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The Politics of The Zenana Day: Women at The Lahore Museum in Colonial India
The Politics of The Zenana Day: Women at The Lahore Museum in Colonial India
colonial India
and actual status of Indian women, to know the reason behind the new
And the British did great deals for the betterment and prosperity of
Indian women that they were much bound to their families, since
families. Colonials thought that an Indian woman was not like that by
produced no male for three generations and they had ruled the Indian
purdah.2 She was not restricted by her family for purdah, though she
where all the ladies like her mother, aunt involved in educational and
write for Urdu Magazines and published her own journal ‘khatun’ as
1
Ibid, 25.
2
Ibid, 26.
3
Ibid, 34.
Her two sisters: Khatun Jahan and Mumtaz Jahan served Aligarh
Ismat Chugtai (1915-1991) was the best author of modern Urdu and
short stories,6her father was civil servant in UP. She removed her
Purdah when she entered in the train. She had completed her B.A in
1938. Her father was passed away and then she and her sisters moved
to her uncle. While going to college she removed her purdah in the
train. Once her uncle saw her unveiled in train ,he scolded her for that
never listen to anyone except her father’. She had written the stories
4
Gail Minault, Secluded Scholars,40.
5
Ibid, 25.
6
Ibid, 31.
7
Gail Minault, Secluded Scholars,33.
Additionally, the Abadi Begam (1916), commonly known as Bi
learned the Quran, taught herself to read Urdu and Persian, though she
usually enough. But how to write was rare this was because if she
interviewed elite women. ‘Purdah’ was usually for Elite class women,
8
Ibid, 28
9
Ibid, 29
10
I used this term for ladies who obey their father, husband and also society.
11
Gail Minault, Secluded Scholars,26.
as Elite women, that is why he had neglected the local women. He
had explains all the movements, new journals and newspapers leaded
one Male and other one female. In 1849 Bethune school was run by
John Drive water. Bethune was evolved with Brahmo samaj politics.
12
Tim Allender, Learning Feminity in Colonial India 1820-1932 (Manchester: University of Manchester press,
2016),233.
13
Ibid, 234.
14
Ibid,236.
15
Ibid,230.
the concern of female education in India.16He proposed to learn
mother?’17 On his question, Author Tim Allender did not make exact
raised their voices for women education through novels, poetry and
observed purdah and she had learned education at home. She was
expressed his views about ideal lady. That was educated ‘sharief
16
Tim Allender, Learning Feminity in Colonial India,233.
17
Ibid,235.
18
Tim Allender, Learning Feminity in Colonial India, 237.
19
Gail Minault, Secluded Scholars,50.
women’ homemaker with all her qualities and she observed purdah
Mumtaz Ali who had worked with his wife ‘Tehzib un Niswaan’
20
Ibid, 52.
21
Gail Minault, Secluded Scholars,58.
22
Ibid, 60.
23
Gail Minault, Secluded Scholars, 80.
Medina in 1908 literary journal ‘Ismat’ was published by Rashid ul
khair.
as primary education then Persian and Urdu. She was asked to give
her open consent to marriage. She was pious and best household
manager.24
champions. Better mothers who could raise their children into healthy
environment, better Muslims who knew the tenets and taboos of the
religion.25
24
Ibid, 54.
25
Ibid,92.
Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan, Nazir Ahmad and Altaf Hussain Halli
28
Percy Brown, Report of the Central Museum Lahore for 1901-1902, 1-2.
29
Percy Brown, Report of the Central Museum Lahore for 1902-3, 1.
belonged to Elite family was already modern and educated; as in
a meeting with purdah ladies;they were all win the gorgeous raiment
practiced among the wealthy and upper class women and women of
forgotten culture34 and then from where ‘Zenana Day’ comes. Jaipur
(ladies) take keen interest in the entire exhibit; and her time is fully
Colonial state just introduced this day to show their success to invent
34
Husain Ahmad khan, Artisans,Sufis and Colonial Art Institution In Nineteenth Century Punjab, 190-192.
35
SugataRoy, ‘‘Colonial Frames NativeClaims: The Jaipur Economic and Industrial Museum’’, no.2 ( July
2014): 196-198.
36
Percy Brown, Report of Central Museum Lahore of 1901- 1902, 2-3.
In Jaunary 1931, the Delegates of All-India women’s conference
observed an extra ‘Zenana Days’ for purdah nashin ladies to visit the
exhibitions of Punjab fine society that was held in the empty gallery
on other days and less female visitors used the museum on exhibitions
next year strength was 7,470 without extra Zenana Day for
37
K.N. SitaRam, Report of the Central Museum Lahore of 1930-31, 2.
38
Different Report of Central Museum Lahore of1922-27.
39
S.N Gupta, Report of the Central Museum Lahore of 1924-1925,1-2.
40
Lionel Heath, Report of the Central Museum Lahore of 1925-26, 1-2.
Zenana Days. Purdah nashin ladies were more convenient on single
Zenana Days.
What were the new additions in the museum with the inclusion
of women? Museum had not displayd any new thing for women
second was Photographs. For those two exhibits they had invented
Hazara and Sawat, currently part of the North West Frontier province
of Pakistan).
