Shows
What's new todayQueens who ruled India (5): Begums of BhopalNowhere else in Asia do we have recorded history of a line of Muslim women who governed a kingdom. The four Begums of Bhopal ruled for over 100 years. Their reign was marked by peace, good health and great education facilities. This quartet of queens owe their existence to the charisma and keen intelligence of the very first Begum - Qudsia Begum. On her husband's sudden death, a teenager Qudsia managed to marshal support from all corners, so she could ascend the throne and govern the kingdom. Her path was far from easy - she had to battle both patriarchy...2024-07-1026 min
What's new todayQueens who ruled India (4): Rudramadevi - the warrior who guarded the greatest diamondsRudramadevi, a warrior queen from South India made an astonishing ascent to the throne, thanks to her royal lineage. Nevertheless she faced much patriarchy and her rule was challenged from all quarters - both from inside and outside. During her rule, the Kakatiya kingdom was attacked from the North, West and the South repeatedly. She managed to thwart all invasion attempts. She strengthened the defense forces by adding to the height and thickness of the Warrangal fort. The Kohinoor diamond was mined in her kingdom and adorned the crown of the reigning deity. Much later, it was plundered by...2024-07-0416 min
What's new todayQueens who ruled India (3): Tribhuvana Mahadevi - a beacon of peaceTribhuvana Mahadevi was a queen who ruled one of the mightiest empires in ancient India - also called Kalinga. Today, this kingdom spreads across the eastern state of Orissa in India. Her reign featured in books written in 10th century AD in Persia. She was called a Rayini (a queen) whose rule eclipsed the reigns of her contemporary neighbours (kings in India). Her name is hardly found in any history textbooks today, but her fame had spread far and wide across Asia and Europe amongst her contemporaries.
She came to power as a regent (as the heir...2024-06-2823 min
What's new todayQueens who ruled India (2): Nur Jahan - the empress who ruled from behind a curtainAt its height, the Mughal empire was the richest in the world. Akbar's son Jahangir ascended the throne after his death. Jahangir was addicted to opium and alcohol, amongst other things. His wife Nur Jahan won his confidence. She was a remarkable woman who managed to keep her husband away from many of his vices. Thanks to her courage and intelligence, she won the loyalty of the nobles in the court and thus wielded much power in the kingdom.
She was the only Mughal empress who issued coins in her name, imperial decrees with her signature, presided...2024-06-2120 min
What's new todayQueens who Ruled India (1): Keladi Chennamma - the one who defied Aurangazeb successfullyThe Portugese called her 'Raina de Pimenta' or 'The Pepper Queen'. Born to a commoner, married to a king, she ascended the throne after the untimely death of her husband. She not only defended herself against patriarchy, but also against a barrage of enemy armies.
She is best known for being the only queen who defied Aurangzeb, took over the might of his army and successfully got him to sign a peace treaty.
Child Co-hosts: Kiaansh (6th grader, Mumbai) and Sathwik (7th grader, Kolkata)
Reference material:
(a) Blog...2024-06-1438 min
The Belongg Literature PodcastReimaginings Ep 02 | Reimagining HistoryReimagining history: Rejecting a homogeneous past with Prof Manan Ahmed Asif, Prof. Chinnaiah Jangam and Archana Garodia Gupta. In this episode, our guests view history through different lenses and surface common truths as well as rich differences in our past. We will hear our guests exchange reflections about the multiplicity of historical narratives, the need to look to our past and the value of searching beyond mainstream sources.About our Guests:Prominent scholar Prof Manan Ahmed Asif has written extensively on South Asian history and currently teaches history at Columbia University. His books include, A Bo...2022-06-011h 07
Crossroads in Therapy PodcastReimaginings Ep 02 | Reimagining HistoryIn this episode, we will hear our guests view history through different lenses and surface common truths as well as rich differences in our past. In the first segment, we will hear them exchange reflections about the multiplicity of historical narratives, the need to look to our past and the value of searching beyond mainstream sources. In the next segment, Prof. Ahmed recounts the formation of the “outsider” image relegated to Southasian Muslims and expands on his call for post colonised historians. Prof. Jangam sheds light on the dominance of Hindu Brahmanical hold over history keeping and advocates viewing the...2022-02-171h 07