Around 162 years ago, a queen from India, broke social barriers and did the unthinkable. In the mid 19th century, Queen Malika Kishwar, the mother of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Awadh, travelled all the way to London to meet Queen Victoria and plead for her son. A remarkable feat for a woman who had spent more than 50 years in purdah! Sadly, she never returned. History enthusiast Madhuri Katti, picks up the pieces of this forgotten tale, after she chanced upon the Queen’s forgotten grave in Paris. 

On May 6, 1856, a steamer named General McLeod docked in Calcutta. On board was Wajid Ali Shah, the last Nawab of the Kingdom of Oudh. He was the last in a long line of Nishapuri kings who had reigned over Oudh and he had held the title for just two days short of nine years. His reign had been cut short by the imperial ambitions of Lord Dalhousie, Governor General of British India, who had deposed him under the pretext of mis-governance.