>Johnpacklambert at 19:52, 6 January 2021

2021-01-06T19:52:17Z

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{{Infobox person
| name = Jahanara of Palanpur
| image = File:Begum Jahanara of Palanpur, née Joan Falkiner.jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name = Joan Falkiner
| birth_date = 1915
| birth_place =
| death_date = 2003
| death_place =
| nationality = [[File:Flag of Palanpur.svg|20px]] [[Palanpur State]]
| spouse = [[Taley Muhammed Khan]]
| other_names = Jahanara of Palanpur
| occupation =
| years_active =
| known_for =
| notable_works =
}}
Begum '''Jahanara of Palanpur''' (née '''Joan Falkiner''') was an Australian heiress who became the [[Begum]] of [[Palanpur|Palanpur, India]], during the mid 20th-century. Her life story was later recorded in a biography written by a distant cousin, [[Australians|Australian]] author [[Suzanne Falkiner]].

== Biography ==
Joan Falkiner was born in [[Melbourne|Melbourne, Australia]] in 1915. The Falkiners were stud merino sheep breeders in country Victoria and New South Wales, and by the early 20th-century had established themselves as wealthy members of Melbourne society.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=0c_gCgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT7&dq=Begum+Jahanara+of+Palanpur&ots=8_x4Y6-5ns&sig=TDforwcSZ44zNqGr7FZxCdI76hY#v=onepage&q=Begum%20Jahanara%20of%20Palanpur&f=false|title=Joan in India|last=Falkiner|first=Suzanne|date=2015-11-01|publisher=Xoum Publishing|isbn=9781921134999|language=en}}</ref> Joan's father was a director of the family company, and she was a childhood friend of [[Jo Gullett]].<ref name=":0" />

[[File:Taley Mohammed Khan Bahadur - Nawab of Palanpur.jpg|thumb|Taley Mohammed Khan; [[Nawab]] of [[Palanpur State]]|upright=0.8]]
Joan Falkiner met [[Taley Muhammed Khan]] in the Black Forest in Germany in 1937, where he was seeking treatment for a painful polo injury. Taley was the [[Nawab]] of the [[Palanpur State]], a [[protectorate]] of the British Empire under the administration of the [[British Raj]].<ref name=":1" /> He had ascended to the throne of Nawab in 1918, and had since embarked on a campaign of construction and reform. When he and Joan met, she was 19 and he was 55.<ref name=":2" /> The two subsequently became engaged to be married, though the relationship was objected to by Joan's family. In Suzanne Falkiner's biography ''Joan in India'', Joan's niece posits that colonial politics and racial tensions played a role in the Falkiner family's objections to the proposed marriage.<ref name=":0" /> Joan's family were also concerned that Taley, as a [[Muslim]], was already married to an Indian woman (who had since become an invalid), and had a 20-year-old son.<ref name=":1" /> Furthermore, the Falkiners feared that if Joan married into an Indian noble family, she might be placed in purdah.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/vohG418CwwFH97sUyn9RDL/Joan-in-India.html|title=Joan in India - Livemint|website=www.livemint.com|access-date=2018-11-14}}</ref>

In 1939 Joan [[Elopement|eloped]], and traveled to India to marry Taley. The departure of the 21 year old heiress caused a stir and much speculation in Melbourne high society.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article51592715|title=How Joan Falkiner met Indian prince|date=1939-10-07|work=Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982)|access-date=2018-11-14|pages=32}}</ref> She converted to Islam and was married in an Islamic ceremony. Though recognised by as such by Taley, she was denied the title of Begum by the British Raj, which disapproved of marriages between Anglo women and Indian rulers; Joan was also not invited by the British to appear beside her husband during public functions.<ref name=":0" /> Regardless of these restrictions, Joan was otherwise accorded her rights as Taley's wife.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/hindi/en/audiotrack/colonial-connections-joan-falkiner-rani-palanpur|title=COLONIAL CONNECTIONS-JOAN FALKINER RANI OF PALANPUR|work=SBS Your Language|access-date=2018-11-14|language=en}}</ref>

In 1947, the [[Indian independence movement|Indian Independence movement]] successfully resulted in India becoming independent from the shrinking British Empire; this development meant the end British Raj. On the night of 14 August 1947 the last [[Governor-General of India|Viceroy of India]], [[Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma|Lord Louis Mountbatten]], decided to confer a title of nobility on Joan, allowing her to claim the title of 'Her Highness' in British eyes. However, Indian independence also led to the dissolution of the Palanpur State.<ref name=":0" />

Joan and Taley lived together until the latter died of cancer in 1957. Joan settled in [[Southern France]] after her husband's death.<ref name=":0" /> She died in 2003.<ref name=":0" />

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Falkiner, Joan}}
[[Category:1915 births]]
[[Category:Australian expatriates in India]]
[[Category:Indian nobility]]
[[Category:2003 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Melbourne]]
[[Category:People from Banaskantha district]]

Joan Falkiner - Revision history

>Johnpacklambert at 19:52, 6 January 2021