Umrao Jan Ada , an Urdu novel by Mirza Muhammad Hadi Ruswa translated to English by the prominent writer Khushwant Singh , is an account of Umrao's life as a Lucknowi courtesan. Ruswa is a beutiful story teller. The novel describes the social status of Muslim society in northern India in the 19th century and was said to be published 100 years ago. It takes the reader through the gracious old Lucknow where wealthy nawabs lived in beautiful palaces and the courtesans (prostitudes) in luxurious abodes .
The Umrao Jan of this novel , though a cortesan, is a woman of culture, with charm of manner and with a reputation as a singer. The question of her existance,her beauty, her scholarly abilities and her poetic gift remains a mystery even today. This novel is not Ruswi's imagination, but the actual life narrated by Umrao herself to the writer ,who had much to do with her life and loves. Umrao Jan narrated her life in a series of sittings , which was written by Ruzwa and shown to her before being published.
The book is memorable due to the complex charactarization of Umrao, and the life she lived as a courtesan. The book ends with these two lines
My day comes to a close, death draws nigh
And I have drunk of life to the dregs.
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