A Long Way from Hyderabad: Diary of a Young Muslim Woman in 1930s Britain

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A young Muslim woman, Muhammadi Begum, arrived on English shores from the princely state of Hyderabad in the early 1930s. Her sharp intellect had won her a scholarship to attend Oxford University, making her one of just a few Indian Muslim women to receive such an opportunity. A keen observer of the social scene and aware of new ideas regarding communism, fascism, and socialism, she joined the conversation on politics because the movement for freedom had already gained momentum in one of the colonies of the British Empire, namely India.

Translated from Urdu into English, A Long Way from Hyderabad is a day-to-day account kept by Muhammadi Begum during her time in Oxford. It was a voyage of discovery for the diarist, whose efforts were encouraged by a far-sighted mother and a supportive husband. She describes these experiences here in vivid detail. Full of curiosity, there are new people to meet and changes to accept, such as the birth of her child or balancing household duties with academic work. Indeed, she is not short of opinion. Whether discussing Gandhian philosophy with fellow academics, reciting Iqbal's verses, or quizzing her tutor about women's participation in the Oxford Union, Muhammadi Begum is at ease in her new surroundings and welcomes discourse.

Zehra Ahmad lives in Karachi. The eldest among Muhammadi Begum's daughters, she was born in Oxford, England, a year after the events recorded in the diary. She undertook the painstaking task of translating the contents of Muhammadi Begum's diary into English with the help of her sister Zainab. A former President of the Behbud Association, an NGO focused on the development of women in education, health, and income generation sectors, she remains a key figure in the association even today. .

Zainab Masud, the second daughter of Muhammadi Begum, was equally involved in translating her diary. A resident of Karachi, she has remained a lifelong proponent of educational reform in Pakistan. For nearly four decades, she taught English literature to undergraduates at St. Joseph's College for Women until her retirement. In 1964, she received an Academic Roll of Honour from then President of Pakistan, Ayub Khan.

ONE OF THE Seminal events in modern Indian literature was the founding of the Progressive Writers Movement. The now-legendary story goes something like this: In

November of 1934, a group of Indians in London, many of

them students, gathered at a Chinese restaurant to compose a

manifesto for the future of literature and the arts in India. Their

leader was an Urdu writer and political radical named Sajjad

Zaheer. Zaheer had recently become infamous back home for

his role in publishing an incendiary collection of short stories,

Angare (Embers, 1932) that harshly critiqued economic inequality

and satirized a range of religious and social practices. Though

the book was quickly banned, it's publication ignited a fiery

discussion over the role of literature in society. And now, in

London, that debate continued as Indian activists and students

convened at a Chinese restaurant to craft a manifesto for a

literary revolution. Their movement rejected 'art for art's sake'.

They believed that a socially conscious literature was key to the

reformation of society and the end of colonial rule. It was a

tall order, but in those heady times, everything seemed possible.

A young Soviet Union was now a global power. The heart of

the Ottoman Empire had become a Turkish republic. Anti-

imperialist movements were in full swing all over the world. The

US was reeling under the Great Depression and Germany had

just appointed Hitler as chancellor. From Indonesia to Morocco,

Muslim societies, most of them colonized, were demanding

change and autonomy. For Zaheer and his friends, there was no

better time to act.