Ismat Chughtai

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Ismat Chughtai

British India
Died24 October 1991(1991-10-24) (aged 76)
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Occupation
  • Writer
  • filmmaker
  • essayist
LanguageUrdu
NationalityIndian
Alma materAligarh Muslim University
Genre
  • Short stories
  • novel
  • plays
Notable worksWorks of Ismat Chughtai
ChildrenSeema Sawhny
Sabrina Lateef
Part of a series on
Progressive Writers' Movement
Members
Urdu writers

English writers

Bengali writers

Punjabi writers

Hindi writers

Kashmiri writers

Marathi writers

Notable works
Related Organisations

Ismat Chughtai (21 August 1915 – 24 October 1991) was an Indian Urdu novelist, short story writer, liberal humanist and filmmaker. Beginning in the 1930s, she wrote extensively on themes including

female sexuality and femininity, middle-class gentility, and class conflict, often from a Marxist perspective. With a style characterised by literary realism, Chughtai established herself as a significant voice in the Urdu literature of the twentieth century, and in 1976 was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India
.

Biography

Early life and career beginnings (1915–41)

Ismat Chughtai was born on 21 August 1915 in Badayun,

civil servant; she spent her childhood in cities including Jodhpur, Agra, and Aligarh—mostly in the company of her brothers as her sisters had all got married while she was still very young. Chughtai described the influence of her brothers as an important factor which influenced her personality in her formative years. She thought of her second-eldest brother, Mirza Azim Beg Chughtai (also a novelist), as a mentor. The family eventually settled in Agra, after Chughtai's father retired from the Indian Civil Services.[2]

Chughtai received her primary education at the

Progressive Writers' Association, having attended her first meeting in 1936 where she met Rashid Jahan, one of the leading female writers involved with the movement, who was later credited for inspiring Chughtai to write "realistic, challenging female characters".[4][5] Chughtai began writing in private around the same time, but did not seek publication for her work until much later.[5]

When I started writing, there was a trend -- writing romantic things or writing like a Progressive. When I started to write, people were very shocked because I wrote very frankly [...] I didn't write what you'd call "literarily." I wrote and do write as I speak, in a very simple language, not the literary language.

—Chughtai on her early writings, in a 1972 interview with Mahfil.[6]

Chughtai wrote a drama entitled Fasādī (The Troublemaker) for the Urdu magazine Saqi in 1939, which was her first published work. Upon publication, readers mistook it as a play by Chughtai's brother Azeem Beg, written using a

Dheet (Stubborn), her only soliloquy, among others.[8] In response to a story that she wrote for a magazine, Chughtai was told that her work was blasphemous and insulted the Quran.[9] She, nonetheless, continued writing about "things she would hear of".[9]

Chughtai's continued association with the Progressive Writers' Movement had significant bearings on her writing style; she was particularly intrigued by

William Sydney Porter, George Bernard Shaw, and Anton Chekhov.[9] Kalyān (Buds) and Cōtēn (Wounds), two of Chughtai's earliest collections of short stories, were published in 1941 and 1942 respectively.[8]

Chughtai's first novella Ziddi, which she had written on her early twenties was first published in 1941. The book chronicles the love affair between a woman, who works as domestic help in an affluent household and her employer's son. Chughtai later discussed the similarity in themes and style of the novel with the works of the romantic novelist Hijab Imtiaz Ali, citing her as another early influence. Commentators have praised the novella, both for its "compelling prose"[10] and for providing "[glimpses] into a world where women try to break out of the shackles created by other women, rather than men".[11] Critic and short story writer Aamer Hussein, in a 2015 retrospective review, likened Chughtai's "oracular voice, which didn't comment or explain, but studded the narrative with poetic observations" to that of American author Toni Morrison.[10] Ziddi was later translated into English as Wild at Heart and adapted into a 1948 feature film of the same name.[1]

Niche appreciation and transition to film (1942–60)

After completing her Bachelor's of Education degree, Chughtai successfully applied for the post of headmistress of an Aligarh-based Girls school. There, she met and developed a close friendship with

Bollywood, in a private ceremony. Khwaja Ahmad Abbas was the legal witness to the ceremony.[1][13]

