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Forgotten Empress: Sultana Beghum sells tea in Kolkata
Posted by Balvinder Singh S Bal Send Email to Author on Sunday, 8/24/2003 6:07 PM MDT
http://www.ndtv.com/topstories/showtopstory.asp?slug=Sultana+Beghum+sells+tea+in+Kolkata&id=12577
Forgotten Empress: Sultana Beghum sells tea in Kolkata
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Rajesh Sisodia

Sunday, August 24, 2003 (Kolkata):


She belongs to the Mughal dynasty and married the great grandson of the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar. But Sultana Beghum doesn't lead the life of an Empress or anything close to it.

Life has not been kind to her and today she has no choice but to fend for her family by running a small tea shop next to the Howrah station in Kolkata.

"Traitors live in the lap of luxury. Everyone knows Bahadur Shah did a lot for the country. And this is the way we live now. We just want shelter. Don't we have the right to even that?" the Begum questions.

Royal legacy?

Bahadur Shah Zafar died in Rangoon after being sent there in exile following the 1857 Mutiny. After that, his descendents remained in hiding till 1947.

A year later, Mohammad Bedar Bakht, Sultana's husband, was recognized by the government as the great grandson of the Mughul Emperor. But after he died in 1980, his family was forgotten.

The government used to give a pension of Rs 400 to him, but that also has disappeared.

"We are fed up of this life. If nothing is done we will have to commit suicide. I do not have anything more to say," says Tarana Begum, Sultana Begum's daughter.

Living with dignity

Few are aware of her presence in Howrah and fewer know about her connections with the past.

But for Sultana Begum, it is the past that gives her the strength to beat the odds of her struggling present.

"Our lineage prevents us from begging on the streets. We have always given to people and never taken anything ourselves," she explains.


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