What links a 15th-century queen of a vast Central Asian empire to the daughter of farmers in 18th-century Punjab? What lessons do their stories hold for us today?
A benevolent and brave monarch from the Timurid Dynasty of Khorasan (present-day Iran and Afghanistan), Queen Goharshad used every resource at her disposal to build spaces that welcomed women and children. When told that a woman should not commission a college or a mosque and would not receive money from the royal coffers, Goharshad was reputed to have funded the project by selling all her jewelry, including her crown. While many of Goharshad’s beautiful spaces and buildings are long gone, her grandest and most graceful mosque is still standing tall in Mashhad in Iran.
Author Maxine Rose Schur of Brave with Beauty shares,
Years ago, I visited Herat in western Afghanistan and when I saw the vast, crumbling ruins of Queen Goharshad’s college, I was reminded there had once been an Afghanistan far removed from the images shown in the news today. I could envision Herat as ‘The Florence of Asia’ as it was known in the 15th century, and I remembered that through one woman’s passion, Afghanistan was once a haven of learning and surpassing beauty.
Publisher Ambika Sambasivan shares,
One of the challenges of creating this book was the limited reference material we had about Goharshad and her life, some of which had to be translated from Farsi. This proved just how necessary it was to share her story for English-speaking audiences. While we did not have enough for a factual biography, Maxine was able to bring Goharshad’s story to life through lush prose using the facts as scaffolding.
In 1705 in Punjab, a region in north-western India, the fiery Mata Bhag Kaur or Mai Bhago valiantly rallied troops to fight alongside the besieged tenth Guru of the Sikhs, and changed the course of history. Sikhs revere her today as a warrior-saint, iconic in a long Sikh tradition of resisting oppression and injustice that continues to present day.
Author Anita Jari Kharbanda of Lioness of Punjab shares,
As we know, there is learning in history. In sharing Mai Bhago’s story, I believe she will inspire courage in a time when I’ve seen many frightened about social injustice. We find hope in the challenges faced by others and realize we can rise through our difficult times. And ultimately, it is our humanity and bravery that will save us.
Publisher Ambika Sambasivan shares,
There is such beauty in Anita’s heartfelt tribute to Mata Bhag Kaur. Not only do we see her as an incredibly focused and fearless fighter, we also have the privilege of getting to know her as a daughter, sister, wife, and devotee. It reminds us that as women, we can continue to fulfill and celebrate our many roles and identities while pursuing equality and justice.
Both women exemplified courage, daring to challenge the norms of the day and used their strength, talents, and position toward realizing their vision of a more beautiful and just world. Their stories offer us two different pathways to resistance, and remind us that we are capable of fostering change where we are and with what we have to work with. This is the most powerful lesson from these iconic women from history.
Both books are included in the Children’s Book Council HerStory Showcase for Women's History Month. Download the list as a spreadsheet by heading here.