Azizun Nisa (Part 4): When Two Lovers Were Separated By Death

They lived together. They planned together. They rebelled together. But they couldn’t die together. Leaving behind his lover, Shamsuddin did not look back. But Azizun knew that her love was real. She fought for her love because she knew that they were meant to be forever. Was this the end or a new beginning?

When the 1857 rebellion was initiated; Image Source: National Army Museum

Nana Sahib: The man who initiated the 1857 rebellion; Image Source: Wikipedia

As time passed, Nana Sahib began urging everyone to participate in the Cawnpore Mutiny. Shamsuddin and Azizun didn’t need Nana Sahib’s instructions. Donning their soldier’s attire, they sat on their respective horses and went ahead to face the firangis.

Being a tawaif, Azizun knew that it was important for other kothewali tawaifs to participate in the rebellion. She created a separate women’s army monikered as the Women’s Brigade of Jihadis. She taught them how to fight with swords, spears, guns, and horse riding. Besides fighting on the battlefield, these women also cared for the wounded Indian soldiers.

These tawaifs who lived peacefully in the kothas with absolute comfort and luxury, what was the need for them to lay down their lives in the rebellion alongside the male sowars?

Lucknow was filled with beautiful kothas and bordellos. The dreamy world of kothas was filled with beautiful dances, wealth, and sheer opulence. During the 1850s, the word tawaif had a different meaning altogether. From a respected and graceful profession, today, this word is often looked down upon. Tawaif is nothing less than a derogatory title offered to women in today’s time.

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The luxurious kothas of Lucknow; Image Source: The Wanderer

Her lover was dead now. But she knew that she had to take her revenge. Donning her soldier’s attire, she again sat on the horse to take over the British.

The EIC ruthlessly crushed the rebellion. However, Azizun survived the attack of the firangis, but the British officers imprisoned her. They accused Azizun of being one of the main conspirators behind planning for the rebellion. They pushed her in every way so that she would confess her wrongdoings. But she did not bow in front to their demands.

According to resources like the diary of Nanak Chand, accounts of Colonel William, and official records of Sir Hugh Wheeler, Azizun underwent a trial. Still, there was no mention of her execution. However, she was primarily believed to be hanged or put before a firing squad.

Some people claimed that they saw Azizun riding on a horse with a sword hanging by her side and a pistol in her hand. Records of British officers and Indian newspapers, too, confirmed this fact.

Henry Havelock: The man who was spellbound by Azizun’s beauty; Image Source: Art UK

Yet some other sources say that when Azizun was brought before General Henry Havelock for trial, he was spellbound by her beauty. As a result, he set her free and allowed her to run her kotha only if she disclosed the whereabouts of Azimullah Khan, the right hand of Nana Sahib. However, she refused to disclose Azim’s whereabouts and chose to die.

Some say that the Britishers executed her for her refusal at the age of twenty-six. Some say that her ghost moves around in the streets of Lucknow on a horse’s back. But let’s assume that she united with Shamsuddin after her death, and they both lived happily ever after!

In the previous story, we learned about how Shamsuddin was ignited with the fire of rebellion after hearing that the Britishers were trying to play with their religious sentiments. Aziz, too, supported her lover with all her might. Thus, the two exceptional renegades were born from the streets of Kanpur.

However, the lovers were not simply driven by their instincts. They had strategies that could make the entire British lineage flee from the country. They knew how to attach people’s sentiments to bring to life the most significant rebellion of the era. When the British army men, originally Hindus and Muslims, came to know that the cartridges were laced with pig and cow fat, they knew it was time for them to give the Britishers a taste of their medicine.

The 42nd Cavalry in Cawnpore was boiling with rage after hearing this. They had never expected the gora sahibs to play with their religious sentiments. They had decided to move out of the Kampani Army and support their people by getting themselves enrolled under the tutelage of Nana Sahib. Nana Sahib’s Bagis had no control over their actions. They knew they had to kill the British. They saw red and produced red.

Nana Sahib held meetings at various places to discuss his other strategies with everyone involved in the rebellion. One such meeting was held on June 1, 1857, where the topmost leaders of Ghadar were present. Azizun and Shamsuddin too were present at this meeting. It would have been such an incredible sight—two powerful lovers planning the most deadly rebellion of the era.

Five days after this meeting, Nana Sahib declared independence from the East India Company. In Indian history, this was supposed to be the first call for independence. Azizun and Shamsuddin rejoiced when Nana Sahib raised the flag to celebrate their first-ever victory. They knew that they had just won the very first fight. The entire war was still on. They had many more battles on their way. But their love was above all these fights. They supported each other like friends and adored each other like lovers.

However, the situation was different back then. Being a tawaif was not easy. Only the most talented women who could transform into dancers and musicians by learning kathak and ragas could call themselves tawaifs. Monikered as aficionados of literature and performing arts, tawaifs filled their kothas with ghazals, shayaris, mujras, and whatnot.

Azizun was one of these talented women who dared to come out of her luxurious kotha and inspire other women too.

Everything was fine until an incident shattered her heart. On June 23, 1857, her love story met an unfortunate end. Shamsuddin died in a bombardment that the EIC caused to bring the rebellion to a halt. His lifeless body was wrapped in a white sheet and brought to Azizun’s kotha. She was shattered. Her kotha was where their love story had initially started, and it also became where their love story came to a tragic end.