Recently I was watching an interview of Mehrunissa Khan, Princess of Rampur, on NDTV. It was not that this lady of 75 years attracted my interest, but it was her life and the way is lived caught my attention.
It is said we have ONE life to live and love. I was slowing getting this feeling inside me as the interview was progressing. Who on this earth can stop you to live if you have a motivation to live life a full?
Mehrunissa Khan is a Princess, born from unofficial third queen of the Nawab of Rampur & was brought up in 14 palaces of Rampur (princely state, now in Uttar Pradesh, India). Most of her childhood days were spent being part of grand lunches and dinners among 100's of Guests and prominent personalities including Pandit Jawarhal Lal Nehru and others.
Like many princess in India she too was married and had two children. It would have been a normal life like most women have in India, but that was not destined to her. She opted divorce and had to give up the custody of her children. She was not allowed to meet or see her two children aged 5 and 3 then.
A mother who nurished 9 months a child in her womb with her blood was not allowed now to see them ever. Irony it is!
As I learned from the interview, she migrated to London then. Here she met and fell in love with a Pakistani Group Captain Rahim Khan. Soon she got married and lived in Pakistan, giving up her country and substancial inheritance in India. Rahim Khan was made Commander in Chief of the Pakistani Air Force, second in charge to the President. With this marriage she realised her dreams of travelling all over the globe, lived a comfortable luxirious life, meeting various dignitaries from Kings and Shahs, attending official parties etc. etc.
But not much, things went bad between the Air force commander, her husband and President Bhutto, and the family had to take political asylum in the US, having there absolutely no money or support. Her family could not bear this. Husband went into deep depression and turned alcholic and their son into drugs. Her love died later during a kidney transplant and the son in a car accident at the age of 23.
She a born fighter, bounced back into life, this time teaching Urdu and Hindi at the United States Department of Agriculture in Washington DC. Though she lives in debts and a morgaged house now, her zeal for life is still alive.
In her own words, "I can make things move. I don't give up easily."
At 75, she still likes to dance, wants to study further & learn classical music. She wrote her autobiography "An Extraordinary life :Princess Mehrunissa of Rampur" & said with this, "My idea is to share with all women that one can do what one wants."There is always lessons to be learned while encountering such personalities & I too learned many from this interview. Life is certainly unpredictable!! It has mysteries and miseries at every corner. It is you to discover how you would like to honor it.
To me best option is: Love to live!
"ONE LIFE TO LIVE AND ONE LIFE TO LOVE... LIVE EACH MOMENT FULL"
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4 comments:
Thanks for a very inspiring article. I have personally experienced that the greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot. Nothing ventured always results in nothing gained. A great deal of talent is lost in this world for the want of a little courage.
Allow me to present some great quotes on "Courage":
1) Courage, it would seem, is nothing less than the power to overcome danger, misfortune, fear, injustice, while continuing to affirm inwardly that life with all its sorrows is good; that everything is meaningful even in a sense beyond our understanding; and that there is always tomorrow.
2)You cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose the sight of the shore.
3) Fortune sides with those who dare.
4) Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others.
5) It never troubles the wolf how many sheep maybe.
Good Luck !
"A great deal of talent is lost in this world for the want of a little courage."
very true...
& tx for these beautiful quotes.
It certainly will prove to be a source of great motivation to thousands of women who are burdened with the systems of society.
And one thing is certain, a women like Princess Mehrunissa Khan deserves the Title "Princess", not simply because she was born as one, but because she continues to live like one...Very little people like Princess Mehrunissa Khan are born to make a mark in this world, which reminds us that courage is all that it takes to change one's life for better.
Rubina Zahoor
this is indeed amazing. I'm a fond reader of coffee books and will definitely search through this one to add to my collection. And as you say love to live, i do the same and follow my heart and work to achieve my targets. good to know someone like me positive and open to learning . cheers!!
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