A sudden silence swept over the chaos, as she stepped into the court. Cutting through the swarm of prospective successors, the widowed queen entered carrying her infant daughter.
Murmurs rose; yet unperturbed, she moved towards the throne. A single breath and she took off her veil, leaving the crowd gasping in shock.
What followed after this was an excellent oration of the time elucidating that in the tumultuous period of being surrounded by enemies, Bhopal could only survive through unity. As the audience stood in rapt silence, she continued to read out the late Nawab’s will, declaring that the eldest daughter Sinkandar would be the queen upon reaching maturity and that until then, she, Qudsia will rule on her behalf as the Regent.
This iconic moment, at the funeral of Nawab Nazar Mohammad Khan, marked the beginning of the era of Begum rule in Bhopal.
More than 200 years ago, when the concept of feminism was yet to be introduced in India, these Begums, unconventional, radical and opinionated, rose up, defying norms to rule for hundreds of years, introducing progressive reforms and fighting wars outside the battlefield.
The long rule of progress
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As opposed to the rule of Queen Regent of Travancore, Pooradam Thirunal Sethu Lakshmi Bayi, who ruled briefly till her son came of age, the rule of the Nawab Begums reigned long and successful.
Interestingly, in the 253-year-span of Nawab sovereignty, the matrilineal reign began in 1819, and lasted more than 150 years, with an exception in 1926, when Sultan Jahan Begum abdicated to put son Nawab Hamidullah Khan on the throne.
After him, Khan’s daughter, Abida Sultan was to succeed the throne, but her decision to move to Pakistan after the Partition of India led her younger sister Sajida to the throne of Begum of Bhopal.
Although there might have been varied incidents leading up to their succession, one thing was common among them all, that they were strong leaders who had to incessantly fight to prevail over all men waiting to grab the throne.
These Begums of Bhopal were called Nawab Begum, a term that is technically not a part of Islamic political vocabulary which includes no word suggestive of a queen or female ruler.
Despite their defiance to the dominant patriarchy, the Begums’ commitment to Islam is well recorded in these archives. From funding the Muslim University at Aligarh, donating money to build a mosque in Basra, Iraq, to establishing a school for girls in Delhi, back in the 1920s, the Begums believed in protecting and strengthening their State’s boundaries and empowering it with education too.
In order to assert power and earn respect among their male subjects, they had to either sacrifice or learn to adapt. For instance, Qudsia Begum and her daughter learnt traditionally ‘masculine’ skills, like hunting and fencing, while Shah Jahan Begum had to embrace Purdah keeping in line with the orthodox idea of Islamic femininity.
Yet despite her veil and strict seclusion from public life, as mentioned in her daughter’s biography, Shah Jahan Begum, proved to be a competent ruler.
Reign of Begums
Later, Sikandar Begum’s husband died in 1844, giving her the throne. She was not only an able leader but also played an important part in the First War of Independence in 1857-58, pushing the British to make a special provision for the Begum to rule as sovereign in her own right.
After her death, Sultan Jahan Begum succeeded her in 1868. After a 25-year-reign, which was known for it focus on women’s issues like health and education, came to an end, she became the last Begum of Bhopal, as her great-granddaughter Abida Sultan abdicated the throne in 1948.
