The journey of the traditional batua, patronised by the begums, crafted in zari zardozi, reveals a legacy of craftsmanship, culture, and women’s empowerment
Walking down the narrow streets, awash with dazzling lights and buzzing with the locals’ festive vigour, you can see history revealing itself from the arches of the grand Shaukat Mahal’s outer walls and the lit-up bulbous domes of the Jama Masjid at the Chowk Bazar in Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh). The former was the Nawab’s seat, built in the early 19th century as a wedding gift for Sikander Jahan Begum, daughter of Qudsia Begum, Bhopal's first female ruler.
Most of the old structures, with their once-upon-a-time grandeur hidden behind the hoardings, peep out from between shops selling clothes, jewellery, and attar, and kiosks piled high with thin vermicelli (seviyan) and dry fruits. It is Ramzan and the streets are crowded with people buying brightly coloured traditional clothes with the matching batua (pouch/purse) that glitter with intricate embroidery of beads and sequins.
The original ‘Bhopali batua’ was a small, pouch-like, semi-circular purse with three ‘teen-khana’ or four ‘char-khana’, internal compartments and drawstrings to open and close it. Mostly carried by Bhopal's women, it was used to carry coins, a vial of attar or perfume, mouth-freshening spices like betel nut, cloves, cardamom, a betel leaf (paan) and a tiny silver box to keep chuna (slaked lime).
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The batua became a quintessential part of royal attire under the patronage of the four female Nawabs, the Begums of Bhopal, who loved to have their post-meal paan. It is said that Qudsia Begum first had the tiny silver box custom-made for her batua by the jewellers.
The patronage of Bhopal’s begums
The royal batuas were made with delicate and opulent fabrics like tanchoi, satin, velvet and brocade, such as kimkhwab (silk damasked cloth woven with zar-baft or gold threads) and adorned with zari zardozi (gold embroidery) — a traditional craft that came to India from Central Asia in the 12th century and was patronised by Indian aristocrats and royal families. Mostly done by women at their homes, the embroidery uses luxurious threads of fine golden or silver ‘zar’, woven through the beads and sequins to create floral patterns on delicate cloth.
While the embroidery was usually done on clothes, in Bhopal, however, the batua also became the expression of creativity. Sultan Jahan Begum, the last female Nawab who ruled between 1901 and 1926, is said to have presented a gold zari-embroidered batua to the British commander as a diplomatic gift. One of the royal batuas also has been displayed in the Golghar Museum in Bhopal.
One of the old batuas displayed at the Golghar Museum in Bhopal. Photo: Shoma Abhyankar
Under the patronage of the begums, Bhopal became an important centre of zari zardozi in India. “The begums of Bhopal,” says historian Dr Meera Das, “were quite progressive and patronised various arts and crafts, encouraging women to learn new skills like lace-making from French tutors who visited the Begums.”
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Faiz Rashid, the descendent of the Nawab family and owner of Jehan Numa Palace, now a boutique heritage hotel, says, “All the four begums of Bhopal were astute administrators. Not only did they bring railway and water management to Bhopal, but they especially worked for the welfare of women by establishing vocational schools, colleges, hospitals and social spaces like gardens exclusively for women.”
Enabling women to make a livelihood
It was during the reign (1868 to 1901) of Shah Jahan Begum, the third female Nawab of Bhopal that the weekly Pari Bazar, also known as Parween Bazar, was established for the women in the late 19th century on the premises of Gauhar Mahal. The purpose of the bazar was to encourage women to participate in buying and selling of all things that they made in privacy of their homes, veiled from the outsiders. The women showcased their skills in making pickles to papads, drawing patterns with henna, handcrafted attar and jewellery, stitching clothes, crafting batuas and zari zardozi.
It was during the reign (1868 to 1901) of Shah Jahan Begum, the third female Nawab of Bhopal that the weekly Pari Bazarwas established for the women in the late 19th century on the premises of Gauhar Mahal (above). Photo: Faiz Rashid
It was a social and cultural place exclusively for the women of all social statuses where they could be free and enjoy without the social pressures. The bazar was set up to enable women to make a livelihood as entrepreneurs and become financially independent. It was also a safe place to exchange ideas, address their grievances to the begums, and participate in discussions around education, health, finance and more. The bazar was where the reforms were born quietly behind the veil, empowering the women of those times.
The batua, though, has evolved with the times. It is now a fashion accessory that has enamoured the women and attracted the celebrity fashion designer like Sabyasachi, who has included these stringed purses in his couture ensembles, renaming it the ‘nani purse’. Aalam, a shopkeeper in the old city of Bhopal, says, “The small batua is not popular anymore. Women want the size to be such that it can fit in their mobile phones.”
Saleem Quraishi, the 65-year-old sales and marketing manager and a long-time friend of the descendant Nawab family, shares a popular couplet of Bhopal: “chahar cheez tohfa-e Bhopal; batua, gutkha, chuneti aur rumal” that translates to four things to gift from Bhopal are the batua, lime or chuna for paan and gutkha or tobacco, and a handkerchief. The begums may be long gone, but the batua and zardozi continue to empower women artisans of Bhopal.
