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Editor’s note
Rakhi Chakraborty is a journalist and copywriter who moonlights as a creativity coach. She runs a community for writers on Instagram @mywritingtribe. She is also an enthusiastic splainer subscriber and supporter. We recently discovered her passion for unearthing life stories of brilliant but long-forgotten women, and asked her to pick three of her favourite discoveries.
Reading about kickass things women did way back when is a particular hobby of mine. It began as an attempt to inspire myself to stop stewing in ennui, not take my privileges for granted and do something worthwhile with my life. But it has morphed into a passion project of discovery and curiosity as I time-travel to learn about different intrepid heroines of history whose names and achievements have faded to a soft whisper.
Gertrude Bell
Chances are you’ve heard of Lawrence of Arabia even if you’ve never seen the movie or are unfamiliar with his claim to fame. Yet, of his equally inspirational contemporary, Gertrude Bell, Hollywood offers this passing mention in ‘The English Patient’:
“But can we get through those mountains?”
“The Bell maps show a way.”
“Let’s hope he was right.”
Heh!! That’s short shrift for a woman who was an archaeologist, spy, Arabist, linguist, poet, author, photographer, cartographer—and one of the best mountaineers of her age. She was one of the key players who helped shape what we know as the Middle East today. T.E. Lawrence may have kickstarted the Arab revolt, but it was Gertrude Bell who helped pave the Arab route to nationhood.
She did all this great style—a pistol strapped to her calf under silk petticoats, the cartridge wrapped in white stockings. and pushed into the toes of her canvas boots.
To learn more about “the most powerful woman of her time in the British empire,” please do not watch the questionable biopic starring Nicole Kidman. I instead recommend:
- Letters from Baghdad, a documentary on her life produced and voiced by Tilda Swinton.
- Queen of the Desert: The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell, a fabulously researched and well-written biography by Georgina Howell.
If you’re looking for something quick: Miss Bell’s lines in the sand, an article on her life in the Guardian.
Isabella Bird
Women have been undertaking epic excursions alone long before Instagram came along. My favourite among them is the aptly named Ms. Bird.
Born and brought up in a religious middle-class household in Victorian England, Isabella survived a depressive childhood and nondescript youth before deciding that there must be more to life than corsets and teatime. At the age of 40—plagued by depression and a spinal injury—she set off to explore the world’s most remote and inhospitable corners. She hiked to the peak of an active volcano in Hawaii, rode solo across Iran and—at age 70!—galloped across the Atlas Mountains of Morocco on a black stallion. She wrote delightful travel books based on her adventures and was the first female fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
If you want to learn more about her, I recommend:
- A Curious Life for a Lady by Pat Barr which offers a nuanced and sensitive portrait of her life.
- Evelyn Kaye’s biography Amazing Traveler has less detail but is brimming with photos.
- Thinking of an inspirational gift for a child? Pick up a copy of the delightful Away with Words. Or start them off with this short video.
To whet your curiosity, check out her photographs of China taken in 1890 while she traveled across the country by boat!
Princess Sophia Duleep Singh
Princess Sophia Duleep Singh was the granddaughter of the Sher-e-Punjab, Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Her father, Maharaja Duleep Singh, lost his kingdom and the Koh-i-noor to Queen Victoria. Exiled to England, he soon became the favourite of the queen, who later became godmother to his second youngest child, Sophia.
Eventually abandoned by her alcoholic and destitute father, Sophia would be raised in boarding schools under the tutelage of Victoria—and grew up to become a fabulously stylish socialite until a forbidden visit to India changed her life. When she died, Sophia had spent a lifetime as a dedicated British suffragette who took on the most powerful men in the Empire, including Winston Churchill and King George V.
Sophia: Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary by Anita Anand tells the mythic, near unbelievable story of her life. For a quick taste, read Anand’s short essay.
Bonus recommendation: Fatma Begum, India’s first woman director and producer—who is also an inspiration to Sonam Kapoor. Check out Cinemaazi’s profile or read about her 1926 film ‘Bulbul-e-Paristan’—which would have been one of the first big-budget fantasy movies in the world.
Note: This is NOT sponsored content. We use this section to spotlight the recommendations of people we trust and admire.
