https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1946-8685
Abstract
Durrushehvar Sultan, the daughter of the last caliph Abdulmajid, had to go abroad in 1924 when she was around ten years old. The financial support that provided relief to the members of the dynasty who were struggling with financial difficulties while in abroad, came from the Nizam of Hyderabad. After a simple wedding ceremony in Nice in 1931 with Azam Jah, the eldest son of the Nizam of Hyderabad, Princess arrived to Hyderabad, where she carried out a series of activities in order to increase both the accessibility of health facilities and the education level of the local people. Princess of Berar in particular struggled to strengthen the status of women in the society. In this article, it is aimed to focus on her encouragement of women to discover their strengths and her establishment of women’s volunteers movement by benefiting from the main sources and observations obtained as a result of research field made in Hyderabad.
1. Introduction
Durrushehvar Sultan, the daughter of the last Ottoman Caliph, Abdulmajid Efendi, is one of the significant and powerful figures who came to the fore in the last period of the Ottoman Empire. She grew up in the Dolmabahçe Palace until she was ten years old, and then she had to go abroad with her family due to the political transformation in Turkiye. She continued her education while in France and attracted attention with her beauty, artistic talent, and dignified stance. When she was in her twenties, she married Azam Jah, the eldest son of the seventh Nizam of Hyderabad, and they moved to Hyderabad, India in the early months of 1932.
After Durrushehvar Sultan settled in Hyderabad and adapted to new environment, she set out for the revival of the society without wasting time. She realized that, first of all, the education level of society, particularly the status of women, should be increased in order for the ideals she planned to come to life. For this reason, she prioritized the teaching campaign and declared that she would do her best to deal with the basic social problems of the Hyderabad society through following soulful words:
“ … Hyderabad is now my home. I identify myself with all your aspirations, hopes and interests. I share your feelings and desires with all my heart. I agree wholeheartedly with your demands and expectations regarding the welfare of your children. And believe me; I am always ready to cooperate with you in any way”.Footnote1
One of her most important contributions has been observed in the field of health and education. In particular, the cases of the deaths of women and babies, which occurred for reasons such as insufficient medical facilities and lack of hygiene, affected her deeply. She has been actively involved in the improvement of the maternity and childcare units in the region in order to partially to solve this problem. In addition, through visiting institutions such as nursing schools and first aid centers, she lectured seminars to the trainees and shared her practical experiences with candidates. After observing the inadequacy of the existing schools in the Hyderabad region, she emphasized that more educational opportunities should be created, especially for girls. For her, there are thousands of people on the streets who have been deprived of reaching the light of education that endows life energy to individuals. For this reason, the education network and opportunities should be expanded as well as accessible to all, equally catering to the rich and the poor.Footnote2
Sultan has taken a place in people’s hearts with her beauty, dignified stance, and solution-oriented approach. Moreover, she contributed to the establishment of the Turkish name in the minds of the people of the region. During the time we were in Hyderabad for the field research, it was observed that the gratitude towards her is still alive. The smiles on the faces of the people who were treated in the hospital inaugurated by her and the joys of the children educated in the boarding schools can be considered as a sign that Durrushehvar Sultan left a pleasant legacy for humanity. The main purpose of the research, therefore, is to enable the recognition of the strong and visionary personality of the Ottoman Sultan and her devoted efforts for humanity. It is also aimed at contributing to the development of relations between Turkiye and India by presenting objective and original data on the valuable contributions that she has made to the basic problems of the Indian-Hyderabad people without discrimination of language, religion and race.
2. Research Methods
The subject of the study is the examination of the Princess Durrushevar’s struggle for the amelioration of the social status of women lived in Hyderabad, based on the main sources and field research. Her contributions is not well known both in the Turkish readership and in the academia circles abroad. In this respect, this study, which focuses specifically on the activities of Durrushehvar Sultan for the women of Hyderabad, is important in terms of both filling a certain gap in this field and providing the opportunity to reveal important data about the recent history. In order to convey such an important issue with a healthy and genuine perspective, some issues have been determined as methodological principles in our study. In this way, it is aimed both to analyze the obtained data with the least error and to present the subject in a wholeness.
Based on the idea that the studies to be carried out without on-site observation and without going down to the main sources will be incomplete, in our study, it has been determined as a methodological principle to reach first-hand sources and conduct fieldwork. For this purpose, the region of Hyderabad was visited and on-site observations and researches were made on the subject. Investigations were made by staying in the palace for more than a month where Durrushehvar Sultan lived; interviewed with authorized persons and institutions, original documents and documents were collected and analyzed. In addition, Muffakham Jah Saheb, the grandson of the last caliph Abdulmajid and the son of Princess Durrushehvar, was interviewed in the city of Hyderabad and important information was received from him about our research topic. The findings obtained in order to achieve the targeted aim were systematized chronologically within the framework of the historical process and conveyed in accordance with the descriptive method. The issue has been tried to be handled from an objective point of view without involving emotional norms.
