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The Begum

The Begum

A Portrait of Ra’ana Liaquat Ali Khan, Pakistan’s Pioneering First Lady

Deepa Agarwal
,
Tahmina Aziz Ayub
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Begum Ra’ana Liaquat Ali Khan was the wife of Pakistan’s first prime minister. She was born
Irene Margaret Pant in Kumaon in the early twentieth century. A generation earlier, her family
had converted to Christianity, and Irene grew up in the shadow of the Brahmin community’s still
active outrage. Always intelligent, outgoing and independent, she was teaching economics in a
Delhi college when she met the dashing Nawazada Liaquat Ali Khan, a rising politician in the Muslim
League and an ardent champion of the cause for Pakistan.
She was immediately inspired by both the man and the idea; they married in 1933 and Irene Pant
became Ra’ana Liaquat Ali Khan. In August 1947 they left for Pakistan-led by Liaquat’s mentor
and friend, Mohammad Ali Jinnah. Ra’ana threw herself into the work of nation building, but in
1951 Liaquat Ali Khan was assassinated, and the reasons for his murder are still shrouded in mystery.
Ra’ana continued to be active in public life-and her contribution to women’s empowerment in
Pakistan is felt to this day.
Ra’ana’s life story embodies all the major tropes of the Indian subcontinent’s recent history.
Three religions-Hinduism, Christianity and Islam-had an immense impact on her life,
and she participated actively in all the major movements of her time-the freedom struggle,
the Pakistani movement and the fight for women’s empowerment. She could see clearly what went
wrong after 1947 and wasn’t afraid to say so. She spoke out openly against the rise of religious
conservatism in Pakistan and the growing role of corruption. She occasionally met with opposition,
but she never gave up. It is this spirit that The Begum captures.

Imprint: India Viking

Published: Jan/2019

ISBN: 9780670091188

Length : 256 Pages

MRP : ₹599.00

The Begum

A Portrait of Ra’ana Liaquat Ali Khan, Pakistan’s Pioneering First Lady

Deepa Agarwal
,
Tahmina Aziz Ayub

Begum Ra’ana Liaquat Ali Khan was the wife of Pakistan’s first prime minister. She was born
Irene Margaret Pant in Kumaon in the early twentieth century. A generation earlier, her family
had converted to Christianity, and Irene grew up in the shadow of the Brahmin community’s still
active outrage. Always intelligent, outgoing and independent, she was teaching economics in a
Delhi college when she met the dashing Nawazada Liaquat Ali Khan, a rising politician in the Muslim
League and an ardent champion of the cause for Pakistan.
She was immediately inspired by both the man and the idea; they married in 1933 and Irene Pant
became Ra’ana Liaquat Ali Khan. In August 1947 they left for Pakistan-led by Liaquat’s mentor
and friend, Mohammad Ali Jinnah. Ra’ana threw herself into the work of nation building, but in
1951 Liaquat Ali Khan was assassinated, and the reasons for his murder are still shrouded in mystery.
Ra’ana continued to be active in public life-and her contribution to women’s empowerment in
Pakistan is felt to this day.
Ra’ana’s life story embodies all the major tropes of the Indian subcontinent’s recent history.
Three religions-Hinduism, Christianity and Islam-had an immense impact on her life,
and she participated actively in all the major movements of her time-the freedom struggle,
the Pakistani movement and the fight for women’s empowerment. She could see clearly what went
wrong after 1947 and wasn’t afraid to say so. She spoke out openly against the rise of religious
conservatism in Pakistan and the growing role of corruption. She occasionally met with opposition,
but she never gave up. It is this spirit that The Begum captures.

Buying Options
Paperback / Hardback
Ebooks

Deepa Agarwal

Author, poet and translator, Deepa Agarwal writes for both children and adults and has over sixty books published. A frequent contributor to magazines and journals in India and abroad, she has edited and compiled several anthologies. Gender equality, social injustice and preservation of the environment are some of the main themes in her writing.

She has received many awards, including the N.C.E.R.T. National Award for Children's Literature for her picture book Ashok's New Friends while her historical fiction Caravan to Tibet was on the prestigious IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People) Honour List 2008. Her non-fiction Journey to the Forbidden City was on the Parag Honour List 2020 and shortlisted for the Neev Book Award 2021 in the Junior Readers section, short story collection Kashmir! Kashmir! Was on the Parag Honour List 2021 and shortlisted for the Publishing Next Best Children's Book of the Year award. Her poetry collection Forgotten Kaleidoscopes was shortlisted for the PVLF Best Poetry Award. Deepa's work has been translated into several Indian and foreign languages.

She has received a senior fellowship from the Ministry of Culture, presented many scholarly papers at seminars and conferences in India and abroad and participated in several literary festivals including the prestigious Jaipur Literature Festival, Sahitya Akademi Festival of Letters and the Times LitFest.

Tahmina Aziz Ayub

Tehmina Aziz Ayub from Pakistan is married to a former diplomat and studied at the Quaid-e-Azam University Islamabad and Sussex University, UK.

More By The Authors

The Begum-Rediscovering Shared History

A conversation between the Indian and Pakistani authors of The Begum, Deepa Agarwal and Tahmina Aziz Ayub Deepa: Dear Tahmina, writing this book has been an amazing process of discovery for me and I’m sure for you too. I had heard a lot about Ra’ana Liaquat Ali Khan while growing up in the small town of […]

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