Begum Nishatunnisa Mohani

BEGUM NISHATUNNISA MOHANI

Date of Birth: 1884 and Date of Death: 18^th April, 1937

            Begum Nishatunnisa Mohani, who was praised by Gandhiji for her sharp criticism of his views and ideas on total independence concept, was born in 1884 in Awadh, Uttar Pradesh state.  Her father was Syed Shabib Hassan Mohani.  She was service oriented from a very young age.  She got married to Moulana Hasrat Mohani, who was known for his militant approach in the Indian freedom movement.  Begum Nishatunnisa Mohani joined the Indian National Congress in 1904.  When there was a split among the Congress leaders as moderates and radicals in 1907, she went along with her husband took the side of Bala Gangadhar Tilak.  When the British government first time arrested her husband Moulana Hasrat Mohani for publishing an anti-British article in his newspaper ‘Urdu-e-Mualla’, Nishatunnisa faced the critical situation with great courage.  Begum Nishatunnisa Mohani wrote a letter to her husband, who was in Jail saying ‘Face the dangers fallen upon you courageously.  Don not thinks about me.  No weakness should be expressed from you.  Take care’.  She fought several legal battles against the Government whenever her husband was arrested.  She continued the publication of the newspaper ‘Urdu-e-Mualla’ which was started by her husband, during his imprisonment.  Begum Nishatunnisa Mohani questioned Mr. Montague ‘Why are you not liberating the detained Freedom Fighters in India, while you are releasing the revolutionaries in Ireland?’, when she met him along with the Congress representatives.  She played an active role in the Khilafat – Non Cooperation Movement.  Begum Nishatunnisa Mohani started ‘Aligarh Khilafat Store’, the first Khadi Garments Store in the country to support the Non Cooperation magazine ‘Young India’ on 19^th May, 1920.  Mahatma Gandhi wrote an exclusive article applauding her role in the Movement.  Nishatunnisa Mohani distanced herself from the Indian National Congress and its politics after 1924 along with her husband Moulana Hasrat Mohani.  Begum Nishatunnisa Mohani, who dedicated herself to the Trade Union Movement after leaving the Congress, passed away on 18^th April, 1937 at Kanpur.