The main sources we used during our study include letters in Ottoman and English written by the Sultan, her memoir called Dogan, her addresses on the occasion of various conferences, her Urdu speeches on radio channels aimed at raising public awareness and her statements to newspapers. The information and provided documents given directly to us by Muffakham Jah Saheb was also used in our paper. Apart from this, the information conveyed by those who witnessed her life, periodicals belonging to the period she lived in, archive documents, and other data on the subject in Ottoman, Turkish, English and Urdu literature are among the sources we consulted during our study.
Another issue that should be mentioned in the context of the method is related to the scope of our study.Footnote3 Durrushehvar Sultan, who stayed in the Hyderabad region for many years, assumed an active role and accomplished significant works in many fields. Since examining all such kinds of issues is beyond the scope of an article, the subject of this study was limited to analyzing her contributions on the improvement of the social status of Hyderabadi women and the promotion of local production.
3. Her Arriving to Hyderabad Region
Hayriye Ayshe Durrushehvar, which means “pearl that is unique to the shah” given by her father, was born on 27 (?) January 1914 in Uskudar. Her father was Abdulmajid Efendi, the last Ottoman Caliph, her mother was Mehisti Hanım, and her grandfather was Sultan Abdulaziz, the thirty-second sultan of the Ottoman Empire.
Since her childhood, Princess Durrushehvar has attracted attention with her unique, dignified stance, quick wit, and speaking ability. The following poem, which was written in Ottoman Turkish by Nigar binti Osman for her, is one of the concrete examples showing that the sultan left a deep impact on the minds of those who witness her deeds.Footnote4
بتون بلاغته انموزج كزىن ونوىن أوت‘ فصاحته صانكه نمونۀ نرمىن‘ذكاسى نور نكاهنده منجلى هرآن كوڃك ىاشنده بىوك سوزلرى بوكا برهان
The meaning of the lines can be expressed as follows:
“All her exemplary words and speech are distinguished and new.
Yes, her rhetoric and smoothness of language are like an example of delicacy.
Her intelligence shines brightly in the light of her gaze.
The fact that she uttered big words at a young age is proof of this.”
After the adoption of the law on “The Abolition of the Caliphate and the Expulsion of the Ottoman Dynasty outside of the Turkiye”, Durrushehvar Sultan along with her family had to go abroad in 1924 when she was around ten years old.Footnote5 Her memoir, Dogan, which was started to be written by her as a child, both provides sincere and emotional narratives on the events which occurred at the time of leaving Istanbul and reflects her love and longing for the homeland.
“Since I was still very young then, I do not remember very well these sad parts of my short life, which were covered with a cloud of despair. Although I am not able to record all the details exactly, I know that my father performed the Morning Prayer and prayed loudly for the happiness of his nation and country at the time of our departure. The words he said at the top of the stairs, under the influence of his unending love for his homeland, had an unforgettable effect on me … We were taken to the nearby station and put on a train. A few minutes later, as we were leaving our beloved homeland and the glorious homeland of our ancestors, we felt that the joyless days that were dragging us towards an unknown future were very near, and our happiness was far away … ”Footnote6
Abdulmajid Efendi and his companions settled in a hotel in the town of Territel, on the edge of Lake Leman, in Switzerland, on 9 March 1924.Footnote7 A few months later, they moved to France and settled in the city of Nice in order for the climate to be more favorable and to provide Durrushevar with better educational opportunities.Footnote8 Durrushehvar Sultan, who was smart and willing, adapted to the new environment and developed her foreign language capacity and other artistic skills, the basis of which were laid before in Dolmabahçe Palace. In a short time, she not only raised her English level to an advanced level, but also began to speak French fluently.Footnote9
The members of the Ottoman Dynasty who were in exile, while trying to adapt to a new environment, struggled with financial difficulties as well. In order to overcome this, with Salih Keramet Bey’s initiatives, financial support was requested by contacting the envoys of other Muslim states. As a result of the negotiations, through Sayyid Emir Ali, contact was made with the seventh Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan, who was one of the politically and economically powerful leaders at that time. He supported Abdulmajid Efendi financially throughout his life, both due to the deep respect he possessed for the Ottomans and as a requirement of his religious values.Footnote10
By 1931, an important event occurred that strengthened the bond between the two sides. When Princess Durrushehvar was in her twenties, she attracted people through her success in the fields of art and literature. She received marriage proposals from the leaders of various Muslim countries due to her outstanding qualities such as beauty, dressed elegantly, a dignified stance and being a member of the Ottoman dynasty. Maulana Shaokot Ali (d. 1938), who became aware that Nizam was looking for a suitable bride for his son, Azam Jah, informed Nizam that Abdulmajid’s daughter was a proper candidate for their family. He emphasized that such a marriage is very important in terms of religion, politics, social and cultural aspects; via such a propinquity, the Nizam’s influence on Muslim peoples would increase, he added.Footnote11
Because of the suggestions offered by some intermediary personalities and the financial and moral support given previously by the Nizam of Hyderabad, Abdulmajid Efendi approved the marriage contract by obtaining the consent of his daughter.Footnote12 On 12 November 1931, Durrushehvar Sultan and Azam Jah got married in a simple ceremony held at the place where Abdulmajid Efendi was staying in Nice, France.Footnote13 Although Nizam was not able to attend the marriage ceremony in person, he had been very happy because of his children’s finding a new home. He defined this sacred act as a precious step through which the bonds of sincerity between Ottomans and the Asaf Cah Dynasty were strengthened. He, on the other hand, instructed that the brides should be welcomed in the city in a nice way and that preparations should be started immediately to celebrate this important event with enthusiasm.Footnote14
The married couple, who set off from Venice to India by sea, arrived in Hyderabad in the first months of 1932. Her personal efforts, but also the support provided by her father-in-law, Mir Osman Ali Khan, enabled her to get used to the language and culture of the new region. For example, Nizam placed the fledgling young sultan in Belle Vesta, a physically magnificent and decent palace with a swimming pool and tennis court, in addition to its natural beauty. Thus, he aimed to give his valuable bride to gradually get used to the warm, crowded and intricate structure of the city.
