Deccan Se Duur Oxford Ke Roz-o-Shab: Aik Naujawan Taliba Ka 1935 Ka Roznamcha
By Muhammadi Begum
Maktaba-e-Danyal
ISBN: 978-969-419-132-4
278pp.

Although many young women are studying abroad and living alone these days, this wasn’t the case for Indian women in the 1930s. But, as they say, there are always exceptions to a rule, and one of them was Muhammadi Begum, who went to study at Oxford University during the 1930s.

The book under review, Deccan Say Duur, Oxford Ke Roz-o-Shab: Aik Naujawan Taliba Ka 1935 Ka Roznamcha, is a reproduction of the diary entries Muhammadi Begum wrote while at Oxford. She was born in Hyderabad Deccan, and graduated from Osmania University. As she secured the first position there, she was awarded a scholarship by the Government of Hyderabad Deccan to study at the University of Oxford, making her one of the few women to receive such an opportunity.

In 1934, she went to the UK with her husband, who took a year’s leave from his job to accompany her. To prepare for admission to the University of Oxford, she had to pass certain exams, for which she studied for a year. Although she wanted admission in Lady Margaret Hall, she had to settle for Saint Hugh’s College, which offered her a space.

Muhammadi Begum belonged to an educated family that supported women’s education, and her husband’s progressive views also influenced her way of thinking. At that time, women’s lib was a new thing, but she was quite vocal about it, which is evident from the conversations she had at Oxford.

A fascinating collection of diary entries by a young Muslim Indian woman studying in Britain in the 1930s paints a picture of a civilisational encounter and upends ideas of Subcontinental women of the time

Having a deep eye for social changes, she was aware of modern social and political ideals. In Oxford, while preparing for her exams, she used to attend the Student Union debates and other programmes. From her discussion with one of her teachers, we learn that although girls could listen to the debates at that time, they could not become members of the Student Union. Interestingly, the professor was against girls becoming members and remarked, “We have given them so much liberty that they have permission to wear the gown, and they are being awarded degrees.”

Few of our young readers would know that even institutions such as the University of Oxford officially began admitting women as full members and allowing them to receive degrees for the first time only in October 1920, even though they could attend lectures and take exams there since 1870.

Since the book is simply a reproduction of Muhammadi Begum’s diary entries (primarily from January 1935 to September 1935), it doesn’t contain too many details. In fact, her diary was discovered by one of her daughters after her death, and she found it so interesting that she and her sister decided to have it published. Perhaps as a result of this, in some places, this volume seems sketchy, and one feels it could have benefitted from some details being added for context. But one must also remember that it was not meant to be published or even read by anyone.

For instance, there are some names readers wouldn’t recognise and, even though some are explained in the references section at the end of the book, the remaining ones will leave readers clueless as to who the people that have been mentioned are. Still, even if some details are missing, readers will gain an insight into Muhammadi Begum’s life in general at Oxford.

In places, she draws comparisons between India and England; for instance, how women lived in India and the UK and shops in both countries, such as their timings and delivery facilities. An interesting part discusses home remedies used in Oxford at the time, especially for the common cold, which were almost the opposite of what she had seen at home, and she was wary of using them — such as drinking milk with lemon juice at night or taking a hot water shower to get rid of the cold.

She was also surprised by the practice of keeping children in strollers in the open even in winter, but eventually became comfortable with it and adopted it herself. She was also astonished that, in the UK, children were allowed to eat everything; in fact, they ate whatever their elders were eating, and there was no special food for children, as in India. She didn’t feel comfortable when she saw children with sore throats being fed sour oranges, or young children not wearing socks even in winter.

Muhammadi Begum had to face many problems while in the UK, and it was not only the tough courses she had to excel in to pass the entrance test. She also had to assimilate into an entirely different social environment. Being used to Indian food, she had to tolerate the tasteless food served at the house where she was living, probably as a paying guest.

She tried her hand at cooking as well, but mostly had to settle for what was on the table due to a lack of time. (If undergraduate students were not offered accommodation in college, they had to live in houses called licensed lodgings, though not all of them were licensed, such as the one she was living in.)

She also mentions feeling homesick and missing her family, yet was grateful that at least she had her husband with her, especially compared to people living alone. She was in touch with her family through a regular flow of letters. As she was also expecting a child, her mother used to send her dried food items, as well as advice and reading material from Hyderabad, through regular mail.

During this time and after the birth of her son, she kept herself active, socialising and visiting various places while studying, and would take the bus alone to her tutors and stop on the way back — or in her free time — to visit venues, including parks, alone or with her husband.

The last entry in the diary (January 1, 1937), written aboard a ship as she returned to Hyderabad, sums up her time spent in Oxford. She writes about how, while studying, she travelled around in the UK, and gave birth to her second child (a daughter).

Though the diary covers only about a year of her stay in the UK, the reader can see that she was strong enough to handle the challenges of life; along with studying, she travelled, sometimes just with her child, taking long train journeys. She also reflects on giving birth to two children while she was at Oxford.

From her daughter’s note at the end, we learn that, once back home, she was involved in politics, active in a women’s association in Hyderabad, attended women’s conferences and was part of the organising committee of the women’s jalsa [gathering] that the Quaid-i-Azam attended in 1945, and even learnt to handle a rifle. The family migrated to Pakistan in 1950. Here, due to her husband’s illness and death, she took on the responsibility of being the breadwinner, eventually living alone in Karachi till her passing away in 1990.

Her diary entries also show her mastery of Urdu; the diary is written in simple language, but at times she uses figurative language, Arabic phrases, and quotes poetry, suggesting that she was interested in literature as well.

The book opens our eyes to the reality that women in the 1930s were far from uneducated or confined to homemaking. Many excelled academically, voiced strong political opinions, and stepped up as breadwinners when needed. One should read it, if only to clear misconceptions about the women of that era.

The reviewer is a freelance journalist

Published in Dawn, Books & Authors, 31st, 2026