Chughtai garnered widespread attention for her short-story

Sadat Hassan Manto was also charged with similar allegations for his short-story Bu (Odour) and accompanied Chughtai to Lahore.[15] The charges notwithstanding, both Chughtai and Manto were exonerated.[16]

The trial, which took place in 1945, itself drew much media and public attention and brought notoriety to the duo. Chughtai fared better in the public eye, having garnered support from such fellow members of the Progressive Writers' Movement as Majnun Gorakhpuri and Krishan Chander. Regardless, she detested the media coverage of the whole incident, which in her view weighted heavily upon her subsequent work; "[Lihaaf] brought me so much notoriety that I got sick of life. It became the proverbial stick to beat me with and whatever I wrote afterwards got crushed under its weight."[15]

We stood face to face during a dinner. I felt the ground under my feet receding. She cruised through the crowd, leaped at me and took me in her arms [...] I felt like throwing myself into someone’s arms and crying my heart out. She invited me to a fabulous dinner. I felt fully rewarded when I saw her flower-like boy. I felt he was mine as well. A part of my mind, a living product of my brain. An offspring of my pen.

—Chughtai on her meeting with the woman who was the inspiration behind Lihaaf

Chughtai, however, is known to have made her peace with the whole fiasco, having met the woman who had inspired Begum Jan a few years after the publication of Lihaaf. The woman told Chughtai that she had since divorced her husband, remarried and was raising a child with her second husband. Chughtai's biographers recall the meeting between the two women in Ismat: Her life, Her times: "[Chughtai] felt greatly rewarded when the begum told [her that Lihaaf] had changed her life and it is because of her story now she was blessed with a child".[17] Chughtai, who had been apprehensive about the meeting at first, later expressed her delight in a memoir, writing, "flowers can be made to bloom among rocks. The only condition is that one has to water the plant with one's heart's blood".[4]

Chughtai's quasi-autobiographical novel Tedhi Lakeer (The Crooked Line) was released in 1943.

creative process in the 1972 interview, saying she found inspiration from the small incidents that she would witness around her and even the personal conversations that took place amongst the women in her family, "I write about people I know or have known. What should a writer write about anyway"?[6]

In the years following their wedding, Latif also introduced Chughtai to the Hindi film industry.

directing with the 1953 film Fareb, which featured an ensemble cast of Amar, Maya Daas, Kishore Kumar, Lalita Pawar, and Zohra Sehgal. Having again written the screenplay based on one of her short stories, Chughtai co-directed the film with Latif.[21] Upon release, both Arzoo and Fareb garnered positive response from the audience and performed well at the box-office.[22]

Chughtai's association with film solidified when she and Latif co-founded the production company Filmina.[8] Her first project as a filmmaker was the 1958 drama film Sone Ki Chidiya, which she wrote and co-produced. Starring Nutan and Talat Mahmood in lead roles, it told the story of a child actor, who was abused and exploited over the course of her career. The film was well received by audiences and the success translated directly into a rise in Chughtai's popularity, as noted by writer and critic Shams Kanwal.[23] Sone Ki Chidiya has been described as a significant production for "[chronicling] a heady time in Indian cinema" and showcasing the "grime behind the glamour" of the film industry.[24] Nutan, who garnered a good response for her performance in the film, herself described it as one of her favorite projects.[25] Also in 1958, Chughtai produced the Mahmood-Shyama starrer romance drama Lala Rukh.[26]

Chughtai continued writing short-stories during the time despite her commitment to film projects. Her fourth collection of short-stories Chui Mui (Touch-me-not) was released in 1952 to an enthusiastic response.

motherhood
, especially its equation of womanhood.[8] Rafay Mahmood highlighted, in a 2014 editorial, the relevance of the story in the twenty-first century. Chui Mui was adapted for stage by Naseeruddin Shah as a part of a commemorative series Ismat Apa Kay Naam, with his daughter Heeba Shah playing the central character in the production.[28]

Success with writing novels (1961–90)

Beginning in the 1960s, Chughtai wrote a total of eight novels, the first of which was Masooma (The Innocent Girl), published in 1962.

social and economic injustice.[29][30][31] Her next work, the 1966 novella Saudai (Obsession) was based on the screenplay of 1951 film Buzdil, which she co-wrote with Latif.[32] Commentators have noted that Saudai could never shed its structure and still read like a screenplay despite Chughtai's efforts.[33]

