New Delhi, Aug. 3 -- On 6 November 1943, Meka Rangaiah Appa Rao-zamindar of Vuyyuru in today's Andhra Pradesh-received a letter from his wife of ten years. It was a short paragraph, probably worded by a lawyer, and carried important news. "I have become a Moslem," the lady announced, and taken the name Sheherazade. But the crux of the matter was this: "in order that our relationship of husband and wife might continue," she wished for Appa Rao to follow her into the new faith. When the man said no thank you, Sheherazade moved the city courts to pronounce their union invalid-a wish that was granted by Christmas Eve.

With that she terminated a marriage she declared had always been unhappy. But then there was a twist, or in a colonial offici...