Atiya Fyzee-Rahamin

Born in Istanbul, Atiya Fyzee was the daughter of Haji Hassanally Feyzhyder, an Indian merchant attached to the Ottoman Court, and his first wife, Amirunnisa binte Mulla Shujauddin Tyabji. Belonging to the prominent Tyabji clan of Bombay, Atiya was one of the first elite Indian Muslim women to receive a modern education, appear in public unveiled and participate in women’s organizations. In her youth, she made important contributions to reformist journals for women in Urdu, including Tahzib un-Niswan (Lahore) and Khatun (Aligarh).

While studying at a teachers’ training college in London in 1906-7, she also kept a travel diary that was first serialized in a monthly journal then published as Zamana-i-Tahsil ('A Time of Education', 1921). Along with her sisters, Zehra (1866-1940) and Naazli Begum of Janjira (1874-1968), she patronized celebrated Muslim intellectuals such as Maulana Shibli Nomani and Allama Mohammad Iqbal. Their published correspondence, Khutut-i Shibli ba-nam-i muhtarma Zahra Begum sahiba Faizi va Atiya Begum sahiba Faizi (ed. Muhammad Amin Zuberi, 1930) and Iqbal (1947), attests to the close friendships that brought Atiya notoriety in literary and social circles.

Following her marriage to the artist and writer Samuel Fyzee-Rahamin, in 1912, Atiya pursued a variety of cultural activities on the international stage. Among their collaborations was an authoritative book in English on classical Indian music that ultimately went into three editions: Indian Music (1914), The Music of India (1925) and Sangeet of India (1942). In this work, Atiya’s impressionistic and colourful prose was used to explicate Samuel’s illustrations of Indian melodies (ragmala's). Atiya also arranged music and choreography for two of her husband’s plays, "Daughter of India" and "Invented Gods", when they were staged in London in the 1930's. While abroad, she gave lectures on Indian women, like "Epic Women of India" (1919), which were published in international journals.

At partition, Atiya and Samuel migrated to Karachi with Naazli Begum where they continued to bring together artistes in their private salon at their home, Aiwan-e-Rifat, modelled on their famous Bombay residence. After being evicted in the 1950's, they lived in reduced circumstances, suffering great hardship in their final years.

Source 1: http://www8.open.ac.uk/researchprojects/makingbritain/content/atiya...

Source 2:http://www.telegraphindia.com/1101105/jsp/opinion/story_13135978.jsp

Source 3: http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?271142

Source 4: http://archives.dawn.com/dawnftp/72.249.57.55/dawnftp/weekly/dmag/a...

Source 5: http://archives.dawn.com/dawnftp/72.249.57.55/dawnftp/weekly/dmag/a...

Source 6: http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=OliveX...

Source 7: Aiwan-e-Riffat Faizy Rehmeen Art Gallery, Karachi - Pakistan

Source 8: http://intikhabali.wordpress.com/2009/04/19/awan-e-riffat-building/

Source 9: Khadija Shafi Tyabji

Source 10: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120722/jsp/opinion/story_15757670.js...

Source 11: http://urdufigures.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/nazli-raffiya-begums-figh...

Source 12: http://www.mid-day.com/articles/once-upon-a-timepreserved/196321