She not only focused on her children’sFootnote15 trainings but also was concerned with societal issues such as illiteracy, poor health, premature death and poverty. During her 20-years stay in Hyderabad, she carried out important projects regarding social and political issues. Thanks to her tenacious personality, remarkable steps were taken, especially for young girls and women, to be more visible in front of society and to gain their basic rights such as education, health, work and domestic production.
4. Her Encouragement of Hyderabadi Women to Realize their Strengths
Princess’s painful years away from her homeland not only gave her a strong personality, but also taught her how to resist in the face of adversity. The experience she gained from an early age was one of the factors that served her in the process of getting used to a new atmosphere, namely the Indian culture. Another factor that motivated her was that she focused on the basic problems of the people of the region instead of living a luxurious and giddy life.
Durrushehvar Sultan, who had to undertake many duties in Hyderabad at the same time, on the one hand tried to fulfill her family responsibilities as a mother and wife, and on the other hand, as the bride of the Nizam family, tried to fulfill the obligations of the dynasty. She also brainstormed on what needs to be done to tie up hot buttons, with a particular focus on social issues. To achieve such a goal, Princess of Berar, who has been raised with a certain purpose and plan since her childhood, set priorities for herself by making a proper observation on communal developments.
Princess Durrushehvar initially believed that knowing the language and culture of the society would help her achieve the success she desired. She immediately set out to learn Urdu, the majority language, so that her messages could be reached and understood correctly by the majority. As soon as she improved her language skills in a short time, she turned her course to the women of Hyderabad and tried to encourage them to realize their own capacities and abilities. She conducted a series of works on the basic problems that women were exposed to their individual, domestic and social lives because she was aware that one of the most important responsibilities in overcoming the problems of Indian society falls on women. She believed that a conscious generation could be brought into existence by educating mothers and mothers-to-be and, thus, social problems could be overcome. For this, she urged that the social status of women should be strengthened and the attitude towards them should be improved. Respected Muffakham Jah, emphasized her mother’s effort with the following words that were uttered by him in the course of an interview that we had with him in Hyderabad in 2019.
“My dear mom, who desired women and girls to gain consciousness and improve themselves, struggled mainly for women’s rights. She didn’t wear a burqa. She set an example for women with her posture and behavior. Princess Durrusehvar worked hard for women to participate in social issues. That is why she opened various institutions. She gave a speech so that women could get ahead in society and realize their inner capacity”.Footnote16
Durrushehvar Sultan believed that a systematic organization should be constituted in order to convey her voice and ideas to wider audiences. She invited prominent women in society and told them that they needed to act together around an institutional structure in order to strengthen their rights in the fields of family education, health and the economy and achieve a more free life. Without any discrimination, she encouraged them by stating that each woman could contribute significantly to this process.
Princess of Berar did not neglect to benefit from previous attempts and experience while making plans and programs for the development of women’s rights. By displaying an embracing attitude in this way, she gained the appreciation of different parties and got their support behind her. During her time in Hyderabad, Durrushehvar Sultan devoted close attention to all the associations that struggled for the welfare and happiness of women. The most prominent among these was the Lady Hydari Club, also known as the Hyderabad Women’s Association, which was established at the beginning of the twentieth century with the joint efforts of prominent names in Indian society such as Amina Hydari and Lady Glancy. She praised women’s organizations founded both by Muslims and non-Muslims. Apart from the indirect patronage, various women’s organizations such as the Women’s Education and Social Life Development Association (Anjuman-e-Khawateen Baraye Taraqqi Taleem wa Mashrat), Hyderabad Women’s Recreation Club and Hyderabad Women’s Guidance Association were formed under her leadership.Footnote17
Through the patronage of the Princess, institutions and organizations providing services to women in various fields began to form. Some of these were the colleges and nursing schools opened for girls to have a profession, a maternity hospital opened to serve women, schools and dormitories established for orphan girls, and nurseries put into service for female workers with children. Durrushehvar Sultan inspected such institutions occasionally to receive information on activities and work being done. For instance, she followed the performance exhibited by the young girls in 1937 who were members of the Hyderabad Women’s Guidance and Association, of which she was the pioneer. Such a program was held within the scope of the events organized throughout the state of Hyderabad on the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Nizam’s accession to the throne in the area called Basherbahg.