Following a lukewarm reception for both Masooma and Saudai,[2] Chughtai received significant praise for her fifth novel Dil ki Duniya (The Heart Breaks Free).[33][10] Reviewing the novel, observers have placed it second only to Tedhi Lakeer in the canon of her work.[10][34] The novel follows the lives of a varied group of women living in a conservative Muslim household in Uttar Pradesh. Dil Ki Duniya, much like Tedhi Lakeer, is autobiographical in nature as Chughtai drew heavily from her own childhood in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh. Comparing the two, Hussein says, "if Tedhi Lakeer impressed me with its boldness, range and its credentials as a major novel, Dil ki Duniya's influence would linger with me forever, and I'd find its thematic and stylistic echoes in my own stories".[10]

Chughtai's 1970 novel Ajeeb Aadmi is said to have been based on the life of film actor Guru Dutt (pictured, 1955).

In the early 1970s, Chughtai wrote two novels, Ajeeb Aadmi (A Very Strange Man) and Jangli Kabootar (Wild Pigeons) that made use of her knowledge of the

Hindi film industry, which she had been a part of for the last couple of decades.[32][35] Jangli Kabootar, which was first published in 1970, follows the life of an actress and was partially inspired from a real-life incident that had occurred at the time.[36] Chughtai's grandson, filmmaker Aijaz Khan had expressed his interest in a making a feature film based on story in a 2015 interview with the Mumbai Mirror: "would like to make one of her stories, Jangli Kabootar [as the story has] always fascinated me."[37]

Ajeeb Aadmi similarly narrates the life of Dharam Dev, a popular

leading man in Bollywood and the impact that his extra-marital affair with Zareen Jamal, a fellow actress has on the lives of the people involved. The novel was said to have been based on the affair between frequent co-stars Guru Dutt and Waheeda Rehman; Dutt was married to playback singer Geeta Dutt and the couple had three children at the time.[35] While there are several allusions to real-life figures including Meena Kumari, Lata Mangeshkar, and Mohammed Rafi, members of the Dutt family and Rehman are never explicitly named.[35] Chughtai said of Ajeeb Aadmi: "[In the novel], I go into [...] why girls run after him and producers like him, and the hell they make for these men and for their wives. The novel, which was released in the early 1970s, was praised for its bold nature and candour."[38]

Mumbai-based writer and journalist, Jerry Pinto noted the impact of Ajeeb Aadmi's initial release saying, "There hadn't been a more dramatic and candid account of the tangled emotional lives of Bollywood before this."[38] Writing for the Khaleej Times in 2019, Khalid Mohamed echoed the sentiment. He called the book a first of a kind tell-all book about the Hindi film industry, one that was "an eye-opener even for the know-alls of Bollywood". Mohamed also made a detailed note of Chughtai's candid style of writing, saying that she had an "instinctive gift for relating stories frankly and fearlessly".[39]

Later years, critical reappraisals and subsequent acclaim (1990s and beyond)

Chughtai was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in the late 1980s, which limited her work thereafter.[40] She died at her house in Mumbai on 24 October 1991, following the prolonged illness.[41] Chughtai was known to have been averse of getting a burial, the common funeral practice in Islam. Rakhshanda Jalil quotes one of Chughtai's conversations with Qurratulain Hyder, a friend and contemporary writer in An Uncivil Woman: Writings on Ismat Chughtai, "I am very scared of the grave. They bury you beneath a pile of mud. One would suffocate [...] I'd rather be cremated."[42] As per most accounts, Chughtai was cremated at the Chandanwadi crematorium, in accordance with her last wishes.[41][43]

Following the translation of numerous of her works into English, a renewed interest in the Urdu literature of the twentieth century, and subsequent critical reappraisals, Chughtai's status as a writer rose.[a] Critical reappraisals for her works began with rereadings of Lihaaf, which in the intervening years has attached a greater significance; it was noted for its portrayal of the insulated life of a neglected wife in the feudal society and became a landmark for its early depiction of sex, still a taboo in modern Indian literature.[47] Lihaaf has since been widely anthologised and has become one of Chughtai's most appreciated works.[1]

