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He was scouting Howrah’s dingy bylanes in search of Sultana Begum, a direct descendent of Mirza Fakhru, the emperor’s son. What Ahmed learnt in those hot sweaty hours of the interview, left him cold. Sultana Begum lived in one room, with no fan, and ran a chai stall to feed her daughters.
Since then and before that, stories have filtered out of dark lanes in the country, reporting a life of poverty and squalor for Mughal descendants — those that survived the rebellion of 1857. Successive governments had promised them much but delivered nothing.
A trust has finally been set up to first find and then help the families of the Mughal lines of descent. The brainchild of businessman Mohd Shahid Khan, the Mughal Trust was launched on Monday at the India Islamic Cultural Centre.
The trust’s patron Dr A M Zutshi Gulzar Dehlvi said the descendants in India and Pakistan will be located by tracing the shijras or the family tree. The trust, he said, has Rs 30 lakh in its kitty. Dehlvi, a Kashmiri by descent and a champion of the Urdu language, said: “They were rulers and they fought for the country. But today, many are poor.”
Khan said 200 families in Aurangabad and nearly 70 in Kolkata have been identified. A team will visit Hyderabad and Pakistan to look for others. Khan hopes to have a substantial database of addresses in two to three months. All claims will be verified with the help of shijras, Khan said.
Retired Urdu professor Dr Aslam Pervez said most descendants have struggled after their ancestors were hounded, jailed or executed. “The trust is a laudable initiative,” he said.
The trust will also create pressure on the government to bring back the remains of Bahadur Shah Zafar from Myanmar. Zafar had expressed his desire to be buried in a particular spot that is in today’s Mehrauli. The trust also plans to lobby for aid for these families. However, if the government does not help, there are already many in the queue who are interested in donating to this cause, Khan said. Dehlvi added: “We are optimistic. We have records, files. We are appealing to the community to come forward.”
They could perhaps take up the file of Mirza Changezi, 92, who claims to be a descendant of Changez Khan. He lives in the Walled City, his trunks full of photographs and documents of his dignified ancestry. His only means: a small library in the neighbourhood, run by his son.
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i am a decendent of the bahadar shah 11 moghal my family tree was made a few days back and my mother told me it will be put online under alam mohammad sheikh says his sister is my great great grandmother we have the tree i am willing to have a test to prove it she married and escaped and moved to pakistan karachi .
I am absolutely shocked knowing the socio-economic plight of some of the Mughal descendants. The State should come forward to locate the progenies of the great Mughals as their forefathers were patriots who gave leadership in the Great Rebellion of 1857. Many of them were shot dead by the British, and the Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar himself exiled in Rangoon where he breathed his last.His mortal remains need to be honoured, and his grave declared a trust of the State. Necessary formalities may be initiated with the government of Myanmar so that the Indian government can look after the sanctified site on behalf of the people of India. On the other hand, the descendants deserve to be recognized. Those who are living in a state of penury should be given monthly honorariums, jobs, one time monthly grant for the marriage of the daughters etc. By showing a little respect and recognition, the State would do its historical duty. Indian secularism is in test here, and India must pass the test.
all i want being a decendent of the moghal empire bahadar shah 11 we have a family tree is a visa to visit england as i was refused a visa and i find that wrong i paid 50 000 pakistani rupees for a five year visa to england and didnt get a two week visa either i feel i should be compensated and i think that is fair.
I am absolutely shocked knowing the socio-economic plight of some of the Mughal descendants. The State should come forward to locate the progenies of the great Mughals as their forefathers were patriots who gave leadership in the Great Rebellion of 1857. Many of them were shot dead by the British, and the Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar himself exiled in Rangoon where he breathed his last.His mortal remains need to be honoured, and his grave declared a trust of the State. Necessary formalities may be initiated with the government of Myanmar so that the Indian government can look after the sanctified site on behalf of the people of India. On the other hand, the descendants deserve to be recognized. Those who are living in a state of penury should be given monthly honorariums, jobs, one time monthly grant for the marriage of the daughters etc. By showing a little respect and recognition, the State would do its historical duty. Indian secularism is in test here, and India must pass it.