During a discussion on poetry at Lahore Literary Festival 2014, great Urdu poetess Zehra Nigah said that in 1950s, whenever a collection of feminine Urdu poetry was published, except Ada Jaffery and herself, all poetesses in the collection belonged to “Arbab e Nishat” (courtesans). There was a time not very long ago, when the notion of women having a public role or regular career was unthinkable in conservative societies like the Indian Subcontinent. They stayed behind veil and embodied family’s honor which had to be protected. Women spent their entire lives within four walls. Whatever little education they were allowed, was imparted within the confines of “purdah”. They left their houses only when it was absolutely necessary. There was simply no concept of a working woman in the upper and middle classes. Derogatory terms “kasbi” and “harrafa” refer to women who earned their living or engaged in commerce, indirectly meaning that women were good enough only for the dishonorable trade of selling their bodies. In such a social scenario, only independent women in the society were courtesans.

Evolution of prostitution in India is an interesting phenomenon. It evolved over centuries to first take a religious shade in form of “devdasi” and then a cultural orientation as “tawaif” (courtesan). The institution of tawaif had great cultural value. To pleasure not only physical but intellectual and aesthetic sensibilities of men, these women were trained in finest of arts. They were completely educated in a very high context and sophisticated social etiquette, classical music, dance, language and poetry. A few of these women even turned out to be philosophers and poetesses. Financial independence and frequent social engagement with men made them confident enough to face life on their own. Young boys of noble birth were sent to courtesans’ parlors to learn etiquette and acquire a sophisticated demeanor. Tawaif was a complete contrast to the household begum whose naivety, narrow-mindedness and simplicity often drove her husband to tawaif’s kotha (parlor). Only other women to have significant public profiles in those times were begums of the royal households. However, in some ways, courtesans were even more independent and influential that the royal ladies.

Mahlaqa Bai Chanda travels with the Nizam's hunting party

With the decline of Mughal Empire and its capital Shahjahanabad (Delhi), provinces emerged as completely or partially sovereign monarchies and their capitals rose to eminence as great centers of culture and learning. Most prominent among them were Lucknow’s Awadh Shahi and Hyderabad Deccan’s Nizam Shahi Kingdoms. Nawabs of Lucknow and Nizams of Hyderabad were great patrons of arts. Under their influence, art forms greatly flourished and their cities became famous for being home to India’s finest artists, including high profile courtesans.

One of the most remarkable courtesans of her age, Mahlaqa Bai Chanda was of Turk ancestry. Her grandfather Sultan Nazar served Mughal Emperors Aurangzeb, Shah Alam I, Jahandar Shah and Furrukhsiyar on various prestigious military and court positions. On her mother’s side too, Chanda belonged to a house of wealth and prestige, which had fallen on hard times and its women were forced to become courtesans. When Chanda was born, both her parents were in their middle age so she was adopted by her childless sister Mehtab Begum who was married to Madar ul Mahaam Rukn ud Daula Ehtesham Jung, one of the highest nobles in Hyderabad Deccan. Chanda grew up in comforts and privileges of the nawabi household. A highly gifted and talented child, she mastered her mother tongue Urdu and the court language Persian at a very young age. She had a natural affinity with books and learning and used to write poetry. Dance and music came by way of inheritance. She also received training in horse riding and martial arts. Chanda grew up to be a highly sophisticated and beautiful young lady, who wasn’t only an intellectual but also perfectly trained in finest arts of the age. The then Nizam of Deccan, Mir Nizam Ali Khan Asif Jah II was so enamored with her looks and talents that he took Chanda into his employment. She was Nizam’s favorite. He particularly admired her poetic sensibilities and quick wittedness. She was always in royal attendance and even accompanied the Nizam on travelling and war. Chanda was showered in wealth. She was awarded the royal title “Mahlaqa” (moon like) from the court alongside all privileges of a high ranking officer. Famous for her beauty, singing, dance and poetry, soon she became the light of every mehfil (gathering) in Hyderabad. Her other patrons included Nawab Arastoo Jah, Diwan Mir Alam and Diwan Chandu Lal, the latter owed his high court position to Mahlaqa Bai Chanda.

First page of Diwan e Mahlaqa

Chanda was an extraordinary woman. She was famous for her generosity. Wealth showered at her performances in the royal court or stately mansions of the rich nobles found its way to the poor. At different cultural and religious events throughout the year, thousands were fed from Chanda’s purse. She had a love of reading and collecting books. There was a huge and impressive collection in her private library. A complete staff was employed to maintain it. Every new book was immediately copied for the collection. Her library was even consulted by scholars of the age. Chanda commissioned Ghulam Hussain Khan Jauhar Bedari to write a history of Deccan which was believed to be an excellent work but unfortunately it survives only partially in a few rare collections. Even after spending endlessly on charity and maintaining a highly lavish lifestyle, Mahlaqa Bai Chanda was worth nearly 10 million rupees only in currency at the time of her death in 1824. This estimate did not include her fabulous jewels, palaces and gardens. The piece of land on which Usmania University was built a century later, also originally belonged to Mahlaqa Bai Chanda. She never married and remained childless, so her entire wealth was reverted back to royal treasury after her death.

There were hundreds of rich, beautiful and talented courtesans all over Indian Subcontinent. What makes Mahlaqa Bai Chanda’s impression on history much stronger is the fact that she was Urdu’s first “Sahib-e-Diwan” (Possessor of a personal volume of poetry) poetess. She had started writing poetry from a very young age. Her ghazals were highly admired by her patrons and admirers. As per poetic tradition, in the later part of her life, she chose the best of her poetry and compiled it into a Diwan (a collection of poetry). During one of her performances, she presented the diwan to Sir John Malcolm (remember it was pre-mutiny era of White Mughals). This original copy found its way to the records of India Office Library, London where it is still preserved. Other copies of the Diwan were later found in various great collections all over India. There are a total of hundred and twenty five ghazals in the Diwan. Each ghazal is made up of five couplets. Surprisingly for her time, the language is fairly simple and a reader of today with sound knowledge of Urdu can enjoy and make sense of it without touching a dictionary. One strikingly different thing about Chanda’s poetry is her matter of fact tone and direct approach towards life which was something unheard of in her time. Worth of poetry was measured with the intricacy of language and thought and hidden metaphors within the text. On the contrary, Chanda’s poetry isn’t overly imaginative or metaphor ridden but fairly simple. There is a strong feminine touch in her poetry. She used household idioms and expressions which were strictly a female domain. Another notable feature of Chanda’s poetry is the paradox of devotion and eroticism. She openly expresses physical attraction in her poetry, yet nearly all her ghazals end with a couplet in praise of Hazrat Ali (RA). Chanda had a unique style and expression which distinguished her among her contemporaries, out of which very few were women.   

Tomb of Mahlaqa Bai Chanda in Hyderabad Deccan

The world of Urdu knows Umrao Jan as a classic example of a poetess-courtesan owing to Mirza Hadi Ruswa’s portrayal of her dramatic life. However Mahlaqa Bai Chanda, who lived an illustrious life half a century before Umrao Jan, has her name permanently engraved in history as Urdu’s first feminine voice.