An Analysis of the Works of Notable Female Urdu Novelists – Part 1
By Dr. Afzal Misbahi, New Age Islam
Translated into English
by Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam
An Overview of Some
Contemporary Female Novelists and Their Writings
Main Points:
1.
Women have played a
significant role in Urdu-language literature, with female novelists portraying
women's issues in a unique way.
2.
Sajida Zaidi's 2000 book
"Mitti Ke Haram" explores the reality of life, emotional upheaval,
human spirits, and a heartbreaking account of the middle class in society.
3.
Female novelists have
also written extensively about terrorism due to the fact that women and
children are the most commonly affected by it.
4.
Tarannum Riyaz's two
novels explore the suffering of the inhabitants of Kashmir, which has been the
target of terrorism for more than 50 years.
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Women have historically played a significant
role in the promotion and dissemination of Urdu-language literature. In all
genres of poetry and prose, women have made substantial contributions. Without
addressing the writings of women, the history of Urdu novels cannot be
considered comprehensive. The number of female novelists is really large. While
it's true that women just recently began publishing novels in Urdu, the focus
on women's issues has increased since they took the initiative. This does not
imply that male novelists have not addressed topics pertaining to women. However, it is important to note that female
novelists naturally portrayed women's issues in a way that gave them their own
unique identity.
Female novelists have
covered a variety of subjects in their works, including women's education,
domestic issues, freedom, patience, sacrifices made for their families,
chastity, men's atrocities, women's reform, the importance of women in social,
economic, social, and political life, the struggle to advance them, women's
psychology and conflict, etc. As a
result, women very quickly began to publish works alongside those written by
men. They include Sajida Zaidi, Tarannum
Riaz, Asha Parbhat, Dr. Sadiqa Nawab Sahar, Dr. Khushnoda Nilofar, Jilani Bano,
Naushaba Khatun, Shaista Fakhri, Qamar Jamali, Farah Diba, and Sarwat Khan,
among others.
'Mitti Ke Haram' by Sajida
Zaidi, which was published in 2000, quickly gained popularity. This is a part
of hers because of the way she explained the reality of time in "Mitti
Ke Haram." In it, she demonstrated her capacity as a philosopher. By
reading it, one might infer that, in her opinion, life is not the name of a
plan but rather the name of living. In this book, awakening characters narrate
a lengthy tale of the challenges, longings, loves, and afflictions of life. It
has an emotional upheaval, a depressing depiction of human spirits, and a
heart-breaking account of the middle class in society. The author has shown
social inequality and class strife in such a way that the entire situation
begins to spin in front of the readers. In fact, this book serves as a lighthouse
for the next generation and has the power to prevent it from going astray.
Dr Shahab Zafar Azmi
writes:
“This novel,
which was mostly written in the context of the Partition of India, shares a
continuity with both Aap-Biitii (autobiography) and jag-biitii
(world events) but is more closely tied to the latter. Instead of focusing
solely on depicting a society in decline, a psychological analysis of life has
been presented by keeping the background of the riots and the life in the camps
fully in front of the scene. The author has carefully examined all the
motivations and facts within her psychological analysis, including those that
are impossible for casual observers to notice. This novel serves as a
destination for those seeking the true joys of life, in the search of which
this world is not devoid of philosophies and instructions, because the author
is determined to teach the next generation the beauty of flight, freedom, and
love for the creator of the universe with every particle of the universe.” [Shahab
Zafar Azmi, Urdu Ke Nasri Asaleeb, p.221]
Several female novelists
have written extensively about terrorism. One of the main reasons for this is
the fact that women and children are the groups most commonly affected by
terrorism. Everywhere there are riots and terrorist attacks; women endure
horrifying conditions in various forms. Women who have gone through these
situations personally may only begin to understand how challenging it is for
them to live without spouses and guardians. As a result, all the ways that
women are mistreated can be easily observed in the writings of some female
novelists.
The predicament in
Kashmir has also been discussed in a number of novels. This region has been the
target of terrorism for more than 50 years, and terrorist attacks still occur
there. The majority of the deceased are
men, leaving their wives and children to live their entire lives in tears. In
her two novels, Tarannum Riyaz goes into great depth on the suffering of the
inhabitants, as well as the political and social milieu there and its problems.
The problems of women
have been well discussed in her novel. Ali Imam Naqvi, who wrote the novel
"Bisaat," also addressed the issues in Kashmir, but
Tarannum Riaz, who wrote the 2004 book "Moorti," was
the first to specifically address these issues after Krishan Chandra. She does
presentations in a charming and pleasant way.
It was developed with a focus on the substantial challenges that
contemporary, technologically advanced women face. The book examines the
psychology, emotions, conflicts, identity, freedom, and status of a woman
artist. Its storyline seems to revolve around art, and a wise portrayal of
challenges faced by a female artist and what she must do to prove her
legitimacy is given.
(Continued)
Urdu Article: An Analysis of the
Works of Notable Female Urdu Novelists اردوکی
چند خاتون ناول نگاروں کی تخلیقات کاجائزہ
Dr. Mohammad Afzal
Hussain Misbahi, Assistant Professor & Incharge of Urdu Section, MMV,
Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, U.P.
URL: https://newageislam.com/books-documents/notable-female-urdu-novelists-part-1--/d/129795
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