A Mughal in a Howrah Slum? The story of Sultana Begum and her fight for the Red Fort

The lives of the rich and powerful are always fascinating. We, the denizens, always speculate, and many are keen to have a peek. And if this moment unveils the lives of a royal family, it is a pinnacle.

Many countries in the world are still in awe of their royal families. The UK, Thailand, Japan, Sweden, and Denmark often make news about the palace, and people lap it up.

India became a Republic in 1947, so unlike many Commonwealth countries, we do not even recognise the Queen/King of England. And our princely states were integrated with the union, in exchange for retention of private properties, and a substantial annual grant called Privy Purse (this became a financial drag as well as an eyesore in a democracy, and was abolished in 1971).

But while the royalties may have vanished, the royal families have not. Many of them maintain substantial wealth and social equity. The history of independent India is littered with examples of members of erstwhile loyalties who have reached great heights in many areas — Scindias, Gaekwads, Pataudis are a few of many examples.

Close your eyes and imagine these families living in their opulence. I will make a guess that your image will be something similar to this.

That is Maharani Priyadarshini Raje Scindia and Yuvraj Mahanaaryaman Scindia at the Durbar Hall of the Jai Vilas Palace.

Or this

Rajmata Padmini Devi of Jaipur and her family, at the City Palace, Jaipur.

All good so far. Now the uncomfortable question. What about the Mughals? Where do their descendants live?

Now, before we jump into saying that Mughals have no right to exist (well, I am not stretching, just look at the rush to banish them from our memories, starting with the history textbooks), let me tell you an uncomfortable fact.

Azmet Jah, the current titular Nizam of Hyderabad, still plays a role in managing the ancestral heritage and assets like Chowmahalla and Faluknama palaces. Yes, the descendants of the same Nizam who wanted to join Pakistan, fought with India, had a reign of terror through the Rajakars, and ultimately left the country with huge treasures.

Compare that with Bahadur Shah Zafar (also known as Bahadur Shah II), the last Mughal emperor. Who was made the titular head of the rebels in the mutiny of 1857? And for which he paid a heavy price, being banished to Rangoon, Burma (now Yangon, Myanmar). He died there in 1862, at the age of 87.

So Mughals deserve respect. At least as much as the Nizams, which I am sure even their “opportunist” detractors also will agree. But before we find out about the status of the Mughals today, let us find out where the Mughal emperors stayed in the first place. Well, this is what a search gives me:

Mughal emperors primarily resided in the Agra Fort (Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan) and the Red Fort (Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb, and later Mughals). Other notable residences included Fatehpur Sikri (Akbar), Lahore Fort (Jahangir), and Zafar Mahal (Bahadur Shah Zafar’s summer home).

Ok, so primarily the Agra Fort and the Red Fort (Lal Qila).

The Red Fort fell to the British in 1857 and is now owned and maintained by the Government of India. It is also a UNESCO heritage site. Almost the same story for the Agra fort, which fell to the British in 1803, now with the GoI, and now a UNESCO site.

Understood that the properties are with the government now, but what about the descendants?

Tucked away in a poor neighborhood of a slum in Howrah, West Bengal, stays 73 year old Sultana Begum.

Sultana is the widow of Mirza Mohammad Bedar Bakht, the great-grandson of Bahadur Shah Zafar. And yes, she is for real. One proof is her monthly pension of INR 6,000 from the Government of India as an heirloom of the Mughals.

But that is it, all that she is entitled to for her lineage.

Lost Queen (2025) is a documentary made by director Soumya Sengupta. Thanks to Vikalp@Prithvi, I came across this gem. It chronicles the life of Sultana Begum, and it is fascinating.

Sultana is no ordinary senior citizen who has resigned to her fate. Rather, she is a fighter who has taken her case all the way to the Supreme Court, demanding her rightful ownership of the Red Fort.

The case has been dismissed, with a moniker “insincere”. The reason given is being very late, among others.

I am no expert to comment on the merit of the case, but I am in awe of Sultana’s spunk.

Poverty, neglect, and the burden of losing everything, where one moved from palace to slum over a few generations, have not been able to subdue her. Sultana is already planning to file a review petition.

I hope she gets at least a patient and sympathetic hearing, and possibly a closure. I am sure she does not want any glory, but just validation.

Sultana says that there had been occasions when people from outside India came to know about her, and wanted to take her with them. But she always refused.

As she says, “India is my country, my land. I will live and die here”.

So reassuring to hear in today’s India. Where many aspire to make it in life by raking non-issues like Mughals 500 years back, rake in success, and then want to leave the country to have a better life.

People like Sultana Begum, despite her poverty, are the best the country can offer.