In our opinion, one of the remarkable reasons why Durrushehvar Sultan specially visited and supervised the women’s association on this special day, which was extremely important for the political history of the Nizam of Hyderabad, was her desire to make the voices of the young ladies heard more widely. Taking advantage of this significant event, which was held with the participation of different competent figures from various regions, she tried to announce to the public, particularly to the state officials, how enthusiastically women and young girls had strong potential.
Durrushehvar Sultan put in place her intelligence in place to overcome the restrictive role assigned to women in society. According to the previous practices, when their husband attended a meeting, the spouses of the guests generally stayed at home based on some cultural codes like abstaining from being among the foreigners. Such a strict attitude not only weakened the socialization of women but also limited their useful suggestions on various social issues. Durrushehvar Sultan, who was determined to break such a perception, started to send special invitations to both of the couples who were invited to the programs. Since this kind of invitation was understood as an official order from the dynasty as well as the Princess’s special request, it was ensured that women along with men participated in the programs.Footnote18 Thus, some cultural and sociological presuppositions towards women were gradually broken. On the other hand, it paved the way for the topics covered in the meetings to be handled from the point of view of women, and thus the opportunity to evaluate the issues from a wider perspective has emerged. All these points reveal that Durrushehvar Sultan acted in a planned manner and pursued her struggle for a certain purpose. While the limited role assigned to women in Indian geography was evident, as in many parts of the world, Sultan’s struggle against the existing social structure and habits is a concrete indicator of her brave and determined personality.
Along with her perseverant personality, another factor underlying the success of the Princess was her ability to benefit from the cultural and social values of the community in which she lived. In fact, she used cultural phenomena that were familiar to the society, such as the swadeshi movement and the khadi production, to attract the attention of the women and other individuals to whom she was speaking. Princess of Berar attempted to instill in the Hyderabad women common national values such as self-sufficiency through sewing and embroidery, meeting basic needs through the use of available resources and materials and realizing their potential powers. One of the most obvious indicators of her efforts in this direction was seen in her highly influential speech at the Hyderabad State Women’s Conference in 1937. She expressed her respect and gratitude to Nizam, who patronized and supported this special and meaningful meeting, and then emphasized that demonstrating domestic production efforts would benefit the People of Hyderabad in a variety of ways. She also interpreted such an attitude as a sign of loyalty to the Nizam Dynasty. She drew attention to the need for widespread use of local products and underlined that only through such an attitude could small-scale businessesFootnote19 develop and became stronger.Footnote20
What Princess aimed to do by emphasizing the concept of self-production was to help women capture their potential and standing on their own feet. Indeed, she first tried to set up a common bond between Hyderabad and the rest of the country through common values like domestic production, employment and development. Afterwards, she mentioned that Indian women made various preparations in order to contribute to national life in different regions of the country. According to her view, Hyderabad women also possessed such potential power within them. She made this point clear in her following words: “As Hyderabadi women, we must demonstrate through our active actions and activities that we are able to fulfill the duties and functions of true citizenship. We must demonstrate our determined stance not only with our intentions but with our strong actions. We are no less eager to prove it than women in other parts of the country.”Footnote21
The idea of domestic production and being self-sufficient was a national and political stance that emerged as a reaction to British imperialism. Therefore, such discourses preached by Sultan demonstrate that she closely followed the political and economic events taking place at the social level. Durrushehvar Sultan was aware that she must choose her sentences carefully since, on the one hand, she carried some official duties and obligations towards the Nizam of Hyderabad; on the other hand, she had responsibilities to the basic values of Indian society. She managed to strike a delicate balance between these two issues by creating a sincere bond with Indian women through drawing attention to national development and emphasizing the need for the of fulfillment of civic duties.Footnote22
Durrushehvar Sultan, via her declarations, underlined that due to cultural or social habits, women should never undermine their abilities and lose their self-confidence by suppressing themselves. She emphasized that women should be more involved in the public sphere and social life. The following statements reflect her perspective on this matter:
“Our awakening confirms that we are making progress in making our own decisions freely. No woman should bow her head in front of another person to beg a little support for herself or her children. She, on the contrary, should be able to preserve her feminine pride and dignity with the dexterity of her hands and her own labor. This has always been my sincere prayer.Footnote23
She was aware that a rapid transformation could not be experienced in Indian society, which had various traditional practices and cultural norms. Therefore, she brought up humanitarian and local discourses such as “the right of production, self-sufficiency, protecting the family, and contributing to the nation” in order to create a common denominator among the people of Hyderabad, who have different cultural values and worldviews. Princess stated that every action that contribute to domestic production, regardless of its quantity or type, is very valuable because it provides citizens the opportunity to fulfill their duties for their own nation. According to her, such an ideal would be fundamental element capable of supporting the whole society, which is made up of various socio-cultural layers. In this context, the following sentences uttered by the Princess aroused considerable attention in the eyes of those who followed her:
“Whether she follows the old tradition or gets involved in new movements; whether she becomes poor or rich, every woman can serve her state and nation in proportion to her strength. One of the most useful and comprehensive things that can be done for this purpose is the promotion of local industries. Adopting such an attitude is very crucial to uniting the people of Hyderabad regardless of their position, social class, creed, or wealth for a common goal.