41
Michelle Makiell, ‘‘Embroidering the Past: Phulkari Textiles and Gendered Work as Tradition and Heritage in
Colonial and Contemporary Punjab’’, Journal of Asian Studies58,no.2 (May 1999):368-371.
2.3.1. ‘Phulkaris’, ’Kashmiri Shawls’ and Punjabi Women:
Punjab was famous for its art and craft. Phulkari derived from
two Sanskrit words ‘Phul’ which means flower and ‘Kari’ which
means work. The famous textile art of the Punjab was Phulkari which
was primarily made by Punjabi women for their personal use. This
their men worked in the fields. Women sang together and cooked for
42
Rajinder Kaur Ila Gupta, ‘‘Phulkari and Bagh Folk Art of Punjab,a Study of changing designs from traditional
to contemporary time’’, (April2017), 62.
43
Michelle Maskiell, ‘‘Embroidering the past’’: 361-388.
44
Gail Minault, Secluded Scholars, 196.
45
Michelle Maskiell, ‘‘Embroidering the past’’: 390.
displays at the exhibition of European which was held in 2 nd half of
pride of Indian and it also gave the importance in the centre the world
was almost every year added new specimens of Kashmiri shawls and
cloths embroidered with figure work and four silk saris embroidered
with figure work purchased52, specific price for those were not
mentioned. But those rare specimens sale in high price for instance,
46
Peter H, Hoffenberg,An Empire on Display: 90-93.
47
Thakurta,Monuments,Objects,Histories: Institutions of Art in Colonial and Post –Colonial India (Cultures of
History),137-139.
48
J.L kipling, Report of the Central Museum Lahore of 1878-79, 3.
49
J.L kipling, Report of the Central Museum Lahore of 1880-1881, 2.
50
J.L kipling, Report of the Central Museum Lahore of 1879-80,2.
51
Percy Brown, Report of the Central Museum Lahore of 1906-07, 3-4.
52
K.N Sita Ram, Report of the Central Museum Lahore of 1936-37, 6.
embroidered Kashmir shawl in 9000,its cost was high as compared to
5040.53
Chamba Rumal appeared to have been the work of all class of women
53
Lionel Heath, Report of the Central Museum Lahore of 1916-17, 4.
54
B Mount Jones, Report of the Central Museum Lahore of 1908-09, 2-3.
55
S.N Gupta, Reports of the Central museum Lahore of 1920-1921, 1.
56
Ibid, 2.
57
Michelle Maskiell, ‘‘Embroidering the past’’: 397.
In Lahore Museum 1900 to 1947- hardly two times museum
presented with handicraft art, all the embroidery pieces and Kashmiri
Dr.MaclagenGorrie.64.
58
S.N Gupta, Report of the Central Museum Lahore of 1926- 1927, 2-3.
59
K.N SitaRam, Report of the Central Museum Lahore of 1939-1940,1-2.
60
RajinderKaur,Ila Gupta, ‘‘Bagh and Phulkari Folk Art of Punjab:A study of changing designs from traditional
to contemporary time’’, (24 April,2017).
61
S.N Gupta, Report of Central Museum Lahore of 1926-1927,2-3.
62
RajinderKaur,IlaGupta, ‘‘Bagh and Phulkari Folk Art of Punjab:a study of changing designs from traditional
to contemporary time’’, (24 April,2017), 55.
63
Ibid, 44.
64
K.N Sita Ram, Report of the Central Museum Lahore of 1938 -1939, 2-3.
2.4. Discarding the ‘Purdah’
The custom of eradication of ‘Purdah’ started from 1932,65 when
who had not yet discarded the purdah. 68Behind this constantly falling
Ram stated that “this decrease in number is due to the fact that
purdah day and also this is the fact that province is rapidly abolishing
ladies who prefer to visit the museum in the presence of their men-
65
K.N Sita Ram, Reports of the Central Museum Lahore of 1932-1933,2-3.
66
K.N Sita Ram, Report of the Central Museum Lahore of 1933-1934,3-4.
67
Ibid, 4.
68
S.N Gupta, Report of the Central Museum Lahore of 1940-1941, 3-4.
69
K.N Sit Ram, Report of the Central Museum Lahore Museum of 1933-1934,2-3.
70
Zafar Hassan, Report of the Central Museum Lahore of 1942-1943,2-3.
71
K.N SitaRam, Reports of the Central Museum Lahore of 1939-1940, 2-3.
72
Zafar Hassan, Report of the Central Museum Lahore of 1942-1943,4-5.
women independently started to visit the museum on random days,
exploiting the native press for its political content with total ignored
new exhibits for women. Colonial state for their own purpose
even in nineteenth century was not obstacle for active and devotional
73
Gail Minault, Secluded Scholars, 104.
74
K.N Sita Ram, Report of the Central Museum Lahore of 1933-1934, 2-3.
ladies. They did their work while in purdah.75So that was the time of
2.5. Conclusion
In first part of of this chapter I have illustrated the perception of
status and status of their women was deprived before 1851. Colonial
Museum. The twentieth century was not about the colonial rule but it
‘superior’ while inventing new thing for Indian women. Since behind
acquaint the Purdah women with this institution; the second was to