the men’s area. In pre- and newly
independent India, the women of the
Raja’s family were confined within
the zenana, where no men except
close family members were allowed.
The wings still remain distinct—my
six-year-old son, Hasan, and I have
been given a room inside the zenana,
while my husband is in the mardana.
Women walk freely in and out of
the zenana, but men, other than the
family, still cannot enter.
I get ready, leave my room and
walk past the huge courtyard of
the mahalsara, flanked by large
imambaras. On one end of the
courtyard are the chambers of the
erstwhile Rani of Mahmudabad, the
present Raja’s mother.
Rani Kaniz Abid was the queen of
the estate of Bilehra, a royal in her
own right. A strong, self-possessed
woman, the Rani had depth of
character and a sharp intellect. She
had named the zenana, the usaara,
which means ‘prison’. This is the plac
where humans are kept as p
she would say.
Once, someone b gh f w
colourful caged birds a f h
young crown prince. B h
would not hear of it. She w lk d p
the cage and opened the g g
the birds free. This was h l t
protest against the invisible f
the world that women lived in
At the far edge, to the right f h
mahalsara, stands a lush green g d
that has at its centre a large rectang lglimmering pool flaunting a curved
bridge over it. Known as the phulwari,
this space was once the garden of the
royal ladies.
Within this very garden was a small
menagerie that the late Raja built for
his son. This zoo housed a myriad
birds and animals for the amusement
of the young prince, but it made the
Rani uncomfortable. She would,
one day, request her husband that
as much as she would like her son
to look at them and be happy, these
creatures should be set free. You
cannot cage living beings, was the
lesson she instilled in her son.
Rani Kaniz Abid’s longing for
freedom also stemmed, perhaps,
from traumas of her early childhood,
when she faced confinement at the
hands of the British. Her brother, who92 july 2019
which means ‘prison’. This is the place
where humans are kept as prisoners,Once, someone brought a few
colourful caged birds as pets for the
young crown prince. But the Rani
would not hear of it. She walked up to
the cage and opened the gate, setting
the birds free. This was her silent
protest against the invisible cages of
the world that women lived in.
edge, to the right of the
, stands a lush green garden
that has at its centre a large rectangular,Reader’s Digest