A ''tawaif'' was a highly successful entertainer who catered to the nobility of the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...

, particularly during the

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

era. The tawaifs excelled in and contributed to music, dance (

mujra Mujra is a dance performance by women in a format that emerged during Mughal rule in India, where the elite class and local rulers like the nawabs of the Indian society (often connected to the Mughal emperor's court) used to frequent courtesans ...

), theatre, and the

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

etiquette Etiquette () is the set of norms of personal behaviour in polite society, usually occurring in the form of an ethical code of the expected and accepted social behaviours that accord with the conventions and norms observed and practised by a ...

. Tawaifs were largely a North Indian institution central to Mughal court culture from the 16th century onwards and became even more prominent with the weakening of Mughal rule in the mid-18th century. They contributed significantly to the continuation of traditional dance and music forms and then to the emergence of modern Indian cinema.

History

The patronage of the Mughal court before and after the Mughal Dynasty in the Doab region and the artistic atmosphere of 16th century

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...

made arts-related careers a viable prospect. Many girls were taken at a young age and trained in both performing arts (such as Kathak and

Hindustani classical music Hindustani classical music is the classical music of northern regions of the Indian subcontinent. It may also be called North Indian classical music or, in Hindustani, ''shastriya sangeet'' (). It is played in instruments like the violin, sita ...

) as well as literature (

ghazal The ''ghazal'' ( ar, غَزَل, bn, গজল, Hindi-Urdu: /, fa, غزل, az, qəzəl, tr, gazel, tm, gazal, uz, gʻazal, gu, ગઝલ) is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. A ghazal may be understood as a ...

, thumri) to high standards. Once they had matured and possessed a sufficient command over dancing and singing, they became a ''tawaif'', high-class courtesans who served the rich and noble. The ''tawaif's'' introduction into her profession was marked by a celebration, the so-called ''missī'' ceremony, that customarily included the inaugural blackening of her teeth. It is also believed that young

nawab Nawab (Balochi language, Balochi: نواب; ar, نواب; bn, নবাব/নওয়াব; hi, नवाब; Punjabi language, Punjabi : ਨਵਾਬ; Persian language, Persian, Punjabi language, Punjabi , Sindhi language, Sindhi, Urd ...

s-to-be were sent to these "tawaifs" to learn "tameez" and "tehzeeb" which included the ability to differentiate and appreciate good music and literature, perhaps even practice it, especially the art of ghazal writing. By the 18th century, they had become the central element of polite, refined culture in North India. The tawaifs would dance, sing (especially

s), recite poetry (

shairi A ''shairi'' ( ka, შაირი, ), also known as Rustavelian quatrain, is the name of a particular poetic form, or a monorhymed quatrain. It was used by the Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli in ''The Knight in the Panther's Skin''. It consists ...

) and entertain their suitors at

mehfil Mehfil (also spelled ''mahfil'') is a formal venue where indoor recreational activities such as poetry (mushaira), singing, music, and dance are entertained in parts of the Indian subcontinent. It is part of Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb culture. Histo ...

s. Like the geisha tradition in Japan, their main purpose was to professionally entertain their guests, and while sex was often incidental, it was not assured contractually. High-class or the most popular tawaifs could often pick and choose among the best of their suitors. Some of the popular tawaifs were

Begum Samru Joanna Nobilis Sombre (– 27 January 1836), popularly known as Begum Samru (née Farzana Zeb un-Nissa),. a convert Catholic Christian started her career as a nautch (dancing) girl in 18th century India, and eventually became the ruler of Sard ...

(who rose to rule the principality of

Sardhana Sardhana is a city and a municipal board in Meerut district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is northeast of New Delhi and 13 mi from Meerut. It is 5 km from Meerut Karnal National Highway and 12 km from National Highway 5 ...

in western Uttar Pradesh),

Moran Sarkar Moran Sarkar ( pnb, ) was a Punjabi Muslim married to Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab in 1806. She was a nautch girl before she became a queen. Maharaja Ranjit Singh was supposedly punished by flogging by Akali Phula Singh for marrying ...

