The tale of Azeezunbai is one of the many forgotten stories of India’s courtesans. History has famously marginalised the voices of women, but even within that paradigm, India’s female entertainers have received a disproportionately bad rap. Known variously as tawaifs in the North, devadasis in the South, baijis in Bengal and naikins in Goa, these professional singers and dancers were dubbed as “nautch girls” during the British rule, and their profession was conflated with prostitution in the late 19th century. As a result, their contribution to India’s classical arts was scrubbed out of the collective consciousness and their stories found a little place, even in the margins of history. In their glory days, the courtesans were at the centre of art and culture in India, proficient in both music and dance. Colonial and Indian historians have mentioned Azizun’s role during the battles of Kanpur. She had personally nothing to gain and no personal grudges, unlike many of the other women who had joined in the uprising. She was simply inspired by Nana Sahib. Azizun was a favourite among the sepoys of the 2nd cavalry posted in Kanpur and was particularly close to one of the soldiers, Shamsuddin. Her house was a meeting point for the sepoys. She also formed a group of women, who went around fearlessly cheering the men in arms, attended to their wounds, and distributed arms and ammunition. She made one of the gun batteries her headquarters for this work. During the entire period of the siege of Kanpur, she was with the soldiers, whom she considered her friends, and she has always armed with pistols herself. Azizun Nisa is neither the “respectable” mother nor wife, the quintessential inspirational figures in the nationalist discourse.
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Негізгі бет Azizun Nisa Aka Azeezun Bai: Haq To Yuuñ Hai Ki Haq Adā Na Huā
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