Lead voice of women's education in Bhopal falls silent

BHOPAL: For over 68 years, she valiantly fought a silent battle to educate the girls and teach them to live with dignity. And Tayyaba Begum, the woman who is credited with educating thousands of orphaned and poor girls in Bhopal, quietly bid adieu to the world on Thursday at 103, due to age-related complications.
Fluent in Urdu, Arabic and Persian and author of many books, she was buried at the royal graveyard in state capital.But her legend lives on.
In this day and age when every minor act of goodness is digitally enhanced and marketed on social media, Tayyaba Begum's unprecedented social triumphs have gone largely undocumented, if not unnoticed. A bonafide hakim (Unani doctor) of her times and an aalima (Islamic scholar), she set up a madrassa for girls in 1952. The going was not easy, but she overcame all the hurdles with her trademark patience and wisdom and stoically marched ahead on the chosen path.
"She was ahead of her times, understood the importance of educating girls and encouraged them to be financially independent," said Auqaf-e-Shahi, custodian, Saba Sultaan. Actor and Begum of (late) Nawab Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, Sharmila Tagore said, "Tayyaba Begum changed the course of life of thousands of young girls with a promise of education. She championed the cause of women like no other, quietly, but with a dedication that's unparalleled. Bhopal will miss her."
The feminist in her counselled women who queued up at her door - trying her best to resolve marital issues or giving small amounts as loans to help them tide over financial woes. She even took it upon herself to find bridegrooms for the orphaned girls, arranged and sponsored their weddings by seeking donations from those who could afford to give.
"Bhopal can never be the same without her legendary presence," said activist and author, Vandana Raag. "You met me with much love... You shared your stories and I never felt like a stranger or the 'other' that has crept into our lexicography so surreptitiously these days. The history of Bhopal is inextricable from you and your stories," she wrote in Tayyaba Begum's remembrance.
It's not just the poor and the downtrodden who sought her time, the educated and the well-to-do also sought her sound advice. She had a special place in her heart for animals too and rescued scores of stray cats in her lifetime and would fend for them.
"It would be hard to find a family in Bhopal wherein at least one member had not studied or had a connect with Tayyaba Begum's school. Hundreds of girls taught by her, went on to become doctors, professors and teachers," said author Arif Aziz. Highly influenced by her mother, Hayat, she had later named her madrassa as 'Hayat-ul-Uloom' in her memory, the legacy that she has left behind.