Public Spaces in Lucknow -the influence of power (page 3)

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Although there is no documentation of her early life and of her time as one of the many wives of Wajid Ali Shah, she Suddenly enters into the pages of history with her actions and words amply recorded for posterity. We hear her in proclamations to the public, her directives to the hastily reconstituted Avadh court and ministers, and missives to the taluqadars. We follow her movement within the city as she leaves the royal quarters of Kaiserbagh behind, arrives in a procession to the coronation of her son, Visits the troops as they prepare for battle, and her final days and departure from Lucknow When the British defeat the Indian forces and begin looting. We can trace her retreat through the principalities of Avadh and her attempts to recoup forces and marshal support in the year that followed until she finds a haven in Nepal. We hear the conciliatory and admonishing notes in her voice as she pleads for Co-operation among warring factions and exhorts the troops to swing into action. Her counter-proclamation issued to the one by Queen Victoria in November 1858 is masterful in its defiance, in its questioning of British promises of amnesty, and its assessment of the causes of war. She questions the British right to govern a land that was not theirs and condemns the disruption of Islamic and Hindu religious mores caused by their rule.

Her unflinching strength in the face of opposition, her stubborn refusal to accept the conditions offered by the British and Surrender, and her personal courage in the face of mounting adversity when in retreat, are heroic by any standards. Pride, fortitude, courage- qualities she seemed to possess in abundance- aided her quest to claim independence for Avadh from the British at a critical juncture in its history. Social and political upheavals during the uprising paved the way for a purdanashin lady to find a public voice and claim leadership, but the vision and ability to execute it was uniquely Hazrat Mahal's.

Her legacy to Lucknow (and Avadh) is monumental, yet there are no monuments to her in the city with the Sole exception of Begum Hazrat Mahal Park that ironically contains the Memorial to Queen Victoria, her nemesis. It was dedicated to her only in 1972 and although previously used as grounds for political rallies, it is now a gated pleasure park with tall fountains and an entry fee. I was told that a proposal to install Hazrat Mahal's statue was quenched in the face of opposition from her descendants. There is talk of renaming the local airport in her honour and a local girls College to be built will be named after her. Although the Begum's position in the annals of history is assured, yet her iconic commemoration in the city she ruled appears to be sadly lacking.
(Continues...)

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