned out to be a small noc-
The Development of Pakistani verse sociopolitical reasons for the Peshawar turnal insect called ‘tattaya’ which
Literature in English emergence of a Pakistani national had bit me and put me to shame.
Author: Muneeza Shamsie literature in English. n By Rafiq Ebrahim Valjee
Author description: Writer MARRIAGE FROM P9
Hybrid Tapestries provides and critic, Muneeza Shamsie (née IL degree. By contrast, according to the
an extensive historical map of Habibullah), is a leading authority ate Mr S.M. Akhlaque, Mir latest government statistics, a 25- to
Pakistani English literature: it on Pakistani English literature. She Saeed Rizvi and I were sort 29-year-old with a bachelor’s degree in
traces the narrative to its multiple is the managing editor of a work- Lof a permanent team while English, Elementary Education, Psy-
origins, including pre-colonial in-progress, The Oxford Compan- making TV commercials. We were chology, Humanities, or Fine Arts aver-
and colonial contacts, and moves ion to Pakistani Literature. She shooting another commercial for ages about $40,000, while carrying loads
across the twentieth century to ex- has edited three pioneering an- Honda Motorcycle, this time in of student loan debt. So, does a woman
traordinary new talent. The book thologies of Pakistani English lit- Peshawar, on a hot summer day. marrying a man without a college educa-
singles out thirteen innovative erature, including And the World The shoot went smooth as desired. tion get someone with less income pros-
writers for a detailed chapter on Changed: Contemporary Stories We packed up for the day and pects than she has? It depends. If she is a
each, beginning with those who by Pakistani Women, for which looked forward to a blissful night Fine Arts major married to an electrician
became Pakistanis after Partition she received the Foreword Bronze in a Rest House. with eight years of experience, probably
(such as Shahid Suhrawardy and Award (2008) and the IPPY Gold After a delicious dinner, com- not.
Ahmed Ali) but who had pub- Award (2009), in the United prising of barbequed partridge, The fact is that the so-called short-
lished major works prior to Inde- States. Muneeza is Pakistan’s Bib- we thought of taking a stroll in the age of men obtaining four-year college
pendence. Due acknowledgement liographic Representative for The nearby field as the weather had degrees is only a problem if men do not
is also given to the two forgot- Journal of Commonwealth Litera- cooled down. The Rest House man- do anything else that is challenging, pays
ten writers of that era: Atiya and short story writers Aamer Hus- ture and serves on several interna- ager warned us that there were small well, and has a future. And there are
Samuel Fyzee Rahamin. Pioneer- sein, Daniyal Mueenuddin, and tional advisory boards, including thin snakes in the field and that we plenty of options without college require-
ing contemporary authors, from Jamil Ahmed; playwrights Sayeed that of The Journal of Postcolonial should be wary of them. Neverthe- ments that do precisely that. Heck, those
Zulfikar Ghose and Taufiq Rafat Ahmad, Rukhsana Ahmed, and Writing. She less, we ventured. Fragrance of trees who opt out of four-year colleges for a
to Bapsi Sidhwa, Sara Suleri, and Ayub Khan-Din are all discussed has been a guest editor for and wild flowers filled the air which skilled trade can often be earning income
Hanif Kureishi, are discussed in here. These are underpinned by an two of its special issues: ‘Pakistan’ greatly soothed us after a hard day’s for years while their college-enrolled
detail. extensive discussion on essays, let- (2011) and ‘Al-Andalus’ (2016). work in scorching heat. peers stack up student-loan debt and
The book encompasses po- ter writing, and memoirs, includ- She is also a member of the advi- Just as I was smelling a flower, make almost nothing. And a lot of trade
etry, fiction, drama, and life-writ- ing the letters of Faiz Ahmed Faiz sory committee of the DSC Prize something bit me on the thigh. The work is interesting, varying, and intel-
ing. It includes and unites a wide and Alys Faiz; essays of Anwer for South Asian Literature and bite was almost unbearable. I re- lectually challenging. Maybe that bright,
range of English language writers Mooraj, Moni Mohsin, and Eqbal was its jury member in 2013. She called the warning of the manager. hard-working guy without a college de-
in Pakistan with those living in the Ahmed; travelogues of Salman served as the Regional Chair (Eur- Yes, it must be a thin snake. In my gree is not a bad marriage prospect after
diaspora. Poets Alamgir Hashmi, Rashid; and memoirs of Firoz asia) of the Commonwealth Writ- agony, I just unzipped my pants and all. (David J. Ayers is Professor of Sociol-
Imtiaz Dharker, and Moniza Alvi; Khan Noon, Tehmina Durrani, ers Prize from 2009–11. Muneeza pulled it down. Members of our ogy and Interim Provost and Vice Presi-
novelists Kamila Shamsie, Mohsin Kamran Nazeer, and others. The lives in Karachi and contributes team who had accompanied us be- dent for Academic Affairs at Grove City
Hamid, and Uzma Aslam Khan; book also brings new perspectives regularly to Dawn and Newsline. gan to laugh loudly seeing me with- College in Grove City, Pennsylvania)
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