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Zubaida Yazdani

Zubaida Yazdani (April 27, 1916 – June 11, 1996) was an Indian historian specializing in the history of the Deccan in India. She was a professional historian, a subject which she read at Oxford and in which she lectured for some 30 years in India. She was one of the first Asian women to enter Oxford University[1]. She authored two books and numerous scholarly articles about the history of India. Her book titled “Hyderabad during the residency of Henry Russell 1811-1820”[2] was a scholarly exposition of the Indian Subsidiary Alliance system. Her other book titled “The Seventh Nizam: The Fallen Empire”[3] was a memoir of the last Nizam of Hyderabad and also a study of the constitutional and political complexities which surrounded the relations of the Indian states with the British raj. Her books broke new ground and were based on painstaking use of original documents, many of which had been overlooked by previous investigators[4]. They enforced the revision of some hitherto accepted judgements. She also supervised the translation of a novel, Taubat an Nusuh,[4]  from Urdu into English. This is an important and groundbreaking work in Urdu by Nazir Ahmed[5] who was the first novel writer in Urdu and also an eminent scholar whose publications promoted the education of Muslim men and women. Zubaida Yazdani was also involved in social and educational work. She was one of the main founders of a college in Hyderabad for underprivileged women[1]. She also started the Hyderabad School for Languages and Science in London, teaching primary, junior and secondary pupils in Urdu as well as the curriculum subjects of English, Mathematics, Computer Studies, French, and Arabic to students from primary to O and A Levels[1].

Biography

Zubaida Yazdani was the oldest daughter of Ghulam Yazdani, D.Litt. who was himself an eminent historian and archeologist[6]. He is considered an authority on the history of the Deccan and had numerous publications about the history of south India. He was the Director of Archeology in the Nizam’s government in Hyderabad and was instrumental in the preservation of the caves at Ajanta and Ellora which are masterpieces of Buddhist and Hindu religious art. He was awarded an OBE by the British government and a Padma Bhushan (one of India’s highest civil honors) by the Indian government[7]. Zubaida Yazdani was married to Mir Yaseen Ali Khan, who was an accomplished Urdu poet and published in the leading literary magazines of India[8]. Zubaida Yazdani passed her Senior Cambridge exams with high marks from Mahboobia School. Her father recognized her talents and came with her to Britain at his own expense so she could sit for the Oxford entrance examination[1]. Zubaida Yazdani travelled to Oxford in 1935 and sat for the entrance exam for St. Hilda’s college and after interviews was accepted. She writes in her own words that the students “came mostly from the British middle classes and aristocracy… not only academically the cream of English society but in their manners … very humble and living… paid great respect to their tutors”[1]. Zubaida Yazdani was one of the first Asian women to enter Oxford University and was a contemporary of Indira Gandhi (later Prime Minister of India)[1]. Her own example gave an incentive for other Hyderabad students to come to Oxford for higher studies. When asked many years later during an interview about her memories of Indira Gandhi, Zubaida Yazdani commented that “She was a very shy student. She spoke little in lectures and discussions.[9]” Zubaida Yazdani got her degree at Oxford in June 1940. After the outbreak of World War ll, she was determined to stay on and do post graduate studies at Oxford. In her own words “students pursued normal courses, contented themselves with lunches of cheese sandwiches and apples, and used the shelters only when the sirens sounded”[1]. She was asked by her family to come back because of the dangers the war presented. The Suez Canal had closed by that time and it would have been exceedingly dangerous to go back via that route as the war raged on in Europe and the Middle East. So she had to go to India via USA. She had to travel to USA from Britain across the Atlantic in a ship which dodged German U Boats which patrolled the Atlantic and sank 175 allied warships and 3500 merchant ships. She arrived back on the east coast of India in Calcutta after a perilous journey of nearly three months via New York, San Francisco and Hong Kong[1]. Her overjoyed parents went from Hyderabad to Calcutta to receive her. On her return home to Hyderabad she was appointed Lecturer (1942) and then Reader (1947) in History at the Women’s College, Osmania University[10]. She started M.A. classes there. She taught there for many years and also conducted and published research while teaching there. Zubaida Yazdani however had a great desire to pursue postgraduate education. Indian teaching staff with more than 10 years of service were allowed two years leave with full pay. She left for Britain in March 1963 and started attending post graduate classes at London University School of Oriental and African Studies and later transferred to Oxford University where she completed her postgraduate at St. Hilda’s college[10]. From 1967 to 1969 she was Senior Reader at the Women’s College, Osmania University and was also its acting principal. Then she became Reader in History at the Arts College, Osmania University and finally Head of its History Department[10]. Her B.Litt thesis was published by the Clarendon Press in 1976[1]. Zubaida Yazdani retired in 1976 and came to England with her husband, Mir Yaseen Ali Khan because two of her sons Hussain and Hassan were already residents in Britain. She then wrote (with Mary Crystal) her second book, “The Seventh Nizam: The Fallen Empire”[1]. Zubaida Yazdani passed away in London on June 11, 1996[11].

