Nisha Rathode (Editor)

Ismat Chughtai

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Occupation
  
Writer

Genre
  
Short stories

Siblings
  
Mirza Azim Beg Chughtai

Citizenship
  
Indian

Nationality
  
Indian

Role
  
Writer

Language
  
Name
  
Ismat Chughtai


Ismat Chughtai Lifting the Veil urduwallahs

Born
  
15 August 1915 Badayun, British India(now in Uttar Pradesh, India) (
1915-08-15
)

Spouse
  
Shaheed Latif (m. 1941–1967)

Movies
  
Garm Hava, Junoon, Arzoo, The Quilt, My Dreams

Books
  
The Quilt and Other Stories, A Very Strange Man: A N, A Life in Words: Memoirs, The Crooked Line: Ter, The Quilt: The Story in Multipl

Similar People
  
Kaifi Azmi, M S Sathyu, Shama Zaidi, Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihalani

Died
  
24 October 1991 (aged 76) Bombay, India

Ismat chughtai writer wmv


Ismat Chughtai (Urdu: عصمت چغتائی‎) (August 1915 – 24 October 1991)1 was an eminent Indian writer in Urdu, known for her indomitable spirit and a fierce feminist ideology. Considered the grand dame of Urdu fiction, Chughtai was one of the Muslim writers who stayed in India after the subcontinent was partitioned. Along with Rashid Jahan, Wajeda Tabassum and Qurratulain Hyder, Ismat's work stands for the birth of a revolutionary feminist politics and aesthetics in twentieth century Urdu literature. She explored feminine sexuality, middle-class gentility, and other evolving conflicts in modern India. Her outspoken and controversial style of writing made her the passionate voice for the unheard, and she has become an inspiration for the younger generation of writers, readers and intellectuals.

Contents

Ismat Chughtai The Begum39s Speech Ismat Chughtai was not just a

Personalities of india ismat chughtai film no 145


Life

Ismat Chughtai Mera Dost Mera Dushman Ismat amp Manto urduwallahs

She was born in on August 21, 1911 in Badayun, Uttar Pradesh and grew up largely in Jodhpur where her father was a civil servant. She was ninth of ten children (six brothers, four sisters), and since her older sisters got married while Ismat was very young, the better part of her childhood was spent in the company of her brothers, a factor which she admits contributed greatly to the frankness in her nature and writing. Her brother, Mirza Azim Beg Chughtai, already an established writer, when Ismat was still in her teens, was her first teacher and mentor. She had her early education in the Women's College of Aligarh Muslim University.

Ismat Chughtai shethepeopletvwpcontentuploads201503ismatc

In 1936, still working on her bachelor's degree in Lucknow, she attended the first meeting of the Progressive Writers' Association . After her BA from Isabella Thoburn College, Ismat secured a BEd (a Bachelor's in Education), thus becoming the first Indian Muslim woman to have earned both degrees. In this period she started writing in secret, due to violent opposition to her education from her Muslim relatives.

Ismat Chughtai ESSAY The literary feminist Magazine DAWNCOM

Chughtai was a liberal Muslim whose daughter, nephew & neice were married to Hindus. In her own words, Chughtai came from a family of "Hindus, Muslims and Christians who all live peacefully". She said she read not only the Qur’an, but also the Gita and the Bible with openness.

Chughtai's short stories reflect the cultural legacy of the region in which she lived. This is especially notable in her story "Sacred Duty", where she deals with social pressures in India, alluding to specific national, religious and cultural traditions.

She has two daughters, Seema Sawhny (1944-2011) was married to Naveen Sawhny (1937-1987) and they have a son Ashish Sawhny (filmmaker), second daughter Sabrina Lateef (1951- ) is unmarried.

