Pioneer across the borders

It was Begum Ra'ana who encouraged young, middle-class Muslim women to come out of purdah and train as nurses and teachers so that they could contribute to their country

By any standards, Begum Ra’ana Liaquat Ali Khan led a remarkable life. And it is a measure of how remarkable her life was that it takes two people, from two different countries, to tell her story in all its complexity and nuance.

Even if you boil it down to bare essentials, Begum Ra’ana’s journey was quite extraordinary. Born to a Kumaoni Brahmin family which had controversially converted to Christianity a couple of generations ago, Irene Margaret Pant — as she was known in her early life — was among the first women of her generation to get the benefit of higher