An Introduction to Begum Rokeya
Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain was born in 1880 in the village of Pairaband in the colonial British province of Bengal Presidency, which later became the northern part of Bangladesh. Born into an upper-class landowning Muslim family, Rokeya was not allowed to attend school, or even to learn Bengali or English, to prevent "contamination" from non-Muslim ideas. She was taught to read Arabic and Urdu, in order to be able to read the Koran and books on "proper" conduct for women.
Rokeya was fortunate to have an older brother who believed in education for women. He taught Rokeya and her sister (who also became a writer) English and Bangla secretly at night. She remained grateful to this brother all her life.
In 1896, when Rokeya was sixteen years old, she married Khan Bahadur Sakhawat Hossain, the Deputy Magistrate of Bhagalpur. Syed was also in favor of women's education, and he encouraged Rokeya to write and set aside money to start a school for Muslim women. Rokeya wrote courageously against restrictions on women and to promote their emancipation, which she believed would come by breaking the gender division of labor. When women were able to undertake whatever profession they chose, she argued, then segregation and discrimination would cease.
Writing mostly in Bangla as a way to raise popular consciousness, she used humor, irony and satire to focus attention on the injustices faced by Bengali Muslim women. She criticized oppressive social customs forced upon women in the name of religion, asserting that the glory of God could be best displayed by women fulfilling their potential as human beings.
Rokeya wrote Sultana's Dream in 1905 to test her proficiency in English. Her husband, who read the manuscript through without sitting down, was impressed. "A terrible revenge," he commented. He persuaded her to send it to the Madras-based, English language periodical the Indian Ladies Magazine, where it was published and well-received. In 1908 it appeared as a book.
Eleven years after they had been married, Rokeya's husband died. She started a school for girls in his memory, called Shakawat Memorial School for Girls. She also founded the Bengali Muslim Women's Association and was active in debates and conferences regarding the status of women and education until her death on December 9, 1932. Today in Bangladesh, December 9 is celebrated as Rokeya Day.
Rokeya Shakawat Hossain, most commonly known as Begum Rokeya, was an important forward-thinker for her time. As an activist and a writer, she has been an inspiring figure who has contributed much to the struggle to liberate women from the bondage of patriarchy.
Following is a story by Begum Rokeya:
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