Of late, Karnataka has witnessed protests against the purported ban on the hijab at educational institutes. The ‘hijab row’ in the southern state has also escalated with pro-Hindu organisations wading into the controversy and demonstrating in favour of the ‘ban’. But there was a time when the dress code was yet to become such a divisive issue in Karnataka.
On the contrary, a ‘gosha tanga’ was introduced in Tumakuru during the erstwhile Mysuru kingdom to ferry hijab- or burqa-clad Muslim girls to and from school.
Historian Dharmendra Kumar Arenahalli said that the former king of Mysuru, Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, had arranged a tanga (carriage drawn by horses) exclusively for Muslim girl students. The tanga was specifically designed to allow Muslim women to observe the purdah system.
Speaking to indianexpress.com, Arenahalli, the author of Marethuhoda Mysurina Putagalu (The forgotten pages of Mysuru), said: “In the 1920s, Krishnaraja Wadiyar started schools for girls in various parts of Mysuru. Once when he was visiting Tumakuru, he got to know that several Muslim girls could not attend school as they were not allowed to go out in the public. So, he started a ‘gosha tanga’ to help them reach schools without breaking their religious customs.”
“Wadiyar was a liberal and the kingdom was known for such progressive initiatives,” Arenahalli added.
The ‘gosha tanga’ allowed a large number of Muslim women in the region to receive education as well as follow their religious customs, said old-timers in Tumakuru.
Munir Ahmad, a senior journalist who is now in his 80s, said that he had seen ‘gosha tanga’ and it was in use at least till 1952. “Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar was a visionary king and he wanted girls to get education. My aunt, who passed away only last year, had told me how she was able to get education after the ‘gosha tanga’ was introduced by Krishnaraja Wadiyar. She was an alumnus of the Empress Girls Government High School started by the king,” he said.
Notably, schools for girls were set up in the erstwhile Mysuru kingdom based on Swami Vivekananda’s suggestion. “When Swami Vivekananda visited Mysuru kingdom, he advised Queen Vanivilasa Sannidhana to start separate schools for girls. That’s how the Vani Vilas Institute, the state’s oldest girls’ school, began its journey,” Arenahalli said.