# Nawab Bahadur — A Passage to India character guide

> Nawab Bahadur in A Passage to India by E. M. Forster.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Nawab, the Nawab Bahadur, The Nawab Bahadur

**First appearance:** 0005-iii

## Snapshot

A wealthy Muslim nobleman and philanthropist, generous, dignified, and quietly anxious about the shifting loyalties of colonial India.

## Who they are

The Nawab Bahadur is one of Chandrapore's leading Muslim figures, a man of inherited prestige whose hospitality and public generosity earn him wide respect. He moves between the English officials and the Indian community with practiced grace, but the trial and its aftermath force him to weigh where his true allegiances lie. His dignified presence gives the novel a sense of the old, cultivated Indian aristocracy that empire both flattered and eroded.

## In the story

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/iv)

Accepts the invitation and influences others to attend, despite some opposition.

### [Chapter VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/viii)

Apologetic after the car accident, delivers a lengthy speech criticizing superstition in Hindu states while praising British India.

### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/x)

Likely among the seven gentlemen, given his status.

### [Chapter XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/xxi)

Hosts the evening conference and vetoes dismissing the musicians for good luck.

### [XXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/xxv)

Attempts to calm the mob, announces he will give up his British title, and manages the crisis after Nureddin is released.

### [XXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/chapters/xxvii)

The Nawab Bahadur is mentioned as the host of the banquet and is noted for his graceful gestures, representing a civilized repose.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/characters/nawab_bahadur
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_passage_to_india_se/characters