Hall of Fame: The Barber of the Hindoostane Coffee House

Hall of Fame: The Barber of the Hindoostane Coffee House

From Trapped History by trappedhistory

March 5, 2026 · 4 min · Season 2

About this episode

Sathnam Sanghera discusses the remarkable lives of Cornelia Sorabji and Dean Mahomed, highlighting their contributions to education and culture.

Sathnam Sanghera joined us to find out all about Cornelia Sorabji, the first woman to graduate from an Indian university, the first woman anywhere to get a law degree – from Oxford at that – and the first woman to represent the accused in a criminal case in a British-run court. Her story is incredible – but even more astonishing is the tale Sathnam brings to the Hall of Fame: that of Dean Mahomed, an Indian surgeon, soldier and writer who settled in England. Which is where he established the country's first Indian restaurant and introduced the art of "shampooing" to Europe. Prepare to be amazed! And then, head over to the main episode to hear all about The Indian Imperialist: Sathnam Sanghera on the Curious Cornelia Sorabji . Head over to www.trappedhistory.com to sign up to the award-winning podcast, get our newsletter, bonus episodes and much, much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Guest: Sathnam Sanghera

Topics covered

  • Indian history
  • women in education
  • law and justice
  • cultural contributions
  • restaurant history

Keywords

  • Cornelia Sorabji
  • Dean Mahomed
  • Indian restaurant
  • law degree
  • shampooing
  • history
  • education

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Oxford

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