Every meter of homemade fabric we purchase, every money we spend on products from our own villages, is actually a tangible symbol of the shelter and food we will provide for those in need. Do not forget that this support protects thousands of women and children from hunger and poverty in times of crisis. Two rules should be kept in mind. When you are going to purchase something for your family, firstly, prefer domestic production to supply your needs. Secondly, if you do not have the opportunity to go to the villages where handicrafts are made, at least visit the local products sales market near the Mahbubiya Girls’ School, where the products produced in the villages of Hyderabad are collected for sale.Footnote24
Durrussehvar Sultan exhibited her intent to promote domestic production through both her statements and her own actions. One of the exemplary cases reflecting this attitude took place in the Aurangabad region, which is approximately five hundred and fifty kilometers away from the city of Hyderabad. According to the information conveyed by a competent woman named Barkat Rai from Aurangabad, Princess of Berar held the opening ceremony of a large market in the center of the aforementioned city where homemade and handcrafted products are sold. In virtue of the moral support of the princess and the financial aid of the Nizam of Hyderabad, serious progress (teraqq-i dastakari) was observed in the paper industry in Daulatabad, one of the suburbs of the city of Aurangabad. As a result of all these attempts to uphold of domestic production, several employment opportunities arose and a sense of self-confidence came to the public.Footnote25
Princess Durrushehvar had great admiration and deep respect for Indian women because of the fact that they struggled for life without rebelling under the heavy burden of religious and social responsibilities. She has gratefully commemorated their admirable patience to achieve prosperity in their present and future lives. Through such discourses found in her speeches, it is understood that she was aware of the beliefs and culture of the interlocutor. With these statements, besides Muslim women, who desire happiness both in this world and in the hereafter, she probably referred to Hindu women, who adopt the doctrine of karma-samsara, which is a kind of belief of being born again after death as a result of the deeds done.Footnote26 According to Hindu belief, it is possible for an individual to be re-born in a higher caste and position if the person fulfills his or her duties completely in this world.Footnote27
According to her assessment, the notable characteristics of Indian women were the sense of loyalty they show to cultural values; the spirit of devotion they have towards their spouses and family elders; and the sense of compassion they have towards every living being. Therefore, Indian women were at the forefront of those who should be at the forefront of contributing to the history of humanity. They had the potential to undertake works that would pave the way for society because of their rich moral values that dated back to ancient times.
Princess Durrushehvar invited Indian women to get rid of the heavy burdens of tradition. For her, they should try to find the reasonable one by using free thought and trying to move away from absolute submission and non-systematical struggles. Durrushehvar Sultan, who described the real awakening in this way, stated that when such a transformation took place, women could attain the real value they deserve. Considering the conditions of that period, it can be deduced that expressing these libertarian and innovative discourses strongly in a male-dominated society is not an easy endeavor for everyone. However, Durrushehvar Sultan, utilizing the advantage of having an active position in the state administration as well as her leading personality, shared her noetic conceptions on the convivial and cultural quandaries of women and suggested solutions for these deficiencies without any hesitation.
Durrushehvar Sultan accentuated her trust in women via her oral verbalizations and activities performed in the gregarious arena. The princess, who reiterated her perspectives on this subject at every opportunity, sending congratulatory messages to some meetings she could not attend, called on the women of India to discover their vigor. In this way, she had the opportunity to both share her views on current developments and reiterate that she is an adherent of every effort put forward to amend women’s rights. The princess, who made efforts for the advancement, enlightenment and prosperity of women in India, has appreciated the joint efforts put forward by women to ascertain tranquility throughout the country.Footnote28 Durrushehvar Sultan adopted a style that embraced everyone and considered the integrity of India, regardless of region, religion, language, race or gender, in her messages and verbalizations. For example, in her congratulatory message to the twelfth All India Women’s Conference held in Nagpur on December 28–31, 1937, she included the following candid verbalizations:
“To the women of India! Today I send you my most sincere greetings and love. I look forward to being involved in the paramount work you do for the country. I am apologetic I could not be present at the conference today. May this amalgamation of yours be instrumental in turning our dreams into actions and surmounting all difficulties in the service of this great country that we all love?”Footnote29
5. Her Upliftment of the Women Volunteers Movement
In the 1940s, Durrushehvar Sultan formed the women volunteers movement throughout the city by organizing women and girls on a voluntary basis in order to increment the women’s reputation in the society. Those involved in this movement were trained with reinforcement courses and thereby their abilities were utilized as much as possible. In the face of emergencies, those who the volunteer members of the movement, have brought solutions to some of the society’s quandaries with their interventions. Therefore, by organizing this movement, the princess endeavored to reveal the consequentiality of women’s solidarity and their authentic capacity and vigor.
Some of the women’s organizations that were aforetime established in the region fortified the Hyderabad women’s volunteers movement. Notable among these was the Mandali Society, which came to light when five female entrepreneurs such as Yellapragada Sita Kumari and Illindala Saraswathi Devi (d. 1998), who were convivial workers, converged and decided to perform something about the potentiation of their fellow.Footnote30 Members of the Mandali community joined the food aid activities of the Hyderabad women’s volunteers movement. Here they took an active role by raising relief funds to be utilized in times of natural disasters and famine.
