Begum Roquia

 

Roquia Sakhawat Hussain (1880 – December 9, 1932) was a productive writer and a social worker in undivided Bengal in the early 20th century. She is most famous for her pains on behalf of gender egalitarianism and extra societal issues. She well-known the first school aimed first and foremost at Muslim girls, which still exists nowadays. She was a notable Muslim feminist; recent feminist writers such as Taslima Nasrin cite her as an influence. Begum Rokeya also wrote short stories and novels. Her vital books are Sultana's Dream and Padmarag.

She was born Roquia Khatun but achieved fame as Begum Roquia Sakhawat Hussain. Begum is an honorific, that is, a refer to reverence in addressing a woman. When she wrote in English, she transliterated her surname as Roquia.

Life

Roquia Khatun was born in 1880 in the village of Pairabondh,Mithapukur, Rangpur, in what was after that the British Indian Empire and is at this time Bangladesh. Her father, Jahiruddin Muhammad Abu Ali Haidar Saber, was a well educated (landowner). Roquia had two sisters, Karimunnesa Khatun and Humayra Khatun; and three brothers, one of whom died in childhood. Roquia's eldest brother Ibrahim, and her instant elder sister Karimunnesa, both had great manipulate on her life. Karimunnesa required to study Bengali, the talking of the majority in Bengal. The family unpopular this because a lot of upper class Muslims of the time favored to use Arabic and Persian as the media of education, instead of their native language, Bengali. Ibrahim trained English and Bengali to Roquia and Karimunnesa; both sisters became authors.

Karimunnesa married at the age of fourteen, subsequently earning a reputation as a poet. Both of her sons, Nawab Abdul Karim Gaznawi and Nawab Abdul Halim Gaznawi, become famous in the following arena and engaged ministerial portfolio under British establishment.

Roquia married at the age of sixteen in 1896. Her Urdu-speaking husbend, Khan Bahadur Sakhawat Hussain, was the assistant Magistrate of Bhagalpur, which is now a locality under the Indian state of Bihar. He constant her brother's work by heartening her to keep erudition Bengali and English. He also not compulsory that she write, and on his suggestion she adopted Bengali as the principal language for her fabulous works because it was the dialogue of the masses. She launched her literary occupation in 1902 with a Bengali essay allowed Pipasa (Thirst).

In 1909, Sakhawat Hussain died. He had confident his wife to set aside currency to start a school primarily for Muslim women. Five months following his death, Roquia established a high school in her beloved husband's memory, categorization it Sakhawat Memorial Girls' High School. It in progress in Bhagalpur, a unadventurously Urdu-speaking area, with only five student. A dispute with her husband's family over belongings obligatory Roquia to move about the school in 1911 to Calcutta (now known as Kolkata), a Bengali-speaking area.It remainder one of the city's most popular schools for girls and is now sprint by the state government of West Bengal.

Begum Roquia also founded the Anjuman e Khawateen e Islam (Islamic Women's Association), which was vigorous in holding debates and conferences concerning the status of women and education. She advocate reform, particularly for women, and believed that parochialism and extreme conservatism were chiefly accountable for the moderately slow development of Muslims in British India. As such, she is one of the first Islamic feminists. She was inspired by the traditional Islamic learning as enunciate in the Qur'an, and alleged that modern Islam had been distorted or corrupted; her organization Anjuman e Khawateen e Islam organised many events for social reform based on the original teachings of Islam that, according to her, were lost.

Death

Begum Roquia remained busy with the school, the organization, and her writings for the rest of her living She died of heart problems on December 9, 1932. In Bangladesh, December 9 is renowned as Rokeya Day.

Works

·         Sultana's Dream, a notable early work of feminist science fiction involving a utopian male/female role-reversal.

·         Oborodhbashini ("The woman in captivity")

·         Motichur

·         Paddorag ("Essence of the Lotus")

·         Narir Adhikar ("The Rights of Women"), an unfinished essay for the Islamic Women's Association

Begum Roquia used humor, irony, and satire to focus attention on the injustices faced by Bengali-speaking Muslim women. She criticized tyrannical social customs forced upon women that were based upon a spoiled version of Isla Begum Roquia was an stimulating figure who contributed much to the struggle to liberate women from the oppression of social malaises. Her life can be seen in the context of other social reformers within what was then India. To raise popular awareness, especially among women, she wrote a number of articles, stories and novels, mostly in Bengali, asserting that women rewarding their latent as human beings could best display the glory of Lord.

Begum Roquia wrote courageously against limitations on women in order to promote their emancipation, which, she thought, would come about by breaking the gender division of labor. She rejected preferential treatment for women in the public arena and believed that discrimination would cease only when women were able to undertake whatever occupation they chose. In 1926, begum strongly destined men for preservation education from women in name of religion as she address the Bengal women's education discussion:

Begum Roquia was an inspirational shape who contribute much to the struggle to liberate women from the bondage of social malaise. Her life can be seen in the background of other social reformers within what was then India. To raise well-liked awareness, especially amongst women, she wrote a number of articles, story and novels, mostly in Bengali.