With more of her work being made available for reading to a wider audience over the years, criticism centered around the limited scope of Chughtai's writing has also subsided. In a 1993 retrospective piece, Naqvi also countered the perceived scope of Chughtai's writings, saying that her work was "neither confined to nor exhausted" by the themes central to Lihaaf: "she had much, much more to offer".[7] She separately cited the example of Jangli Kabootar, which was one of the first novels in Chughtai's cannon to explore the theme of infidelity. Naqvi highlighted how despite having established herself as a significant voice in Urdu literature by this time, Chughtai still remained keen on probing new themes and expand the scope of her work.[32]

Tedhi Lakeer, which has come to be regarded as Chughtai's

lived experiences to create a radical text. He likened the novel's framework to that of a bildungsroman and praised its examination of the nationalist and feminist issues of the period.[10] Commentators have also compared Chughtai's writing style in the novel to that of French writer and intellectual Simone de Beauvoir, based on the duo's existentialist and humanist affiliations.[8][10]

Influences and writing style

Chughtai was a

Gita and the Bible with openness.[50]

Chughtai's short stories reflected the cultural legacy of the region in which she lived. This was well demonstrated in her story "Sacred Duty", where she dealt with social pressures in India, alluding to specific national, religious and cultural traditions.[51][52]

In Chughtai'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 Rashid Jehan, were also a significant early influence.[53]

Many of her writings, including Angarey and Lihaaf, were

feudal).[54][55]

In popular culture

Publications on Ismat Chughtai

Tribute

On 21 August 2018, Google celebrated her 107th birthday with a Google Doodle.[56]

Bibliography

Main article: List of works by Ismat Chughtai

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1948 Shikayat – Dialogue writer
1948 Ziddi –
1950 Arzoo –
1951 Buzdil –
1952 Sheesha –
1953 Fareb – Also co-director
1954 Darwaza –
1955 Society –
1958 Sone Ki Chidiya – Also producer
1958 Lala Rukh – Also co-director and producer
1966 Baharen Phir Bhi Ayengi –
1973
Garam Hawa
 		–
Filmfare Best Story Award
(shared with Kaifi Azmi)
1978 Junoon Miriam Labadoor Cameo appearance

Awards and honours

Year Work Award Category Result Ref.
1974 Terhi Lakeer Ghalib Award Best Urdu Drama Won [57]
1974–75
Garam Hawa
 		National Film Awards
Best Story
 Won
Filmfare Award
Best Story
 Won
– Government of India State Award – Won
1976 –
Indian civilian awards
 Padma Shri Won [58]
1979 – Andhra Pradesh Urdu Akademi Award Makhdoom Literary Award Won
1982 – Soviet Land Nehru Award – Won [59]
1990 – Rajasthan Urdu Akademi Iqbal Samman Won [59]

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^ Sources.[13][44][45][46]