Hyderabad women’s volunteers movement, carried out benevolent work during the Second World War. In particular, the “Civil Defense Corps for women”, which was founded by the women’s volunteer movement, received appreciation from all walks of life regardless of their religion, language and culture. In her statement, Durrushehvar Sultan summarized the fundamental principles and priority program of the organization as followsFootnote31:
Savings on internal affairs
Making items that will be useful in battle
Helping people prepare for war
Establishing first aid centers and nursing facilities
Princess Durrushehvar, who cooperated with official authorities and other women’s societies, formed a council of representatives of the relevant units and invited the members of the council to produce joint plans for the coordination of civil defense activities. As a result of the positive response of these representatives, the organization was able to establish an effective field of activity.Footnote32
Durrusehvar appointed about fifteen people among the committee members as the Working Committee to undertake the official duties such as office clerk, organizer and spokesperson. In addition, sub-unions were formed among the committee members according to their areas of competence in order to monitor the work in various fields. These sub-unions, acting in coordination with each other, performed their duties in the fields of activity for which they were responsible, on a voluntary basis. Thanks to this organized action planned by Princess, the organization achieved noticeable successes in a short time and rapidly increased the number of its membership. As a matter of fact, according to the data found in the sources, the number of committee members working in the organization reached 2086 in the year of 1943.Footnote33
Famous names, who were organizing similar activities in different parts of India, have also offered their support directly or indirectly to the Civil Defense Corps, which operated under the leadership of Durrushehvar Sultan. One of the respected supporters of this formation led by the Princess was Begum Jahanara Shahnawaz (d. 1979), who was the author of the Urdu novel Hasanara Begum, in which she emphasizes the significance of women’s education for the advancement of the nation. She was a renowned activist who fought for the improvement of the social status and educational level of Indian women.Footnote34
Begum Shahnawaz came to Hyderabad and lectured at a meeting chaired by Durrushehvar Sultan at the Lady Hydari Club. Here she urged women to work actively for future generations, to get rid of their prejudices about social and religious norms, and to reason about events from a broader perspective. Shahnawaz mentioned the situation observed in China and Turkiye to motivate and guide her interlocutors. In this context, she stated that women in these countries reflect themselves well in the social arena and assume responsible positions. She added that Indian women should also think well about the issues being discussed in order to achieve a similar change.Footnote35 The fact that her coming to Hyderabad was a concrete indication that Durrushehvar Sultan’s efforts to improve the social status of women had an impact not only in Hyderabad but also in a broader framework.
Another piece of data showing that Durrushehvar’s success in gathering women under a certain roof was also appreciated outside of Hyderabad was the letter written by Mahatma Gandhi to the Princess of Berar. Mahatma Gandhi informed Durrushehvar Sultan in his letter dated 6 November 1944, that he was aware of the great efforts she made for the poor in the Hyderabad region and expressed his satisfaction with her interest in problems of the needy with the following sentences:
“ … . Sarojini Devi also tells me how you are serving the poor in your part of India. May God bless you”.Footnote36
As can be understood from the letter, Sarojini Devi, an important figure in Indian society, was another outstanding person who closely followed the activities of Princess Durrushehvar. Sarojini Devi commemorated Durrushehvar Sultan with appreciation for both her determination to fight poverty and her leading role in organizing women’s movements. By referring to the region of Hyderabad’s success, she not only expressed gratitude to those who contributed to this worthwhile endeavor, but also hoped that their efforts would serve as a model for other parts of India.
Durrushehvar Sultan proudly informed the activities of the Civil Defense Corps, which was formed under the leadership of Hyderabad women, both to high-level guests who visited Hyderabad and to people she met in various regions outside of the dynasty during her official and non-official visits. According to the information given by her, various courses were opened within the scope of Osmania University and it was aimed that members of the women’s volunteer movement were educated here. They were able to train on tasks such as performing basic services during the war, treating the wounded, and practicing the duties to be fulfilled when bombs fell. In fact, each of them was tested one by one to measure how ready they were in this regard. This organization rendered great service during the Second World War period. The women belonging to the organization dressed many battalions with the clothes they prepared and sewed with their own hands. In addition, the volunteer participants of the organization provided very self-sacrificing and enduring services, in particular during the great famine in Bengal province in 1943. They reached out to people in need of help in areas where disasters struck; they tried to meet their basic needs as soon as possible by supplying wheat, money and food.Footnote37
It was hoped that female members of the organization would have a basic understanding of how to react during an air attack. Volunteer members were informed about first aid and nursing and, thus, tried to be trained in a versatile way. Since such issues were very sensitive, Durrusehvar attached special importance to the training unit of the organization. This unit was managed by full-time members and training activities were directly planned and organized by them.
Special seminars and educational programs in six different languages were organized in their centers spread over different parts of the Hyderabad region. In this context, approximately eighty women, including Durrushehvar Sultan, most of whom were health workers and educators, served here as volunteer educators or supervisors by arranging their heavy schedules. Considering the hard conditions of that time, endeavoring to carry out these multi-dimensional trainings systematically in sundry languages reveals the vision of Princess Durrushehvar.
