Beeti Kahāni (The days that passed)

This is the first-ever feminine autobiography in Urdu. These are the memoirs of a Princess, Shahr Banu Begam (b. 1848), who was the daughter of Nawab Akbar Ali Khan (1813-1862), the ruler of Pataudi State of India under British occupation. Though she had nominal education, the Princess wrote this autobiography on the request of an English lady, Miss Fletcher, who was sort of her class fellow as Shahr Banu used to teach spoken Urdu to the English lady while Miss Fletcher taught Shahr Banu how to read and write English. The First Indian War of Independence against British occupation in 1857 – named by the British as Indian Rebellion, Mutiny or Revolt – caused vast devastation of the states, huge losses of life and property and unspeakable sufferings to the Indian people. Shahr Banu Begam’s family was among the victims of this war but was lucky to escape genocide by the British army. In the aftermath of 1857, having lost the status, wealth and belongings, Shahr Banu had to leave the states of Pataudi and Jhajjar and was forcibly relocated to Ludhiyana. Due to her continuous illness, she sought permission to move to Delhi where she finally settled. Here through an English lady doctor/physician, Miss Thorn, Shahr Banu met another kind lady Miss Fletcher in 1885. Shahr Banu found solace in starting home tuition with Miss Fletcher as a pastime and friendship activity. It was during the close mutually beneficial interaction of this tutelage that the autobiography *Beeti Kahāni* came to be produced as a narrative of Shahr Banu’s life.

Dr. Moinuddin Aqeel (b. 1946) – a renowned Pakistani scholar and researcher of Urdu literature who has also taught Urdu at the universities of Japan and Italy – discovered this neglected piece of Urdu literature and edited and annotated it. He prepared it for publication with a detailed commentary, preface, bibliography and index. This 1885 autobiography still remains a very interesting and informative read.