Benazir Bhutto – A Woman Beyond the Extraordinary
Remembering Benazir Bhutto on her 14th death anniversary.
Benazir Bhutto – The First Lady to Head an Islamic Nation, the first woman to have given birth while in office, a lady known for championing the cause of women empowerment and one who led the fight against a patriarchal society. This was the life of Pakistan’s former Prime Minister – Benazir Bhutto.
‘Illustrious’, only begins to describe Benazir’s life and political career. Born in the politicaly elite ‘Bhutto’ family, Benazir’s life from very early on itself was very out of the ordinary. She grew up in large house buzzing with prominent politician from all around the world. However, her life wasn’t as easy and priveleged as one would think.
Her entire life was wracked by murders and mysterious deaths of her immediate family; decades spent behind the bars and under detentions and house arrests; and lastly – numerous assassination attempts.
Click on the title above to unfold the story of this remarkable woman. Presenting the life and story of – “Benazir Bhutto – A Woman Beyond the Extraordinary”
Nur Jahan – The Power Behind the Veil
While history remembers the great Mughal Kings and the legacy they left behind, it hasn’t been too kind to the Empress who weilded and astounding amount of power, at a time when women had little to no status in society.
Nur Jahan, the twentieth and most beloved wife of Emperor Jahangir, the fourth Mughal Emperor, is one of history’s most powerful rulers who has sadly been widely misrepresented .
A superb marksman, hunter and administrator, Nur was known throughout the vast and mighty Mughal Empire for her razor-sharp political skills.
Unfortunately, her brilliant political reign was completly erased from history when Jahangir’s son, Emperor Shah Jahan came to power. He dismissed Nur Jahan and rewrote history from his perspective – one wherein public opinion about the former Empress was extremely biased and inaccurate.
She was now portrayed as a “a gold-digger and schemer” and was remembered as the one who intoxicated Jahangir in order to seize power from him. This is how posterity remembers her as well.
Presenting the story of one of India’s most successful Empresses “Nur Jahan – The Power Behind the Veil”
Savitribai Phule – India’s First Female Teacher
On 3rd January, 1831, in a small village in Pune, Savitribai Patil was born to a well-to-do family belonging to the lower caste. At the young age of 9-years, she was married off to a 13-year-old Jyotirao Phule, and that is when her life changed.
But the difficulties weren’t yet over – the Phule’s had a long way to go. And so, the two embarked upon the journey to reform the Orthodox methods of the Indian society, together.
In their 5-decade-long career, Savitribai and Jyotiba Phule established over 18 schools for girls, 52 boarding schools for orphans and numerous widow welfare homes.
This is the story of India’s First Female Teacher – Savitribai Jyotirao Phule…
Rani Tarabai – The Savior of the Maratha Empire
Rani Tarabai, a name that very few have heard of, and even fewer remember the valiance and courage of this Queen. Married off at the young age of 8 years to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s younger son Rajaram, Tarabai was supposed to be just like the other queens of the court – perform her duties as a wife and enjoy the luxuries of royal life.
But even fate knew that she was destined for so much more.
After her father-in-law passed away, the Mughals attacked the Maratha kingdom and forced the young Queen to flee with her husband and infant son.
After being widowed at the age of 25 years, she returned to the Maratha Capital and took control of the Army and the administration of the vast Maratha Empire. But that’s not where the troubles ended… .In her life span of 86 long years, Tarabai was a witness to the glorious years of the Maratha Empire, it’s decline, its revival and the Third Battle of Panipat.
Click on the the title above to read more about the fascinating life of Maharani Tarabai Bhonsle – The Savior of the Maratha Empire…
Dr. Anandi Gopal Joshi: India’s 1st Female Doctor
Anandibai Joshi – a woman who was, in every sense, a brilliant one. Of all the women whom I have written about till now, the one string of familiarity that binds them all together is the fact that they were all empowered self-made women, who made a name for themselves in an otherwise male-dominated world.
And so, as a part of my series – Women of the Past: Rediscovered, I bring to you a story of yet another woman who broke through the barriers of a patriarchal society and became a beacon of hope for all other women who had dreams that needed to be fulfilled.
Presenting to you, the story of Dr. Anandi Gopal Joshi.
Noor Inayat Khan
As the Second World War ended in 1945, all the secret missions deployed by the Allied and Axis powers were exposed. One such unique organization that deployed several such missions was the British-set up – Special Operations Executive (SOE). Very few were aware about the existence of this organization and even fewer knew about the agents that were part of the missions.
Noor Inayat Khan, was one such lady who was a part of one of the missions deployed by the SOE. A woman, who as a young girl was described as ‘quiet’, ‘shy’, and ‘dreamy’, went on to become the first woman radio operator to operate from an enemy territory. So how did this girl transform from a ‘sensitive dreamer’ to a trained SOE wireless operator?
Presenting you, the story of another extraordinary woman – Noor Inayat Khan. Click below to know more!
Rajkumari Amrit Kaur
Rajkumari Amrit Kaur – ‘A Princess like no other’. Born in a royal family, Amrit Kaur changed the course of her life when she chose to involve herself in the fight against the British. An exceptional woman, with a list of achievements beside her name, Amrit Kaur became India’s First Female Cabinet Minister, holding the portfolio of the Ministry of Health. But that is not it. Kaur’s life was an exceptional one, and very unlike a princess’s.
Click below to know more about this ‘One of a kind Woman!’
Durga Devi Vohra
Date: 19th December 1928; Location: Lahore Railway Station, British India. A man is seen boarding a train with his wife and son, along with their servant trudging along behind. Nothing seems out of the picture, does it? Not if you knew the back story. This ‘couple’ was actually the freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Durgawati Devi and her son, along with Rajguru. Never heard the name Durgawati Devi before, have you? She too, just like Bhagat Singh, was a freedom fighter.
Click below to know more about this remarkable woman, and her difficult journey as a child, mother, wife and above all, a revolutionary.
Jahanara Begum
In an attempt to uncover newer stories, I have decided to dedicate one section of my blog only to the unknown yet bold women, who existed in our history. These women were bold, brave and strong, yet their names seemed to have gotten lost in the pages of our history. However, they managed to leave a mark in this world, and that is what I aim to achieve now with this new section – to rediscover these women and give them the credit that they deserve. The very first amongst the many is Jahanara Begum, the daughter of Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal.
Click below to know more about this remarkable woman!
