The Essential Rokeya Women and Gender The Middle East and the Islamic World Editors Susanne Dahlgren Judith Tucker VOLUME 13 The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/wg The Essential Rokeya Selected Works of Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain (1880–1932) Edited, Translated, and with an Introduction by Mohammad A. Quayum LEIDEN • BOSTON 2013 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Rokeya, Begama, 1880-1932. [Selections. English] The essential Rokeya : selected works of Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain (1880-1932) / edited, translated, and with an introduction by Mohammad A. Quayum. pages cm. – (Women and Gender ; Volume 13) Includes index. ISBN 978-90-04-25585-2 (hardback : acid-free paper) – ISBN 978-90-04-25587-6 (e-book) 1. Muslim women–Southeast Asia–Literary collections. 2. Women's rights–Southeast Asia–Literary collections. I. Quayum, Mohammad A., editor of compilation. II. Title. PR9420.9.R65A2 2013 820.9'95492–dc23 2013023182 This publication has been typeset in the multilingual “Brill” typeface. With over 5,100 characters covering Latin, IPA, Greek, and Cyrillic, this typeface is especially suitable for use in the humanities. For more information, please see www.brill.com/brill-typeface. ISSN 1570-7628 ISBN 978-90-04-25585-2 (hardback) ISBN 978-90-04-25587-6 (e-book) Copyright 2013 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands. Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Global Oriental, Hotei Publishing, IDC Publishers and Martinus Nijhof Publishers. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. 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For Natasha and Sasha CONTENTS About the Translator. ix Acknowledgements . xi A Chronology of Rokeya’s Life . xiii Rokeya Sakhawat Hossian: A Biographical Essay . xv Introduction . 1 TRANSLATED WORKS From A String of Sweet Pearls (Motichur), Vol. I (1904) . 21 Woman’s Downfall (Istrijatir Abanati). 21 The Female-half (Ardhangi) . 33 Home (Griha) . 41 From A String of Sweet Pearls (Motichur), Vol. II (1922) . 51 The Knowledge Fruit (Gyanfal). 51 The Creation of Woman (Nari-srishti) . 57 Nurse Nelly (Nurse Nelly) . 61 The Theory of Creation (Srishti-tawtho) . 74 The Zenana Women (Aborodhbashini; 1931) . 79 Uncollected Works Essays................................................................... 119 Woman Worship (Nari-puja) . 119 Bengal Women’s Educational Conference: (President’s Address) (Bongiyo Nari-shikha Samiti) . 126 The Hidden Jewel (Lukano Ratan) . 133 The Dawn (Subho Sadeq) . 136 In a Land of Seven Hundred Schools (Satsho School-er Desh-e) . 137 viii contents Short Stories/Humour . 143 The Mysteries of Love (Prem-rahasho) . 143 Three Lazy Men (Tin Kurey). 149 Marriage-Crazy Old Men (Biya-Pagla Buro) . 151 WORKS IN ENGLISH Sultana’s Dream (1908).................................................. 159 Essays................................................................... 169 God Gives, Man Robs . 169 Educational Ideals for the Modern Indian Girls . 170 Selected Letters . 175 Letter23............................................................ 175 Letter25............................................................ 176 Letter32............................................................ 177 Letter33............................................................ 182 Letter34............................................................ 183 Letter35............................................................ 184 Letter36............................................................ 189 Letter40............................................................ 192 Index ................................................................... 195 ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR Dr. Mohammad A. Quayum has taught at universities in Australia, Bangla- desh, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore and the US, and is currently Professor of English at International Islamic University Malaysia and Adjunct Professor in the School of Humanities at Flinders University, Australia. He has pub- lished 25 books in the areas of American literature, Bengali literature and Postcolonial literatures, as well as numerous articles in some of the most acclaimed literary journals around the world. Quayum is the recipient of several awards for teaching and research, and is widely recognised as one of the most distinguished literary scholars in South and Southeast Asia. