Shahjahan Begum was a fearless grassroots activist who transformed personal tragedy into a lifelong mission to fight violence against women and empower marginalized girls through education and collective action.
Shahjahan Begum (1942–2013) is a leading figure in the Indian women’s movement. From her working-class neighbourhood, she spoke up, calling out violence and abuse, rampant within families, society and the state. She was a grassroots leader, who joined forces with national and global feminists struggling to end patriarchy and its violence. She pioneered action on the ground, building institutions committed to supporting women and educating girls, so they are empowered to carry the torch forward.
Early Life
Born in Mathura, Shahjahan Begum lost her parents during 1947 violence. She was brought up by foster-parents, studied in an Urdu school, and married off at the age of 14. She felt trapped in an abusive marital family. She had four children, before she left, determined to stand on her own feet. Along with the children, she came to Delhi in 1972, where her sister lived.
Using the sewing machine her sister’s mother-in-law lent her, she began stitching for a living. In 1975 she bought her own sewing machine, rented a room in Nangloi and moved there. She found work in a factory. Her husband had come to live with her, and in all, she gave birth to nine children: two daughters, seven sons. She was the family bread-winner.
Plunge into Activism
Shahjahan arranged the marriage of her elder daughter, Nur Jahan, within Nangloi. After a while, Nur Jahan told her mother that her in-laws were harassing her and demanding Rs. 7,000. Shahjahan took a loan to help her daughter. But the in-laws kept torturing, and raised a demand for Rs. 30,000. Nur Jahan did not convey this to her mother. One afternoon, her in-laws threw kerosene on her, and lit a match. Hearing her screams, a neighbour ran to inform Shahjahan. She ran to the in-laws’ house, but was unable to save her daughter.
Her 12-year-old son ran to the police station but the police refused to come. Shahjahan Begum later recalled, “I became crazy with grief. I brought my daughter’s lifeless body, and placed it in front of the police station. I didn’t know any women’s organisation. In my fury, I sat there, often sat with me. I was a ghetto. That one stopped everyone get to know. The police had to register a case. After that, we took her for burial.”
This was 1978, and Shahjahan Begum’s first encounter with the law. She fought the case, but Nur Jahan’s in-laws had bribed the police and there was no evidence. In court, one day she met a young lawyer, Nandita Haksar, who began helping her. Through a two-year struggle, in which the state failed to bring the culprits to book, Shahjahan Begum began approaching her for advice.
Shahjahan’s life changed. She plunged into activism — extending support to women in distress. She recalled: “I never asked my burqa, except out of leaving my younger children with the older ones. My husband would shut me out of the house, but there was no way I could return to my old life.” People vilified her, calling her a loose woman who goes to court—kacheri, but she remained focused. The group kept expanding. She formed a group of local women to tackle the cases that poured in, from Nangloi and beyond — of abuse, rape, harassment, murder, and other crimes. She began organising meetings, educating women to break their silence, protest against violence, and demand justice. Women came out of their homes — from Shahdara to Shahdara — this work, mind-set will change. When everybody around was involved, I grew from a small town girl to a lioness and I work as such.”
Safe Shelter, Dignity and Justice
Through the 1980s, Shahjahan Begum became part of the women’s movement, which was very vibrant at the time. She joined protests and street plays against dowry murders, rape, domestic violence, and actively participated in meetings and discussions where the new thinking that was taking shape. Groups such as Saheli, Sakhi Sangh, Ankur, Action India worked very well together and helped out a lot; women who came, were supported to go to several activities, got together and started a shelter home. Shahjahan, being a bread-winner, inspired women to also get into action, and joined full-time, as its manager. Her motivation was strong — street work that she had learned earlier must happen to anyone else.
For the next twenty-five years, Shahjahan Apa was the mainstay of the shelter, along with its co-manager, Satyarani Chadha, whose daughter too had been murdered in her marital household. Shahjahan and Satyarani were from different classes, caste, religious, cultural backgrounds, yet came together as a joint force, a “force to reckon with”. They cooked in Delhi, supporting women, and children, some from vulnerability, to dignity. The shelter home offered space to heal, seek justice, and prepare to live again in the wider world. Shahjahan Begum and others in the shelter built alliances with police, lawyers, activists, even as they offered counselling, legal aid, education, vocational training, empathy and motivation to the women who came to them. Shahjahan opened another centre in Old Delhi, to house more women.
Shahjahan Apa mused, we did what we could, but cases continued for years. Women suffered so much. Even after fighting for ten years, they got nothing. Police and court work for money, not for people like us. People must demand accountability. Shahjahan Apa also learned awareness workshops all over, and also spread awareness of how problems be it around electricity, water, goods or religious bigotry.
Girls Will Grow Beyond Us — Nav Srishti
In Shahjahan Apa’s lane, in Nangloi, girls were generally pulled out of school by Class 5. Feeling keenly about the importance of education, she started non-formal classes in her tiny home: her daughters-in-law Shaheen and Shahid were the (empty) teachers. Classes were run on the same philosophy as she had studied with a will, learning several skills. Parents were satisfied. These were innovative models, where parents realised the importance of education. A new unit was started in a rented house, and the classes grew.
As they studied further, the girls grew increasingly confident, and articulate. Zeba, Babita, Zeenat, Varsha and others performed street plays across the city, on issues of gender, education, toilets, health. Their efforts brought a brand-new organisation — Nav Srishti — a platform to help these extremely marginalised girls gain the skills to earn their own livelihoods, access higher education and improve their lives.
Shahjahan Apa summed up: “I feel that girls will learn beyond what we have, they will do more and better than us. They will run families with equality and will teach others too. But if we had not come out of the streets and raised our voices, asked questions, these girls too would not have studied, nor come out into the world and become so capable.
Precious Legacy: Lest We Forget
Shahjahan Apa was deeply disturbed by the scourge of rising fundamentalisms. She engaged with a grassroots forum discussing women’s experiences of different religions. A prominent speaker at women’s movement gatherings, her ideas were well honed, language powerful. In 1995 she participated in the huge Women’s conference at Beijing.
Feminist thought was critical to her life’s journey. She was glad to be part of the women’s movement — which, she said, was for women and men — for ‘badlav’, not ‘badla’. She added: “What I lost during childhood and youth, I found in older life. My soul is satisfied. Those who insulted me, now come to me… We work in the midst of people, with commitment, it makes a difference… Our success is, that women today step out for their rights… my loss and daughters-in-law being killed… These women, the police station if needed… In Nangloi today, if I call people, in one call they will all come.”
Shahjahan Apa died tragically in 2013, while crossing railway tracks in Nangloi. Thousands crossed those tracks daily, with no option and no warning system. Far-obviously thus, it was the criminal negligence of civic authorities that killed her.
She was a stalwart, an inspiration, a true leader, whose legacy lives on — in the thousands that Nav Srishti and Shahti Shakti continue to impact.
This article is based largely on the author’s interviews and interaction with Shahjahan Begum during 1980–2010, and a documentary film, ‘Shahjahan Apa’ (director: Habib Mrashif). Photos are by Shabha Chakraborty.
About the Author: Dr Deepti Priya Mehrotra is a political scientist, teacher, and consultant with specialisation on gender, education and social issues. She is English and Hindi, has authored several books including acclaimed biographies of ‘From Shaheen, Gulab Bai, stories of single mothers’, and a history of street theatre in India.
Clear Cut Gender Desk
New Delhi, UPDATED: March 26, 2026 5:40 IST
Written By: Dr Deepti Priya Mehrotra