(who became the wife of Maharaja

Ranjit Singh Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839), popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab or "Lion of Punjab", was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, which ruled the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. He s ...

Wazeeran Wazeeran, also known as Nawab Nigar Mahal Sahiba, was an Indian courtesan (tawaif A ''tawaif'' was a highly successful entertainer who catered to the nobility of the Indian subcontinent, particularly during the Mughal era. The tawaifs excelled ...

(patronised by Lucknow's last nawab

Wajid Ali Shah Mirza Wajid Ali Shah ( ur, ) (30 July 1822 – 1 September 1887) was the eleventh and last King of Awadh, holding the position for 9 years, from 13 February 1847 to 11 February 1856. Wajid Ali Shah's first wife was Alam Ara who was better k ...

), Begum Hazrat Mahal (Wajid Ali's first wife who played an important role in the

Indian Rebellion The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...

), Gauhar Jaan (a notable classical singer who sang for India's first-ever record), and

Zohrabai Agrewali Zohrabai Agrewali (1868–1913), also known mononymously as Zohrabai, was one of the most noted and influential singers of Hindustani Classical Music from the early 1900s. Along with Gauhar Jan, she marks the dying phase of the courtesan sing ...

Decline

The annexation of Oudh by the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

in 1856 sounded the first death-knell for this medieval-era institution. It was soon looked upon with disfavour by the colonial government, and the tawaif were eventually forced to go into

prostitution Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...

due to a lack of employment opportunities.

Social reform A reform movement or reformism is a type of social movement that aims to bring a social or also a political system closer to the community's ideal. A reform movement is distinguished from more radical social movements such as revolutionary move ...

ers in India opposed them as social decadence. The institutions survived until

India's independence The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged from Bengal. ...

in 1947. Some of the famous tawaifs include: * Malka Jaan, and daughter Gauhar Jaan (1873–1930) who created the very first Indian song recording in 1902. * Jaddanbai (1892–1949) – a master music composer, singer, actress, and film maker. *

Binodini Dasi Binodini Dasi (1863–1941), also known as Notee Binodini, was an Indian Bengali actress and thespian. She started acting at the age of 12 and ended by the time she was 23, as she later recounted in her noted autobiography, ''Amar Katha'' ( ...

(1862–1941) * Rasoolan Bai (1902 – 15 December 1974) * Roshan Ara Begum (1917 – 6 December 1982) Sitara-e-Imtiaz * Zareena Begum of

(1947 – 12 May 2018) They used to be the only source of popular music and dance and were often invited to perform on weddings and other occasions. Some of them became

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal and sexual relationship between a man and a woman in which the couple does not want, or cannot enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarded as similar but mutually exclusive. Concubi ...

s and wives of maharajas and wealthy individuals. They were the first singers to record on gramophone with the emergence of that new technology. With the emergence of movies, however, they lost popularity.

Popular culture

In Films

The image of the tawaif has had an enduring appeal, immortalized in

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

movies and Pakistani dramas. Films with a tawaif as a central character include *'' Devdas'' (1955) *''

Pyaasa ''Pyaasa'' (; ) is a 1957 Indian Hindi drama film directed and produced by Guru Dutt, who stars alongside Mala Sinha, Waheeda Rehman, Rehman, and Johnny Walker. Set in Calcutta, it focuses on the disillusioned Urdu poet Vijay (Dutt), whose ...

'' (1957) * Sadhna (1958) *'' Zindagi Ya Toofan'' (1958) *''

Sharafat ''Sharafat'' is a 1970 Hindi romantic drama film, directed by Asit Sen, starring Ashok Kumar, Dharmendra, Hema Malini in lead roles. Hema Malini plays the role of a feisty courtesan Chanda in search of her father, in this satire about society' ...

'' (1970) *'' Pakeezah'' (1972) * '' Gomti Ke Kinare'' (1972) *''

Amar Prem ''Amar Prem'' () is a 1972 Indian Hindi romantic drama film directed by Shakti Samanta. It is a remake of the Bengali film '' Nishi Padma'' (1970), directed by Arabinda Mukherjee, who wrote screenplay for both the films based on the Bengali s ...

