LUTFUNNISA

“When life gets overwhelmed by society like the scalding sand of a desert on a hot summer’s day, only the loving touch of a graceful woman can cool it down”

~ Nikhilnath Ray, ‘The history of Murshidabad’

The game of creation and destruction of stars in this enormous universe is never ending. Our planet Earth was created a few billion years back from the remains of a star. The lava gradually started cooling down, then came the oceans and the landmasses, then came plants, and at some time after that came the humans. Just like that, came the Murshidabad, then came their Nawab, then came the palace they made on the east shore of Bhagirathi river. It was named Nizamat Fort. Gradually it started brimming with servants, common people, the stables were filled with horses, then there were harems and zenana. In some corner of the Zenana, a hindu girl came as a servant of Amina Begum. Her name was obscured from the pages of history. Just like coal, the fossilized remains of plants from millions of years back, the person too became fossilized in the pages of history. Little did anyone know that the servant would, one day, become the Nawab’s Begum, a mother, and most importantly, Siraj’s beloved ‘Lutfa’.

Source: revolvy.in

Lutfunnisa was Nawab Siraj Ud Dowllah’s third wife, inspite of there being controversies about their marriage. His other two Begums were Zaibunnisa and Umdatunnisa. The Siraj also had another lover, Faizi, who was Delhi’s famed dancer. Enticed by her beauty, Siraj brought her to Murshidabad. The Heerajheel palace in present day Mansurganj used to come alive with the majlish of Faizi. Later, Faizi betrayed the Nawab and secretly married his nephew Syed Muhammad Khan. When this news came to the Nawab, he put Faizi under house arrest. A few days later her decayed body came out from the room. Although Siraj refrained from drinking due to a promise he made, he repeatedly fell prey to lust. Just as Siraj’s manliness

attracted women, similarly he fell prey to their advances at the same time. But Faizi’s betrayal brought him back to Lutfa. Lutfa’s pure heart brought the nawab to the consciousness that women are not just objects for pleasure. After this, Siraj started concentrating on Lutfa and performing his duties as the Nawab of Murshidabad. But as it seems, apocalypse wasn’t that far afterall. On 24th June, 1757, he lost to the British Army in the battlefield of Palassey and Siraj had fled. Mirzafar lusting for Siraj’s blood had occupied Mansurganj Palace. Siraj brokedown after everyone starting from friends, family, most of his subjects all turned on Siraj. All he had amidst all this was Lutfa, she was the one who nursed his broken heart, shared his pain.

Source: en.wikipedia.org

The road from Bangla to Rajmahal wasn’t that easy afterall. Three days of journey along the river. The defeated Nawab fleeing in a small dingy. Physical stress, hopelessness already taken Siraj under it’s grasp. Lutfa was busy looking after Siraj all this time, afterall they clinged to each other for that’s all they had now. In Rajmahal they met Dansha Fakir, who recognised Siraj by his shoes and informed Mir Kasim, Mir Zafar’s brother-in-law. Mir Zafar’s army took Siraj captive and brought him back to Murshidabad where he was killed. But what about Lutfa? What happened to her? She went to seek help from the British, she went from door to door. Siraj was buried at Khoshbag on the east shore of Bhagirathi. Lutfa took charge of maintenance of Siraj’s grave and the rest of the garden, for a mere Three hundred and five rupees. Till her last day, she did the job, she put rose petals on his grave every day. She was buried just below Siraj’s feet when she died. They were reunited inside the Earth’s bosom, in utter absolute sublime peace forever.