Event Announcement: Lecture

This is a lecture hosted by the India Community Center.

Laxmibai of Jhansi and Begum Hazrat Mahal of Oudh were contemporary nineteenth-century queens in India. Both were leaders in the Mutiny of 1857, and were involved in active resistance against the East India Company. Rani Laxmibai, who died on the battlefield, remains a well-recognized national heroine in India. On the other hand, Begum Hazrat Mahal, who sought asylum in neighboring Nepal, has been relatively marginalized.

This presentation will discuss how, as power shifted to the British across India, and as ideologies of Indian nationalism and feminism evolved in the late-nineteenth century, these queens’ legacies were shaped by the shifting political landscape and the ensuing cultural changes, rather than by their individual achievements.

A Q & A session will follow the lecture.

 

About the speaker:

Aarti Johri is a former engineering professional who is passionate about history and archaeology. She recently completed Stanford University’s Master of Liberal Arts program. Her thesis focuses on the topic of the above lecture.  Aarti has published articles in the San Jose Mercury News, Tangents magazine, and the online magazine Water, No Ice. She has co-hosted radio shows on KZSU Stanford 90.1 FM and appeared as a guest on Radio Zindagi. Aarti also developed the curriculum and taught the Discover India summer camps in Palo Alto and San Jose.

 

Fee: The event is free, but registration is required.

 

Please share this event with your friends/family/acquaintances in the San Francisco Bay Area!