Haba Khatoon

Habba Khatoon (1554-1609) was a 16th-century Kashmiri Muslim, known by the name Zoon (the Moon) because of her immense beauty until her marriage with Yusuf Shah Chak, who later became ruler of Kashmir, after which she was called Habba Khatoon. She was the consort of a king, but attained immortality as the queen of song. A blend of country lass and queen, musician and poet, her personality has merged with Kashmiri poetry and culture, through her passionate lyrics, vacans.

Legends have grown around her, and it is not easy to establish beyond doubt the authenticity of all the songs attributed to her. Based on the scant surviving material, S.L. Sadhu builds up an account of her life and evaluates her contribution to Kashmiri literature.

Shyam Lal Sadhu (1917-2012) wrote in English and Kashmiri, and in the early 1950s published a collection of stories, Folk Tales from Kashmir. He received several national awards and a UNESCO award for his book in Kashmiri on Vutsa Prang. Author of Tales from the Rajatarangani and Rupa Bhavani in English, S.L. Sadhu presents this monograph mainly for the benefit of the non-Kashmiri readers.

**Contents and Sample Pages**