Rita Farhat Mukand
Married into the royal family of Bhopal, Mahejabeen Khan’s ideology is a charming fusion of modern and traditional values holding the torch to uplift the poor along with her numerous endeavours. Her journalistic and political journey took her to the depths of Bhopal, the city of the Begums, and her descriptions of Bhopal freshly enlivened the city of Bhopal. A major chapter in her life started at 18 when she was married into the royal family of Bhopal. Holding many key positions, she served as the political editor in the First Post magazine, a columnist in Hindustan Times, and her passion for empowering the poor got her featured in a Mid Day special in an article – Mahejabeen – In Quest of a Commitment.
While continuing her studies after her wedding at 18 years old, she was a student leader and later in 2000, she was elected as a corporator in Bhopal Flying Club and mayor in the council for the education department mayor incorporate for Bhopal. She wrote many columns for Hindustan Times and other news outlets. She played an ardent role in supporting unorganized dargahs of Bhopal and visits all leading dargahs and Makka Medina every year.
Mahejabeen Khan’s ancestry is rooted in a rich tradition of education. Around 100 years ago, her maternal great-grandmother accomplished her PhD and was a school principal in Nasik. Women’s education was at an all-time high and not bogged down by the narrow walls of rigid conservatism that blocked education.
She says resolutely, “In life, whatever you achieve, may education be your foremost priority.” Born in a wealthy family, her father was a big businessman from Mumbai whom she lost when she was 8. During her struggles, Mahejabeen Khan grasped the power of education because she came from a family of great educators and discovered how it empowers a person to enhance their quality of life.
She traces her family roots to the Jagirdars, a feudal class who collected taxes as a form of revenue. She grew up in a very educated royal family where her maternal uncle was a principal judge in Mumbai and one uncle was a barrister, her grandfather was from the paternal side Khans, Pathans and belonged to the Jagirdar class. At the tender age of 18, she was married into the Shahi Khandan of Bhopal.
Sharing who inspired her the most, she says, “It was not really my mother or father, though of course, they shaped me, but the one that stirred my life was my maternal uncle, Azhar Ali Shaikh, who was a judge. She said, “He was my inspiration. When I was just eight years old, my father suddenly died. It was a very turbulent phase for us as children, My maternal Uncle Azhar Ali Shaikh at this time made a strong decision not to get married though he was engaged. He broke off his engagement much to the dismay of his mother. He told his upset mother, “If I get married and get kids, I won’t be able to care for my nieces and nephew.” He never got married after breaking the engagement. He was my inspiration. I feel even if my father had been alive, he would not have done what my uncle did for us.”
She said, during childhood too, the circumstances moulded her thinking. Growing up without a father made her more sensitive to situations, aware that her uncle had sacrificed many things to care for his nieces and nephew. She said, “As children, we made no demands and lived simply. We were a religiously inclined family. My uncle though he was a judge was very devout and prayed whole nights fervently.
During her early childhood, living in sauve Santa Cruz was an experience of inclusivity as it was the hot-melting pot of friendships, she studied in different schools including the Sir Jacob Sassoon High School, which drew students from all religions who studied together and visited each other’s homes, they lived in close-knit harmony. There was a concoction of Hindi-speaking students, Sindhis, Gujratis, Marathis, and many others which turned her into a multilingual speaking over five languages easily attributing it to the cosmopolitan aroma of Mumbai.
After going to Bhopal, Mahejabeen Khan quickly adapted to her new married life. Living there was a rich cultural experience. Bhopal, renowned as the “City of Lakes” is one of the greenest cities in India and is also known for its unique celebrations of Eid, with animated bazaars and delectable dishes. The city’s folk music and dance forms, like the traditional Matki dance, add to its cultural vibrancy. She said, “Secularism was a strong element in Bhopal, perhaps the most secular city. It is the Ganga–Jamuni Tehzeeb”, as it is popularly known referring to the blended high culture of the central plains of northern India, especially the Doab region of the Ganges and Yamuna Rivers that exude a syncretic fusion of Hindu cultural elements with Muslim cultural elements. The composite Ganga-Jamuni culture emerged due to the interaction between Hindus and Muslims in the history of South Asia.
During the period of the Nawab reign, it was also known as the most secular state. She said, “It was very nice growing up there because married at 18, and I was still a child, but because of the supportive people around, I matured rapidly and gained achievements which were a gift to me from Bhopal.”
Bhopal was ruled by the Begum (female rulers of high rank, like nawabs) most of the time where the women were mostly on the superior and upper strata of society. The Begums brought the Cambridge School to India which was established in 1932, founded by Sultan Jahan Beghum, who was the ruling Begum of Bhopal between 1901 and 1926 and her school has been revered as the city’s finest educational establishment. Mahejabeen Khan says in wonder, “She brought the entire staff from England.”