Scholarly and Literary Work Zubaida Yazdani published her first book “Hyderabad during the Residency of Henry Russell 1811 – 1820”[2]. The book was based on her B.Litt. thesis at Oxford University. It was a scholarly work based on original sources which were available at the Bodleian library at Oxford which housed the Russell and Palmer papers. She was the first to make a detailed study of these voluminous papers[2]. Rushbrook Williams CBE, FRSA [12] who was a fellow of All Souls College, Oxford wrote in the preface to the book that the study breaks new ground and enforces the revision of hitherto accepted judgements and is an unbiased and thorough investigation of the subject[2]. Zubaida Yazdani published her second book titled “The Seventh Nizam: The Fallen Empire”[3] in 1985. The book is a study of Hyderabad under the Seventh Nizam (1911-48), the greatest of the Asaf Jahi rulers of Hyderabad. It also embraces a study of the British Government’s policies towards the Indian states. It also shows the effects of the two world wars on British policy up to the time when India and Pakistan became independent. The book was a scholarly work based on original papers that were obtained from the India Office library in London as well as original papers of the Nizam that were made available to her by the Nizam’s family. Many of these papers have never been studied before this book was published. The book painstakingly document’s the source of all materials and provides voluminous references. The preface for the book was written by Gordon Johnson[13] (Director of the Cambridge University Center for South Asian Studies and President of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland (2015-18)) who wrote that not only does the study chronicle the live of the last Nizam but also the complexities of the relationship of the Indian States with the British raj which is an often ignored aspect of Indian history. Dr. Gordon wrote that the study thus contributes to our understanding of modern political developments in the sub-continent[3]. Zubaida Yazdani also supervised the translation from Urdu into English, of a novel titled Taubat an Nusuh written by Nazir Ahmed[5] who was the first Urdu novelist. Nazir Ahmed was a contemporary of Sir Syed Khan and was concerned with the reform and education of Muslims particularly Muslim women. Taubat an Nusuh is considered by many to be his masterpiece. Zubaida Yazdani also wrote numerous papers and articles which were presented at scholarly conferences. Social and Educational Work Zubaida Yazdani was always involved in social and educational work in particular for the benefit of the underprivileged. However her work in the establishment of a women’s college stands out[10]. While Zubaida Yazdani was working as a Reader in History at the Womens College, Osmania University she noticed that because of the increased number of women seeking admission, the underprivileged women were finding it difficult to get admission to the existing women’s colleges. A branch of the Federation of University Women was established at Hyderabad, under the name of the University Women’s Cultural Association and she was appointed its Secretary. Zubaida Yazdani presented her proposal for the establishment of a new womens college to the Association and the proposal was accepted by Sri Devi the principal of the Womens College who highly encouraged the project. However the association was concerned about the lack of resources for such an undertaking because not a rupee was available for this proposal. Zubaida Yazdani went door to door to raise funds from wealthy individuals and businesses. She was also able to get teachers to agree to teach in the college with the condition that for the first year they would only receive Rupees 20 to Rupees 25 per month. This was an extremely low salary for teachers in those days. There was also no building for the proposed college. So she approached Sultan Bazar library because their buildings were empty all day and the administration of the library agreed to let the college use their buildings temporarily. Then the college was started with an initial enrollment of about 35 students[10]. An incident that occurred during this time speaks to the unshakable determination and dedication of Zubaida Yazdani[10]. The library eventually wanted their rooms back and decided to make the college leave by locking the doors to the building. They would not listen to any requests from the college. Zubaida Yazdani faced this crisis in her usual determined way. She told the students to go home and that it was a college holiday for them and to come back to the same place the next day and they would be informed of the college’s new location. She also told the teachers to come back the next day at their usual time and they would then go to the new premises. The teachers were astonished because there weren’t any new buildings to move to. She then went to the home of a male relative and took him with her and went to meet the President and Secretary of the Sir Nizamat Jung Trust library. She requested that the halls and rooms of the library be rented out to the college. The President and Secretary of the library said that we will form a committee and then we will let you know their decision. Zubaida Yazdani told them that by the time the committee is formed the college will be finished. The President and Secretary then asked her more questions about the college. They were so impressed by her determination and dedication and also that she was not about to take no for an answer that they gave her the keys to the halls and rooms the same day. The next day when the students and teachers came back to the college, they were met by a smiling Zubaida Yazdani who gave them directions to the new college building. Eventually the college moved to a more permanent location. Under her leadership the college started arts classes in history, economics and sociology for underprivileged girls. Then science classes were started and a library and laboratory were set up, with very satisfactory results. Zubaida Yazdani wanted that the college should be affiliated with Osmania University. One lakh rupees (Rs.100,000) were needed for the proposal. The Osmania Univesity Graduates Association office bearer Rai Shankar Ji took the fully functional college under the sponsorship of the Association. And In 1961, despite opposition, the U.W.C.A. college was affiliated to Osmania University. It is now, under its Hindi name, Sarojini Naidu Vanitha Maha Vidyalaya, one of the largest women’s colleges in Telengana state. It is located in Nampally area of Hyderabad[14]. Zubaida Yazdani’s son Hussain Ali Khan who as a child was often her companion on fund raising trips wrote the following about her[15], “About the founding of the college for women; she felt the need for such an Institution as there were not adequate places and opportunities for women whom she believed strongly in. When she made up her mind about something she felt strongly about, there was no stopping her and there was no word like NO in her dictionary of life. In the days of old it was not the IN thing for women to go to rich or powerful men’s houses or see them personally on their own so I being a very young teenaged son used to accompany her on these missions of gathering funds for the cause from powerful bankers, heads of companies, directors etc. She wasn't the most beautiful of women but as the occasion demanded her charisma and powers of persuasion at convincing the great and the good were like magic and they were like putty in her hands and it was extraordinary to watch”. Zubaida Yazdani also established the Hyderabad School for Languages and Sciences in Hackney in London The school was started in February 1981 because she had been approached by parents of children from Hyderabad and Pakistan to teach Urdu[16]. She and her husband, Mir Yaseen Ali Khan, initially taught the classes, but after a few months the Inner London Education Authority visited the school and awarded a grant. After that the school was able to employ more teachers. The school taught primary, junior and secondary pupils in Urdu up the O and A level. The school also taught English, Arabic, and Science subjects. The school closed some years after Zubaida Yazdanis death. Zubaida Yazdani was also an office bearer in various Urdu and History associations and published research in academic journals[10].

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