History Failed to Recall Dharmman Bibi’s Contribution to the 1857 Revolt: A Courtesan of Babu Kunwar Singh

Abstract

Dharmman Bibi of Jagdishpur, Bihar was a popular and respected tawaif (courtesan) in the mid-19th century, who was known for her beauty, wit, and talent in singing and dancing. She was the usual conveyer of an exceptional and intricately sophisticated culture. Dharmman Bibi, was one of the unsung heroines of the first revolt of Indian Independence and revealed the true contribution and status of courtesans of India. During colonial rule, it was established that these women were first and foremost entertainers and worked for money. But in reality, they had creative flairs for singing, dancing music, poetry, and literary skills and were connoisseurs of culture. The research paper is descriptive, historical, and based on empirical studies. This research monologue demystifies the enigmatic lives of the courtesans in general and Dharmman Bibi in particular. The Research monologue is based on primary as well as secondary data. The personal visits to Arrah and Jagdishpur by the authors, the interactions with professors like Dr. Hira Prasad Singh, Ex-HOD of PG Department History at Kunwar Singh University Arrah, Dr. M. D. Niyaz Hussain, HOD Maharaja College Arrah, Mr. Murli Manohar Srivastava, Senior Media Co-ordinator of Chief Minister, Mr. Raj Kumar Singh, Director Guidance IGNOU, Rakesh Kumar Ojha, Clerk, Yadav Vidyapeeth and two Arrah Zila School teachers and non-teaching staff and quite a few prominent local people provided various information related to Babu Kunwar Singh‘s personal life and his contribution to 1857 revolt. The visit to archives, local museum, Dharmman Bibi Square, and Dharmman Bibi mosques substantiated the hypothesis that her contribution was no less than other protagonists who participated in the revolt. Various books like Saba Dewan’s Tawaifnama, Mirza Hadi Ruswa’s Umrao Jaan, Veena Talwar Oldenburg’s Lifestyles of Resistance, Abdul Halim Sharar’s Guzishta Lucknow, Munshi Prem-Chand’s literary works serve as a secondary source and help in getting materials related to Dharmman Bibi and Kunwar Singh’s life. Various articles related to topics from peer-reviewed journals and local folk dramas and songs related to the topics help to substantiate the fact that Dharmman Bibi like other tawaifs remained an unsung heroine of the first revolt of Indian Independence.