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Dr. Gillian Dooley and Katherine E. Hayford of Flinders University, Australia for reading earlier drafts of some of the translated chapters in the book. I would also like to thank Dr. Arshad Islam and Dr. Wahabuddin Ra"ees of International Islamic University Malaysia for helping me with the translation accuracy of several Arabic, Persian and Urdu phrases in the book. Thanks are also due to Dr. Bharati Ray, Dr. Mahmudul Hasan and Dr. Barnita Bagchi for inspiring me with their own research on Rokeya’s work, and for lending me materials which have assisted my own research for this book. To the anonymous reviewers of the book’s manuscript appointed by Brill Publishing—my utmost gratitude for their valuable comments, which have helped to improve the overall quality of the book. This book would not have been possible without the warm cooperation of Kathy van Vliet-Leigh, the acquisitions editor of the Women and Gender series by Brill Publishing. I am therefore grateful to her and her team for their kind support in every step of the way, from getting the manuscript evaluated to seeing the book in print. To my late father, Abdus Salam, and late mother, Rawshan Ara Lily, my appreciation is beyond expression for everything they did to instil an inex- haustible love for life and literature in me. I am particularly grateful to my mother for telling me the story of Rokeya’s life when I was still a little boy. It is her narrative, of how Rokeya learnt English and Bengali in childhood and how she came to challenge the patriarchal status quo on women in the sub- continent, that red my imagination to undertake this project so that others could also share my interest in Rokeya and her heroic mind. I can’t imagine a life without my wife, Natasha, and daughter, Sasha. It is their love and encouragement that keeps me going with my reading, writing and research. Partly, it is also to understand and appreciate them better that I immersed myself in Rokeya’s life and thoughts for the last three years. The book is therefore dedicated to them as a return for their abiding and enduring love. A CHRONOLOGY OF ROKEYA’S LIFE 1880 Rokeya is born in the village of Pairaband, in Rangpur district, Bengal, India. 1885 She has her rst encounter with English alphabets, from a European gov- erness at her elder sister Karimunessa’s house in Calcutta. 1896 She is married to Khan Bahadur Syed Sakhawat Hossain and settles at her in-laws’ house in Bhagalpur, Bihar. (Here Rokeya gave birth to two girl- children, but one died at the age of four months and the other at the age of ve months.) 1902–1903 Rokeya begins writing and publishing in various literary magazines in Calcutta. “Pipasa (Muharram),” her rst publication, appears in the Chiatra- Baishakh 1308–1309 (April–May 1902) issue of Nabaprabha (Eds. Haren- dralal Roy and Ganendralal Roy). 1904 Her rst book, Motichur, Vol. I is published by the manager of Nabanur magazine in Calcutta. 1905 Rokeya’s rst English publication, “Sultana’s Dream,” appears in Indian Ladies Magazine (Eds. Kamala Satthia and Sarojini Naidu). 1907 Second edition of Motichur, Vol. I is published by Sri Gurudas Chattopad- hyay, 201 Cornwallis Street, Calcutta. 1908 Sultana’s Dream appears in the form of a book, published by S.K. Lahiri & Co., 54 College Street, Calcutta. 1909 Rokeya’s husband, Khan Bahadur Syed Sakhawat Hossain, dies in Calcutta, on May 3. Rokeya establishes the Sakhawat Memorial Girls’ School in Bhagalpur, on October 1, with only ve students. 1910 She leaves Bhagalpur permanently on December 3 and settles in Calcutta. 1911 Rokeya restarts the Sakhawat Memorial Girls’ School in Calcutta, on March 16, with only eight students. 1912 Rokeya’s mother, Rahatunessa Sabera Chadhurani, passes away in Calcutta. She receives donations for her school from His Highness Aga Khan and B.M. Malabari. She also receives the rst monthly instalment of Rs. 71.00 in April from the Government of British India. 1913 Rokeya’s father, Zahiruddin Muhammad Abu Ali Hyder Saber, dies in their village home in Pairaband. 1915 She wins the rst prize in an English poetry writing competition in Septem- ber. The school becomes a High Primary School (up to class V), and is relocated at 86/A Lower Circular Road, Calcutta. She purchases two horse-drawn carriages for the school. 1916 Rokeya founds the Anjuman-i-Khawateen Islam (Muslim Women’s Associ- ation). The number of students at her school increases to 105. xiv a chronology of rokeya’s life 1917 The school is upgraded to a Middle English School. Lady Chelmsford, wife of the Governor General and Viceroy of India, visits the school. A Bengali section is introduced in the school from the beginning of the year. 1919