Durrushehvar Sultan tried to identify the existing problems and failing issues and to take the necessary measures regarding such deficiencies through reviewing the functionality of the sub-branches of the organization. According to her determination, although the education method planned in the first stage provided a certain success, it was still limited in reaching everyone. In particular, a significant number of women who were illiterate or had financial difficulties did not have the opportunity to attend the classes organized by the organization.
Durrushehvar, who demanded to touch more of the needy people, who were quite numerous in the region, especially in the rural areas, was upset because of such inadequacies and disruptions. From her perspective, women who struggle for life under difficult conditions are more in need of such services provided by them than those who are well-off. For these reasons, Durrushehvar Sultan emphasized that a convenient educational model should be activated and new training opportunities should be provided in accordance with the income status of the individuals and the capacities of the houses they live in. In order to overcome this problem, within the framework of the organization, a new formation, called home visiting, was formed. Sixty-five full-time employees were initially assigned to this new model. A certain amount of allowance was allocated to them as they devoted all their time to this work. The support for supplying this amount was received from time to time from the government’s grant funds suitable for this work. On the other hand, in order to procure the basic needs of employees, who bustled to reach the needy people, such as transportation and accommodation, the existing facilities of the organization were used.
The organization’s volunteer staff visited the identified households and provided them with information on how to protect themselves from infectious diseases as well as the importance of education, self-production, self-defense and women’s rights. They told the family members, particularly mom and the daughters, that they could get rid of their financial and social problems to a certain extent by using their minds and capacities appropriately. They also offered some concrete solutions to this. This face-to-face information system has worked, and in a short period of three to five months, nearly two hundred thousand women have gained knowledge about self-defense and self-care rules, albeit at an initial level.
The members of the Civil Defense Crops achieved success by showing great generosity and self-sacrifice despite the difficulties of the physical circumstances. Durrushehvar Sultan, who was greatly pleased with such a development, shared her sincere thoughts on this organization as follows:
“It is a real pleasure for me that we try to help our citizens through our willing activities and contribute to the growth of their strong sides. I express my appreciation, respect and gratitude to the women of Hyderabad for their talents, courage, enthusiasm, perseverance, sincere feelings and supreme will. The reason behind their support for this organization, of which I am a pioneer, is their genuine patriotic feelings and their loyalty to core values. I witness that the organization, along with its various stakeholders, is progressing in accordance with its founding philosophy, purpose, and target. That’s why I have full confidence that the valuable members of the organization will overcome any obstacles and will ultimately succeed since the leaven of this organization has a strong character that is indestructible and unshakable”.Footnote38
Since Durrushehvar Sultan wished to reach as wide a mass as possible and to be a beacon of hope for them, she stayed away from discriminating attitudes in all her projects in the social field, in particular her efforts for women and young girls. Due to the fact that she adopted a life philosophy that put people in the center and focused on social development, the activities she pioneered were mostly supported and accepted by the public. The Princess of Berar believed that a kind of union could be formed among the women of India for the sake of common principles such as protecting basic individual rights and ensuring land security. According her argument, while women in civilized countries began to express themselves through discourses such as independence, freedom, and labor rights, they should never have forgotten to show loyalty to their own people and contribute to their nation.
6. Conclusion
In conclusion, both the discourses she declared through different platforms and the practices she completed in several areas clearly reveals that her basic aim was to reach young girls and women belonging to different races and cultures and to inspire them to learn how to stand on their own feet. Princess of Berar not only dealt with her children’s trainings but also focused on societal issues such as illiteracy, poor health, premature death and poverty. She firstly perceived that knowing the language and culture of the community would help her achieve the success. She, therefore, immediately set out to learn Urdu, the majority language, so that her messages could be reached correctly by the masses. After that she turned her course to the women of Hyderabad and encouraged them to comprehend their own capacities by emphasizing on the concepts of self-production and self-sufficiency. Durrushehvar Sultan also shaped the women volunteers movement throughout the city by organizing women and girls on a voluntary basis in order to increment the women’s reputation and visibility in the society. Those involved in this movement were trained with reinforcement courses and thereby their abilities were utilized as much as possible. At the time of emergencies, they have brought solutions to some of the society’s quandaries with their interventions. Through forming this movement, the princess endeavored to reveal the significance of women’s solidarity and their authentic vigor.
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Cemil Kutluturk
Dr. Cemil Kutlutürk is associate professor at Ankara University, Faculty of Divinity, Turkiye. He obtained one MA at Ankara University in 2009, a second one in the field of Indian Philosophy and Religion (Hindu Dharma aur Dharshan) at Banaras Hindu University (BHU), India in 2013, and a PHD in the history of religions at Ankara University in 2014. He had a postdoctoral position at MESAAS, Columbia University, New York in 2015. In 2019, he went to Hyderabad to conduct field research where he attended an international course at ASCI. His main research interests are Indian religions and culture, Hindu-Muslim interactions, India-Turkiye relations, and he has published articles and books on these subjects, such as Hindu Kutsal Metinleri (Hindu sacred texts – Upanishads; 2014), Hinduizm’de Avatar İnancı (Doctrine of avatara in Hinduism; 2017), and Hint Düşüncesinde İslam Algısı (Hindu perception of Islam, 2019).
