KATHMANDU, April 6: Begum Hazrat Mahal, wife of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Oudh, is remembered as a true symbol of courage even 138 years after her demise.
She was one of the earliest female freedom fighters during the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, which is known in India as the first war of independence.
Death anniversary of Begum Hazrat Mahal commemorated
Begum Hazrat Mahal took the responsibility for state affairs after the British annexed their territory and Nawab Wajid Ali Shah was exiled to Calcutta. She also showed great valor in the battlefield.
She placed her 14-year-old son on the throne of Oudh and fought bravely against the British. But she was forced to retreat after the British recaptured Oudh. Refusing any favors or allowances offered by the British, she chose asylum in Nepal. She breathed her last in Kathmandu in April 1879.
She and her loyal soldiers who accompanied her had to go through a lot of trouble to secure asylum in Nepal, which had friendly ties with the British. Nepal became her home away from home for the rest of her life. She left behind poetry reflecting her love and passion for her own country and its freedom.
to her great great granddaughters Dr Talat Fatima and Manzilat Fatima, Begum Hazrat Mahal had predicted in one of her poems that she would be buried in the country of the Himalayas. “Despite her struggles, Begum Hazrat didn’t want to inhale air intoxicated with slavery and that may be the main reason she sought asylum here,” said Dr Talat Fatima, who arrived in Kathmandu Thursday to mark her death anniversary on Friday.
family of Begum Hazrat Mahal feels indebted to Nepal and the Nepalis for providing her a safe haven where she could breath her last with freedom and honor, Dr Talat said. To remember this valiant lady on her death anniversary, a documentary on ‘Life of Begum Hazarat Mahal’ is being screened at Nepal-Bharat Library on Friday.
