By Dr
Naazir Mahmood
June 24,
2020
How do you describe a girl who, at the age of 20, revolted against her family to marry a boy of her choice, while both were still university students? And how do you explain a woman of 80, still full of enough youthful energy to write poetry and newspaper columns and host some of the best gatherings of journalists and intellectuals in Islamabad? Yes, we are talking about the indomitable Kishwar Naheed. With over two dozen books to her credit and half a dozen national and international awards, she is unquestionably one of the best known names in Urdu column-writing and literature. She turned 80 last week, on June 18, and that gives us another excuse to talk about her achievements, life and writings. Achievements, though many, did not come to her smoothly as she had neither the support of her family nor did she beg or borrow her credentials. She had to fight, and that she did with courage.
Born in BulandShehr, Uttar Pradesh, in 1940, she migrated to Lahore with her family after Partition. With no claim to fame or property, they lived with meagre resources, but she insisted on going to college and then university. Reading was her passion, so nobody could dissuade her from immersing herself in books. Going beyond the textbooks of economics which she studied at the University of the Punjab she devoured tomes of classical literature. She found her calling in poetry, and the Lahore of 1950s was abuzz with poetry recitals from schools and colleges to universities.
The
intellectual and literary decline that set in after the imposition of the first
countrywide martial law and the military dictatorship of Gen Ayub Khan was
still to come. Meanwhile, this girl had the temerity to barge into
intercollegiate competitions, and to refuse to vie for a consolation prize reserved
for girls. She had to challenge the male-dominated mores of the time by
demanding equal treatment, and struggled to win it. Her voice became a volcano
of fiery discharge that set ablaze the literary stage in Lahore, where male
chauvinism was dominant.
But when
she got involved with the love of her life, both families came down hard on
her. She either had to marry immediately and leave her home for good, or she
could quit her studies and stay home, to be married off by her family. The
choice was stark, but not enough to daunt her spirits. She took the plunge and
married at her will. Thus began a lifelong struggle for survival, working one
job after another, moving from one rented house to the next, and raising
children almost single-handedly.
All along,
her forthrightness was her best asset, that also won her many friends who
applauded her efforts on both the domestic and intellectual fronts. Sufi
Tabassum was one of them; he guided and helped her at various times, as if she
were his own daughter. There were some others who appreciated her, and yet many
others who deprecated the importance of her work. But thanks to her tireless
efforts and timely production of good poetry, within a decade she emerged as a
respected poet and role model for many women in Pakistan.
Naheed`s
poetry was not some run-off-the-mill churning of lines to please the mostly
male audience. She broke new grounds for the women of her country; women who
learned from her how to defy unreasonable restrictions. This defiance is a
recurrent theme in her poetry, and keeps it fresh even after decades. Her
writings both in poetry and prose are a call to rebel against all sorts of
discrimination, be it in the name of caste, creed or colour. Most women in
countries such as Pakistan can identify with her.
Her first
collection of ghazals, Lab-i-Goya [Lips that Speak], appeared in 1968 and was
an instant success. It won her the most prestigious literary prize of the time,
the Adamjee Award, in 1969 she was not even 30 years old then. Look at the following
from Lab-i-Goya: People say that I walk in my sleep, Burst out crying when I
see someone laughing.
Desire
follows me around, And I knit garlands of thorns.
In the lazy
afternoon of the summer, I listen to the heartbeat of the earth.
(Translation
by Baidar Bakht and Leslie Lavigne) Then she moved to other forms of poetry
and, in 1971, BenaamMusafat [Nameless Journeys] followed. The influence of Faiz
Ahmed Faiz and Majeed Amjad is noticeable in her later poems. As Naheed
perfected her craft, her diction reflected that she had imbibed from the
classical influences, but kept her own distinct style. Her artistic mastery
blossomed in the `70s and`80s, when she had to see many upheavals in her
personal and professional lives. These were compounded by the no less
troublesome political events in the country. It appears that her marriage was
never a bed of roses, but she and Yousuf Kamran managed to remain husband and
wife for 24 years till Kamran`s death in 1984.In 1975, she published some more
poems and translations and then, in 1978, came a major collection, Galiyan,
Dhoop, Darwazay [Lanes, Sunshine, Doorsl. In this collection, she touches upon
the issue of the man-woman relationship in the context of the experience of
life. In her own words, by then she ‘had gained the confidence to communicate
and write about these issues openly. ` She was experiencing conflict within her
home and witnessing it outside. But soon she outgrew it and developed her own
consciousness that helped her withstand challenges and keep moving on.
As her
horizon expanded, Naheed started reading and translating literature from around
the world, especially from Pablo Neruda.
When she
became editor of Mah-i-Nau, her encouragement enabled many younger writers to
appear in the pages of this magazine. She has always been generous in lending
support to young writers, who still acknowledge her. The most challenging
period of her life was after 1977, when Pakistan faced yet another military
dictatorship which was brutal and brainless at the same time. Those who have
undergone the torture of living through that period still carry the scars of
that time.
The
intelligence personnel who at that time were mostly from the Crime
Investigation Department (CID) constantly followed and harassed pro-democracy
and progressive activists, journalists and intellectuals alike; Kishwar Naheed
was no exception. That was the time when, Naheed says, `many close friends
decided to break allties with me.` The military dictatorship of Gen Ziaul Haq
was not only having disastrous effects on Pakistani society at large, but also
imposing a strict code of conduct on art, cinema, drama, education and gender
roles, and was curtailing human rights. Naheed gave expression to all these in
her poetry.
The
position of women in society was especially threatened and Naheed did not take
it lightly. Gen Zia was a major setback for Pakistan and its people who lived
under the shadow of oppression, and this oppression became a motif in Naheed`s
poetry. In later years, she emerged as a collective voice of Pakistani women
with the likes of Anis Haroon, Ayesha Siddiga, Azra Abbas, Beena Sarwar,
Fahmida Riaz, Khawar Mumtaz, Nasreen Azhar, Razia Bhatti, ZahedaHina, Zakia
Sarwar and many others, all giving vent to their anger in a distinct manner.
Over the
years, Naheed worked at Radio Pakistan, was director of the Pakistan National
Centre, initiated the Business and Professional Women`s Club in Lahore,
established the organisation Hawwa for women workers, and was invited to
participate and speak at dozens of national and international conferences. When
Benazir Bhutto assumed power in 1988, she appointed Naheed director of the Urdu
Science Board, Lahore, but she was removed when Nawaz Sharif became prime
minister in 1990. Again, in 1994, in the second Benazir government, she became
director general of the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA), from where
she was removed, again, by the second Nawaz government, prompting her to take
early retirement in 1998.
She has
been writing weekly columns for the leading Urdu daily Jang since 1990. In
prose, her translations of BapsiSidhwa, Leila Khalid and Simone de Beauvoir are
worth reading, and so are her collections of columns and memoirs such as Buri
Aurat Ki Katha [A Bad Woman`s Talel and Shanasaaiyan, Ruswaaiyan
[Acquaintances, Scandalsl. She received the Mandela Prize in 1997 and the
Sitara-i-Imtiaz in 2000. Her writings have been translated into dozens of
languages and the count is still increasing. On her 80th birthday, she deserves
much more than a newspaper article. Perhaps an annual literary award in her
name would do some justice.
At the time
of this writing, Naheed has tested positive for Covid-19; we wish her a quick
recovery and a healthy, long life.
Dr
Naazir Mahmood is a columnist and educationist
Original
Headline: Eighty years of rebellion
Source: The Dawn, Pakistan
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/kishwar-naheed-eighty-years-rebellion/d/122237
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