'' (1972) * '' Umrao Jaan'' (1981) * '' Tawaif'' (1985) * '' Angaaray'' (1986) *''

Inteqam ''Inteqam'' ( "Revenge") is an Indian action film directed by Rajkumar Kohli and released in 1988. It stars Sunny Deol, Anil Kapoor, Meenakshi Sheshadri, Kimi Katkar in lead roles. Story The life of Birju ( Sunny Deol) is turned upside down w ...

'' (1988) *''

Pati Patni Aur Tawaif ''Pati Patni Aur Tawaif'' () is a 1990 Indian Hindi-language film directed by Rajkumar Kohli, starring Mithun Chakraborty, Salma Agha, Farha Naaz and Om Prakash. It is a remake of Pakistan's 1988 Urdu language movie '' Bazar-e-Husn''. Salma Agh ...

'' (1990) *''

Dil Aashna Hai ''Dil Aashna Hai'' () is a 1992 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film produced and directed by Hema Malini under the H. M. Creations banner. It stars Divya Bharti, Shah Rukh Khan, Jeetendra, Mithun Chakraborty, Dimple Kapadia, Amrita Sing ...

'' (1992) *'' Devdas'' (2002) *'' Mangal Pandey: The Rising'' (2005) *'' Umrao Jaan'' (2006) *'' Bol'' (2011) *''Bazaar e husn''(2014) * ''

Mah e Mir ''Mah e Mir'' ( ur, , lit=Moon of Mir) is a 2016 Pakistani biographical film directed by Anjum Shahzad, produced by Khurram Rana, Sahir Rasheed, Badar Ikram and written by Sarmad Sehbai. The film is based on the life of the famous poet Mir Taq ...

'' (2016) *''

Kalank ''Kalank'' (; ) is a 2019 Indian Hindi-language period romantic drama film directed by Abhishek Varman and produced by Karan Johar, Hiroo Yash Johar and Apoorva Mehta under Dharma Productions and Sajid Nadiadwala under Nadiadwala Grandson Ent ...

'' (2019) *''The Black Woman''(Depicts a tawaif in a supporting role, often in situations where a man in a loveless marriage goes to her.)

In Indian Drama Series

Lajwanti (TV series) ''Lajwanti'' is an Indian television drama show, which premiered on 28 September 2015 on Zee TV. The story is loosely based on Rajinder Singh Bedi's 1956 book titled ''Lajwanti, Land of five rivers'' and is set during Partition of India. The sho ...

In Documentary films

*'' The Other Song'' (2009)

In Pakistani dramas

*'' Deewar-e-Shab'' (2019) *''

Umrao Jan Ada ''Umrao Jaan Ada'' ( ur, ) is an Urdu novel by Mirza Hadi Ruswa (1857–1931), first published in 1899. It is considered the first Urdu novel by many

'' (2003) * Anjuman (a television film) *'' Sitam'' (2006) *''

Alif Allah Aur Insaan ''Alif Allah Aur Insaan'' ( ur, ; lit: "A" Allah and Human) is a Pakistani Sufi spiritual drama series which aired on Hum TV from 25 April 2017 to 13 February 2018. It was produced by Momina Duraid, as part of a night programming all under ...

'' (2017) *'' Raqs e Bismil'' (2020) *''

Khuda Aur Mohabbat (season 3) ''Khuda Aur Mohabbat'' ( ur, , lit=God and Love) is the third season of Pakistani spiritual-romance series Khuda Aur Mohabbat. Produced by Abdullah Kadwani and Asad Qureshi (Producer), Asad Qureshi under 7th Sky Entertainment, it features Feroz ...

'' (2021).

In Literature

*''Tawaifnama''by Saba Dewan

References

External links

{{Alcohol in India Obsolete occupations Sex industry in India Courtesans by type Culture of Lucknow Culture of Uttar Pradesh