Last Sunday, 7th April, people gathered in Chota Lucknow, aka Matiabruz in Kolkata to pay tributes to Begum Hazrat Mahal, a freedom fighter and a contemporary of Rani Lakshmi Bai who fought against the British in 1857 to save Awadh, only to be forgotten and die in exile in Nepal. This year marks the 140 death of the valiant who came from humble origins and whose date of birth still remains a mystery. At a time when gender roles are defined, this couple might have been the ultimate thing that changed the status quo. Here you have a king, a nawab leaving his own kingdom just to save his people from the irony of war. Here's a king ( Nawab Wajid Ali Shah) who dables in art and culture and defines it life no other. And here is a queen who writes fiery poems and takes up arms , trying to save her state from a foreign rule. A near complete Ying Yang couple who are contrast of each other and whose personalities are mirror images of each other. This I think is a true essence of gender fluidity and vitality. In reality, there's no gender specific roles only a way of living, an urgency that appeals to your personality. @mannzie @breakfreetrails @kynbengal #kynbengal #breakfreetrails #genderspecificroles #genderfluidity #indianfreedommovement #firstwarofindependence #freedomfighter #queenofawadh #nawabofawadh #awadh #begumhazratmahal #wajidalishah #metiabruz #matiabruz #kolkata https://www.instagram.com/nath_pratiti/p/BwKbk-jHHxm/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1pdmkvzsg1ebe
