Dareechah-e-Nigaarish

Ismat Chughtai (1915-1991)

Pioneering feminist Urdu short story writer. She was the sister of Urdu writer Azeem Baig Chughtai and acknowledged Rasheed Jahan (whose short stories appeared in the collection "Angaaray" and who was one of the founder members of the Progressive Writers' Movement of Urdu writers and poets of the early 1930s in British ruled India) as her literary mentor. She referred to Rasheed Jahan as "Rasheed Apa Angaaray-Waalee".

You may read Urdu text of Ismat Chughtai's fiction at the following links:

• Nannhee Kee Naanee ; Urdu text of short story by Ismat Chughtai
• Kaaghazi hai Pairahan (autobiography) written by Ismat Chughtai and published in 1979-1980 in literary journal Aaj Kal and in book form in 1994 three years after her death). The link is to the complete text English translation of this work ("Ismat Chughtai: A Life in Words ... Memoirs"; Penguin Modern Classics series)
  

Excerpts from Ismat Chughtai's fiction...

Ismat Chughtai (1915-1991)

Ismat Chughtai was born on August 15, 1915 into a middle class family in Badayun India. The ninth of ten children, Ismat spent a large portion of her childhood in the company of her brothers, which according to her contributed to the boldness in her nature and writing. Her early influences primarily consisted of her elder brother Azeem Beig Chughtai, who was an established writer when Ismat was in her teens. Others included Thomas Hardy, Dostoyevsky, Somerset Maugham, Chekhov, Hijab Imtiaz Ali, Majnun Gorakhpuri and Niaz Fatehpuri. One of her favourite writers, Munshi Premchand was influential because of his attention to the craft and technique of the short story.

While she read avidly and studied Greek drama, Shakespeare, Ibsen and Bernard in college, she ventured towards writing her first short story Fasaadi, which was published in the literary magazine Saaqi. Another person who left a lasting impression on Ismat was Rasheed Jahan, a doctor and writer whom she met at the first meeting of the Progressive Writers’ Association in Lucknow in 1936. Following her B.A and B.T (Bachelors in Education) she was appointed principal of a girls’ college and later Inspectress of schools in Bombay. It was here that she met Shahid Latif and they were married in 1942.

Ismat wrote the short story Lihaaf two months before her marriage. The story addresses the subject of lesbianism and is cleverly told from the viewpoint of a nine year old girl, who can relate everything she sees without being burdened by the restraint an adult narrator might experience in recounting such a tale. The story created a controversy for its subject matter and Ismat was condemned by readers and critics alike. She was charged with obscenity and taken to court. A case was registered against her in December, 1944 and she came from Bombay to Lahore to face her trial in 1946 under British Colonial era laws (Indian Penal Code). The case  was ultimately dismissed in 1946 because no offensive words could be found in the story.

Ismat’s first two collection of short stories Kaliyaan and Chotein were published in her brother Azeem Beig Chughtai’s lifetime. Others that followed include Aik Baat, Chhui Muee, Dhaani Baankein, Do Haath, Khareed Lo, Aik Qatra Khuun and Thori si Paagal. She wrote novels Terhi Lakeer and Saudaai and novellas Ziddi, Dil ki Duniya and Masooma. Her other works include Hum Loge (short stories and essays), Yahaan se Vahaan Tuk (essays), Shaitaan (collection of plays) and Afsaanay Draamay (stories and plays).

Ismat also write twelve film scripts in collaboration with her husband and made five films independently. She may be seen acting in Shashi Kapoor’s film Junoon (1979). She received the Samman Award for Urdu Literature in 1990 when she turned seventy five.

Ismat Chughtai died on October 24, 1991.

The importance of Ismat Chughtai’s craft, her greatness as the grand dame of Urdu fiction and as the indomitable spirit of the Urdu afsana is continually affirmed by the interest in her writing today and by tributes paid to her by contemporaries and present day readers and writers.

Sources
Tahira Naqvi, “Ismat Chughtai – A Tribute”, Annual of Urdu Studies, 8 (1993): 37-40, accessed 13 April 2013, http://www.urdustudies.com/pdf/08/08Ismat.pdf

Unhein yaad karna kyun zaroori hai.
Read Zaheda Hina’s essay on Ismat Chughtai

Bio Sketch of Ismat Chughtai courtesy of Zambeel Dramatic Readings .  Zambeel Dramatic Readings was founded in Karachi, Pakistan by Mahvash Faruqi, Asma Mundrawala and Saife Hasan in September 2011 and was vigorously supported by Sabeen Mahmud when she provided a venue for their Reading sessions viz T2F or The Second Floor.  Sabeen Mahmud was a literary/socio-political activist who was brutally gun downed in 2015.  It is strongly suspected that Pakistan's military spy agency, ISI, are involved in her muder because Sabenn had staged a seminar in T2F  in 2015 to promote political dialogue and allowing people to talk about the Balochistan people's legitimate human rights which have been denied to them for decades by the Military Establishment of Pakistan. Sabeen Mahmud was gunned down on a main road of Karachi's posh Defence Housing Society when she was returning from attending the T2F seminar on Balochistan's human rights crisis.