Awards

  • 1974: Ghalib Award (Urdu Drama): Terhi Lakeer
  • 1975: Filmfare Best Story Award: Garam Hawa (with Kaifi Azmi)
  • 1975: 1975 - Government of India State Award
  • 1976: Padma Shri Award
  • 1976 - Uttar Pradesh Government gave her an award.
  • 1977 - Ghalib Award from the Ghalib Institute for the Urdu play Tahai ka Zahr.
  • 1979 - Makhdoom Literary Awards of Andhra Pradesh Urdu Akademi.
  • 1982: Soviet Land Nehru Award
  • 1990 Iqbal Samman (Iqbal Award) from Rajasthan Urdu Akademi for the year 1989
  • Significance

    Ismat Chughtai is considered a path-breaker for women writers in the subcontinent, as the many women writing during Ismat's childhood – including, notably, Muhammadi Begum, Sughra Humayun Mirza, Tyaba Bilgrami (to whose novel Anwari Begum Chughtai refers in Terhi Lakeer) and Khatun Akram – were considered too enmeshed in the ideology of slow, conservative and religiously sanctioned changes for women advocated by such male reformers as Mumtaz Ali, Rashidul Khairi and Shaikh Abdullah. However, in Ismat's formative years, Nazar Sajjad Hyder had established herself an independent feminist voice, and the short stories of two very different women, Hijab Imtiaz Ali and the Progressive Dr Rashid Jehan were also a significant early influence on Ismat.

    In her career many of her writings including Angarey and Lihaaf were banned in South Asia because their reformist and feminist content offended conservatives (for example, her view that the Niqab, the mask worn by women in Muslim societies, should be discouraged for Muslim women because it is oppressive and feudal). Many of her books have been banned at various times during their publication history.

    Lihaaf controversy

    Chughtai's most celebrated short story, Lihaaf (The Quilt) published in 1942 in the Urdu literary journal Adab-i-Latif, was leveled with charges of obscenity and she was summoned by the Lahore court in 1944. Lihaaf deals with homosexuality in Aligarh.

    Many angry letters were sent to the editor of the journal accusing the short story of blasphemy. Chughtai chose to contest this charge instead of apologizing and won her case in court. Her lawyer argued that there were no explicit references to homoeroticism in the story and hence she could not be accused writing about it.

    Death

    In 1941, she married screenwriter and film director Shaheed Lateef, who made such films as Ziddi (1948) and Arzoo (1950). They collaborated on many films together, and had two daughters. Lateef died in 1967.

    Ismat Chughtai died in Bombay on 24 October 1991. As per her last wishes, she was cremated.

    Filmography

  • Shikayat (1948)- Dialogue
  • Ziddi – Story Writer
  • Arzoo – Screenwriter, Dialogue
  • Buzdil (1951)
  • Sheesha (1952)
  • Fareb(1953) – Co-Director
  • Darwaza (1954)
  • Society (1955)
  • Sone Ki Chidiya (1958) – Screenwriter, producer
  • Lala Rukh (1958)- Co-Director, Producer
  • Baharen Phir Bhi Ayengi (1966-7)
  • Garam Hawa (1973) – Story Writer
  • Junoon – Dialogue, Actor
  • Books on Ismat Chughtai

  • Ismat Chughtai: Shaksiyat aur Fan by Jagdish Chander Wadhawan, Reference submitted by Dr. Priyanka Puri, Assistant Professor, Miranda House, University of Delhi ( Lt. Sh. Wadhawan's grand daughter).
  • Ismat: Her Life, Her Times. Sukrita Paul Kumar, Katha, New Delhi,2000. ISBN 81-85586-97-7.
  • Ismat Chughtai, A Fearless Voice. Manjulaa Negi, Rupa and Co, 2003.81-29101-53-X.
  • Articles on Ismat Chughtai

  • Torchbearer of a literary revolution. The Hindu, Sunday, 21 May 2000.[3]
  • Kashmir Uzma Urdu weekly, Srinagar, 27 December 2004, 2 January 2005.[4]
  • Ismat Chughtai – Pakistan-India (1915–1991), World People, 5 May 2006.[5]
  • Ismat Chughtai: An Iconoclast Muslim Dame of Urdu Fiction
  • Plays and Dramatic Performances on Ismat Chughtai

    Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah have been presenting 'Ismat Aapa Ke Naam' for the past nearly twelve years to critical success. Her story 'Chouthi Ka Joda' is presented frequently by many theatre groupes. Danish Iqbal adapted her story 'Mughal Bachcha'مغل بچہ for stage which was presented at the Theatre Festival organised by Government of Delhi to commemorate her birth centenary. This Play also contained biographical references about her works and early influences. Danish Iqbal also wrote a stage Play عصمت اور منٹو highlighting the love hate relationship between Ismat Chughtai and Saadat Hasan Manto.

    References

    Ismat Chughtai Wikipedia