Begum Rokeya (Roquiah Sakhawat Hossain) was born in 1880 in the village of Pairabondh in present‑day Bangladesh. Growing up in a conservative Muslim family, she defied expectations by teaching herself Bangla and English. In 1905 she wrote the feminist utopian story “Sultana’s Dream,” imagining a society where women ruled and men were in seclusion.

After her husband’s death she used her inheritance to establish the Sakhawat Memorial Girls’ School in Kolkata, providing education for Muslim girls. She continued to champion women’s rights, founding the Muslim Women’s Association in 1916 and leading campaigns against the purdah system and gender inequality. Her relentless advocacy helped pave the way for female education and empowerment in Bengal. Rokeya presided over the 1932 session of the Indian Women’s Conference and passed away later that day, leaving a lasting legacy[1].

[1] Madras Courier biography of Begum Rokeya.

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