A young Muslim woman, Muhammadi Begum, arrived on English shores from the princely state of Hyderabad in the early 1930s. Her sharp intelligence had won her a scholarship to attend Oxford University, making her one of just a few Indian Muslim women to receive the opportunity. A keen observer, she kept a diary which records a time when competing political configurations to improve lives had seized public imagination in Europe. Away from mainland Europe, in the colonies of the British Empire the movement for freedom had gathered momentum.
Depicting this era for the first time, A Long Way from Hyderabad presents us with the diary Muhammadi Begum kept while abroad, translated from the original in Urdu. It was a voyage of discovery for her, whose efforts were encouraged by a far-sighted mother and a supportive husband. Describing her everyday life in a foreign land is itself a new experience which our young diarist handles with aplomb. Full of curiosity, there are new people to meet and changes to accept, such as the birth of her child or balancing housework with studies. Indeed, she is not short of opinion. Whether discussing Gandhian philosophy with fellow academics, reciting Iqbal's verses, or quizzing her tutor about women's participation in the Oxford Union, Muhammadi Begum is at ease in her new surroundings and welcomes discourse.