Notes
1. “Dürrüşehvar Sultan’s Speech at the Hyderabad Women’s Conference”, Shahab Vol.4 (1937), pp.17–22.
2. Halide Edib, Inside India (London: George Allen & Unwin Brothers, 1937), p.227
3. Although the subject of this article is Princess’s attempts for improving the social, economic, and cultural status of women, it should be pointed out that we are still working on a more comprehensive book covering her public life and activities that were carried out in different fields such as education, health and women rights.
4. Nigar binti Osman, 1918. “Talebkar şiir olan mini mini Dürrüşehvar Sultana”, Edebiyat-ı Umumiye Mecmuası Vol.3 (1918), pp.451–452.
5. C. Sönmez, “Sürgünden Vatana: Osmanlı Hanedanının Geri Dönen İlk Üyeleri (1924–1951)”, Uluslararası Tarih ve Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi Vol.32 (2014), p.84.
6. Durrushehvar, Dogan, (Matbaa-i Amire, 1947), p.79.
7. “Abdülmecid Efendi ve Ailesi’nin İsviçre’ye Muvâsılatı”, Tevhîd-i Efkâr, 10 March 1924.
8. Ali Satan, “Halife Abdülmecid Efendi (1868–1944)”, Atatürk Ansiklopedisi, p.4.
9. “Durrushehvar’s Letter to Seniha Hanim”, (April 1926).
10. Andhra Pradesh State Archives & Research Institute (APSA), File. 81, No. 411.
11. K. Seshan, “The Progressive Princess of Hyderabad”, The Hindu, 30.10.2018.
12. M. Bardakçı, Neslişah-Cumhuriyet Devrinde bir Osmanlı Prensesi (İstanbul: Everest Yayınları, 2011), p.362.
13. At the same time, Princess Niloufer, the daughter of Adile Sultan who was granddaughter of the Ottoman sultan Murat V, got married Moazzam Jah, the second son of Mir Osman Ali Khan. Although she did not maintain her contact with Hyderabad as strong as Durrushehvar, probably because of lacking of her own children, until her departure from India she has also left remarkable signs, like Princess Niloufer Hospital, in Hyderabad history.
14. J. Zubrzycki, The Last Nizam—The Rise and Fall of India’s Greatest Princely State, (London: Picador, 2007), p.149.
15. Durrushehvar had two sons, namely Mir Barakat Ali Khan Mukarram Jah Bahadur and Mir Karamat Ali Khan Muffakham Jah. The first was born on 6 October 1933, and the second was born on 27 February 1939.
16. “Author’s interview with honorable Muffakham Jah”, (Purani Haveli: Hyderabad, February 2019).
17. Rani Rayapolu, (Women, Social Change and Politics in Early 20th Century Telangana, Hyderabad University, 1996), p.270.
18. Omar Khalidi, “The Caliph’s Daughter HIH Dürrüşehvar Sultan”, Cornucopia Vol.31 (2004), p.38.
19. The term “cottage industry”, which is defined as a small-scale business, refers to production using Indian origin products.
20. “Dürrüşehvar Sultan’s Speech at the Hyderabad Women’s Conference”, p.22.
21. “Dürrüşehvar Sultan’s Speech at the Hyderabad Women’s Conference”, p.17.
22. Shefali Jha, (Democracy on a Minor Note: The All-India Majlis-e-Itteha.dul Muslimin and its Hyderabadi Muslim Publics, The University of Chicago, 2017), p.86.
23. “Dürrüşehvar Sultan’s Speech at the Hyderabad Women’s Conference”, p.17.
24. “Dürrüşehvar Sultan’s Speech at the Hyderabad Women’s Conference”, p.18–20.
25. “All India Women’s Conference: Twelfth Session, Nagpur 28–31 December 1937” (Ahmadabad: Opposite Gujarat College, 1937), p.145.
26. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, IV.4; Chandokya Upanishad, V.3.
27. Bhagavadgita, III.35.
28. “All India Women’s Conference: Fourteenth Session, Allahabad 27–31 January 1940”, (Allahabad: 1940), pp.214–215.
29. “All India Women’s Conference”, 1937, p.249.
30. D. Njaneylu, “Illindala Saraswati Devi”, Indian Literature Vol. 24 (1981), pp.169–173.
31. Mahila Navjivan Mandali, Silver Jubilee (1935–1960), p.20.
32. The Indian Listener Vol.8 (1943), p.9.
33. The Indian Listener, p.9.
34. Jahanara Shahnawaz, Father and Daughter: A Political Biography, (Lahore: Nigarishat, 1971), p.1.
35. Rani Rayapolu, (Women, Social Change and Politics in Early 20th Century Telangana), pp.134–135.
36. The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi 2 October 1944–3 March 1945, Vol. 85 (1945), pp.133–134.
37. S. Çağdaş, “Prenses Dürrüşehvar Neler Anlatıyor?”, Tanin Gazetesi (22 November 1945), p.3.
38. The Indian Listener, p.9.