The turning point in her life was in Bhopal during college. She was suddenly gripped by the realization of the overwhelming poverty where the people were barely covered, the Muslim poor people had only one pyjama, and the women also wore only one set of clothes, and were suffering from extreme hunger and lack of education among the poor. The women used to work for Rs. 2 per day and went to bed hungry. Stirred by these improvised stories which she found very difficult to hear because she came from an affluent home, she decided she had to do something for the people who had no food and no work. Though she was a young girl at that time, rolling up her sleeves, she would donate her pocket money to them, started to reach out to them with food, give clothes, or yearly they used to give boras of grains of around 100 kg to every poor family and paid their school fees. If I did not have enough money, I would request my sisters, brother and others to donate for them and rose up a support system to help them. She said, “I ask people to help but I have not opened up an NGO, and I will not because I don’t believe in that. Okay, I don’t want to blame anyone but I know what happens in some NGOs where the money does not go to the needy but falls into the wrong hands.
Sharing an amusing story, “In Bhopal, as I grew up, there was one Begum Sahiba Khursheed of the Mohammadgarh State. Her title was Sikander Jahan Bakht and I used to call her Amma because she was like my mother, and she reminded me of my maternal uncle similar in many ways. The Begum taught me many things. I loved going over to her place to study, found her home very serene and she took me on as her own daughter. One day, my mother came over from Mumbai to visit me in Bhopal. I was praying, and my mother was waiting in the room for me quietly. When Begum Sahiba Khursheed came to know that my mother arrived from Mumbai, she dropped over to visit her. On speaking to each other, my mother asked her, “Who are you?” and the Begum said, “I am Mahejabeen’s mother,” to which my mother answered sweetly, “I am also Mahejabeen’s mother and I have come from Mumbai,” she said laughing, “ Wherever I go in Bhopal, I make, not friends, but family and my mother says jokingly, “You don’t need us, you have so many mothers, brothers and sisters all over the state.”
With Mahejabeen Khan’s great concern for the people around her, when she was only 18 years old, still a kid herself, she sponsored many girls’ education, with whatever money she got, even using her pocket money, generously pouring in resources to help children pay for their fees, got books for them, submerging in social work because she says that she came as a leader to serve people and not to earn money. She says, “I have never ever earned even a single penny till date, and the doctors in Bhopal know me very well and they do not charge me and tell me, “You are serving people, so give us a chance to serve you as well.” Alhamdulillah, whatever little positions I had, I used them for the betterment of the people.”
In the industrial corporation, she ensured that whoever applied for a loan for a business or some kind of work was never rejected, and she tried to give employment to them because she focused on job empowerment. She says, “I am not all for show, pomp and glory, and I am a very satisfied and contented person that whatever little good I could do for the society, I did and Alhamdulillah, no kind of corruption, no kind of corruption,” she repeats firmly.
She shared that she went through a very challenging phase in her life in Bhopal, saying with some angst at the memory, “I went through very tough times; it was very, very difficult. Being a leader is not easy and my husband could not digest my leadership role many troubles sparked due to this, and I underwent a divorce from this man in Bhopal.” She said soberly that being married and being actively involved in fighting for social causes is very rare. Obviously, after the divorce, I took care of my children, a son and a daughter, both outstanding children, a beautiful daughter, Nawab Jehan Begum who is a renowned artist, well known for her exquisite paintings, who also did her MA and is skilled in the Marshall Arts, and my incredible son, Alamgeer Mohammad Khan has done his LLB, studying for the judiciary.
Mahejabeen Khan is now married to Maulana Obaidullah Khan Azmi, a three-time elected Rajya Sabha member of Parliament and a very renowned religious leader.
Being highly educated, she studied at Kasturba Girls Degree College, Maharani Laxmi Bai College, and Safia College in Bhopal as she took different subjects from other colleges. She studied M.A.(English Literature ) and B.Ed.LLB at Barkatullah University.
She has been deeply committed to education and was on the managing committee for the Geetanjali Girls College and Cambridge School in Bhopal and became vice president of university ranks. Holding the chair position in the District Industrial Corporation, her sole focus was to generate economic empowerment through jobs, and she doggedly pursued it to the end, ensuring everyone who came for help got what they needed.
She was also very active with the Congress party National Students’ Union of India (NSUI since 1982, rose to be the vice president of the university, a leader, also in the Congress Mahila, appointed as All India General Secretary holding many positions. Being a strong advocate for truth and justice, she shunned fakery and superficial people and fought for the causes of the downtrodden. She has met Dr. Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi and through all the celebrity and political glitter, has remained very grounded and solid.
Her journey is sprinkled with faith, yielding triumph after problematic times, and unearthing treasures through her tenacious spiritedness, hard work, truthfulness, giving and humility.
Rita Farhat Mukand is an independent writer.