A Long Way from Hyderbad: Diary of a Young Muslim Woman in 1930s Britain
AUTHOR- translated by Zehra Ahmad and Zainab Masud edited by Kulsoom Husein with an Introduction by Daniel Majchrowicz
| HB ₹1150 |
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INFORMATION
- AUTHOR : Muhammadi Begum
- HB ISBN : 978-93-5572-251-5
- Year : 2022
- Extent : 326
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- Usually dispatched within 3 to 5 working days.
A young Muslim woman, Muhammadi Begum, arrived on English shores from the princely state of Hyderabad in the early 1930s. Her sharp intelligence had won her a scholarship to attend Oxford University, making her one of just a few Indian Muslim women to receive the opportunity. A keen observer, she kept a diary which records a time when competing political configurations to improve lives had seized public imagination in Europe. Away from mainland Europe, in the colonies of the British Empire the movement for freedom had gathered momentum.
Depicting this era for the first time, A Long Way from Hyderabad presents us with the diary Muhammadi Begum kept while abroad, translated from the original in Urdu. It was a voyage of discovery for her, whose efforts were encouraged by a far-sighted mother and a supportive husband. Describing her everyday life in a foreign land is itself a new experience which our young diarist handles with aplomb. Full of curiosity, there are new people to meet and changes to accept, such as the birth of her child or balancing housework with studies. Indeed, she is not short of opinion. Whether discussing Gandhian philosophy with fellow academics, reciting Iqbal’s verses, or quizzing her tutor about women’s participation in the Oxford Union, Muhammadi Begum is at ease in her new surroundings and welcomes discourse.
About
The Translators
Zehra Ahmad lives in Karachi. The eldest among Muhammadi Begum’s daughters, she was born in Oxford, England, a year after the events recorded in the diary. She undertook the painstaking task of translating the contents of Muhammadi Begum’s diary into English with the help of her sister Zainab. A former President of the Behbud Association, an NGO focused on the development of women in education, health, and income generation sectors, she remains a key figure in the association even today.
Zainab Masud, the second daughter of Muhammadi Begum, was equally involved in translating her diary. A resident of Karachi, she has remained a lifelong proponent of educational reform in Pakistan. For nearly four decades, she taught English literature to undergraduates at St Joseph’s College for Women until her retirement. In 1964, she received an Academic Roll of Honour from then President of Pakistan, Ayub Khan.
The Editor
Kulsoom Husein, the youngest daughter of Muhammadi Begum, lives in Leesburg, Virginia. She came out of retirement to edit the translated version of her mother’s diary. She worked as a journalist specializing in women’s issues between the 1980s and early 1990s. She has previously worked with two English dailies in Pakistan, the Nation and the Frontier Post, and was also a member of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan’s Committee on Violence against Women.
