Nowhere else in Asia do we have recorded history of a line of Muslim women who governed a kingdom. The four Begums of Bhopal ruled for over 100 years. Their reign was marked by peace, good health and great education facilities. This quartet of queens owe their existence to the charisma and keen intelligence of the very first Begum - Qudsia Begum. On her husband's sudden death, a teenager Qudsia managed to marshal support from all corners, so she could ascend the throne and govern the kingdom. Her path was far from easy - she had to battle both patriarchy and religious sentiments (Islamic women as rulers was unheard of).
Saif Ali Khan is a descendant of this illustrious dynasty. Listen to the full episode for more details.
Co-host: Saatvik Seth (Mumbai)
Reference Material
1. Blog with pictures of the four Begums of Bhopal (svasalife.com/the-begums-of-b...) published on Svasa Life Magazine
2. Book - Women who ruled India (amzn.to/4bIk81j) by Archana Garodia Gupta (Amazon affiliate link)
3. Book - The Begums of Bhopal (amzn.to/45X5ulI) by a descendant (Amazon affiliate link)
4. Video - Begums of Bhopal ( • BEGUMS OF BHOPAL ) on KZread