Remembering Mah Laqa Chanda Bai

April 7 is a historic day. India must commemorate today, for today was the day Mah Laqa Chanda Bai was born. She was the first woman whose poetry book was published, and she was also the wealthiest woman of her time. However, Indian history barely has any mention of her. What an overlook! Closer home (Hyderabad), it is only art enthusiasts who are familiar with the icon that Chanda Bai was. The rulers she served are world-famous. It is the Nizams I am talking about. But the woman who was instrumental in guiding them in public policies or being alongside them at the battlefront is forgotten. It is surprising that a country like India that does not surpass names of people with wealth is also ignorant of Mah Laqa Chanda Bai’s existence.

Born on April 7, 1768, Chanda Bai was raised by a courtesan mother. Following in the footsteps of her mother, she also became a courtesan in the Nizam’s court. Growing up she was offered the best trainers to train her in various forms of art and skills related to state affairs. The young child blossomed into a woman of such talent that the Nizams sought her advice to manage the state.

The first book of poems the country saw was Chanda Bai’s ‘Gulzar-e-Mahlaqa’ with 39 ghazals in it. 'God Almighty' and 'life in deccan' were the themes the poems followed. The opulent Nizam had gifted Chanda Bai with so many jagirs (properties) that she became the wealthiest woman of her time. Her properties/wealth was distributed amongst homeless/destitute women, as she had wanted, after her demise.

Perhaps, it was because she was a courtesan that the Indian sub-continent chose not to give her an honourable position. At least, the poet community of the country should acknowledge her existence. Besides, language books that have a mandatory chapter on Shakespeare, Rudyard Kipling, and so many foreign authors must also introduce Chanda Bai to the students. So must History/Economics books talk about the wealthiest Indian woman of her time.