Citations

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-1-134-33253-3. Archived
    from the original on 23 October 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d Parekh, Rauf (30 August 2015). "Essay: Ismat Chughtai: her life, thought and art". Dawn. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  3. ^ Bhandare, Namita (11 November 2014). "The fine print of the AMU Library row". Mint. Archived from the original on 12 October 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  4. ^ a b c Bahuguna, Urvashi (15 August 2017). "Born on India's future Independence Day, Ismat Chughtai wrote of the world she saw, not aspired to". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 16 October 2017. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
  5. ^
    University of Texas, Austin. Archived
    (PDF) from the original on 4 December 2013. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
  6. ^ a b c Coppola, Carlo (1972). "Interview with Ismat Chughtai". Mahfil. 8 (2–3): 169. Archived from the original on 1 August 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  7. ^
    University of Wisconsin. Archived
    (PDF) from the original on 26 April 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Bano, Farhat (2013). "The emergence of feminist consciousness among Muslim women the case of Aligarh" (PDF). University of Calcutta. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 May 2018. Retrieved 13 May 2018 – via Shodhganga.
  9. ^ a b c d Patel, Aakar (14 August 2015). "Ismat Chughtai's fearless pen". Livemint. Archived from the original on 26 April 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g Hussein, Aamer (4 August 2015). "How long can a river be held back by a dam?". Kindle Magazine. Archived from the original on 4 September 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  11. The Telegraph
    . Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  12. ^ a b Gupta, Neeta. "The Short Stories". School of Open Learning. Archived from the original on 6 May 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  13. ^ a b c Kumar, Kuldeep (20 January 2017). "Remembering a trailblazer". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 14 May 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  14. ^ Mitra, Ipshita (28 September 2012). "The same-sex appeal in literature". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 May 2018.[permanent dead link]
  15. ^
    The Telegraph. Archived from the original
    on 7 May 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  16. ^ Shamsie, Muneeza (27 November 2016). "The feminist voice of Ismat Chughtai". Dawn. Archived from the original on 7 May 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  17. ISBN 9788185586977
    . Retrieved 18 September 2019.
  18. ^ a b "Ismat Chughtai birth anniversary: A look at her memorable work". The Indian Express. 21 August 2018. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  19. ^ Zakaria, Rafia (26 October 2013). "Ismat Chughtai: The inner worlds of educated women". Dawn. Archived from the original on 20 April 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  20. ^ Gautam, Nishtha (22 August 2015). "Ismat Chughtai, thank you for being our Tedhi Lakeer". DailyO. Archived from the original on 6 May 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  21. ^
    ISBN 9781135943189. Archived
    from the original on 7 May 2018.
  22. ^ Hyder, Qurratulain (25 August 2017). "Ismat Chughtai dared to raise the veil of hypocrisies in Indian society". DailyO. Archived from the original on 12 May 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  23. ISBN 9788185586977. Archived
    from the original on 12 May 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  24. ISBN 9789384544850. Archived
    from the original on 12 May 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  25. ^ "Forever Nutan". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 12 May 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  26. ISBN 9789385990403. Archived
    from the original on 12 May 2018.
  27. ISBN 9781558610293
    .
  28. ^ a b Mahmood, Rafay (6 March 2014). "Ismat Apa Kay Naam: The Shahs take the stage". The Express Tribune. Archived from the original on 9 September 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  29. ^ Wadehra, Randeep (7 August 2011). "Sexploitation, cops and verse". The Tribune. Archived from the original on 13 February 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  30. ^ Jalil, Rakhshanda (12 June 2012). "Masooma by Ismat Chughtai - A review". The Biblio. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  31. Asymptote. Archived
    from the original on 24 June 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
  32. ^
    ISBN 9789385606045
    .
  33. ^ a b "Four Novellas By Ismat Chughtai Now Available in Collection". Outlook. 27 June 2014. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  34. ^ "Four Novellas By Ismat Chughtai Now Available in Collection". Outlook. 27 June 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  35. ^
    The Tribune
    . Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  36. Speaking Tiger
    . Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  37. ^ Iyer, Sanyukta (14 August 2015). "Ismat Chughtai's grandson turns director". Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  38. ^
    Speaking Tiger
    . Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  39. ^ Mohamed, Khalid (21 March 2019). "When a book dared to chronicle a doomed Bollywood romance". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  40. ^ "Remembering Midnight's Magnificent Daughter Ismat Chughtai on Her Birth Anniversary". The Wire. 15 August 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  41. ^ a b Shah, Noor (15 February 2005). "Ismat Chughtai — her life and ideals". The Milli Gazette. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  42. ^ Hyder, Qurratulain. "Ismat Chughtai dared to raise the veil of hypocrisies in Indian society". DailyO. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  43. ^ Naqvi, Tahira (14 August 2015). "The Beguiling Ismat Chugtai, Through Her Own Words". The Wire. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  44. ^ Jalil, Rakhshanda (4 August 2015). "The Crooked Line". Kindle Magazine . Archived from the original on 7 May 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  45. Hindu Business Line
    . Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  46. ^ Nair, Malini (15 March 2015). "Rediscovering the rebel". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 25 December 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  47. ISBN 978-81-7201-798-9
    .
  48. ^ "Who was Ismat Chughtai". The Indian Express. 21 August 2018. Archived from the original on 15 April 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  49. ^ "Shamim Hanfi on Chughtai". Sahapedia. 11 February 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2019 – via YouTube.
  50. ^ a b "The Milli Gazette". Archived from the original on 17 January 2008. Retrieved 27 September 2007.
  51. ^ "Ismat Chughtai". Goodreads. Archived from the original on 25 April 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  52. ^ "How Ismat Chughtai Stood Up for Freedom of Speech". The Wire. Archived from the original on 25 April 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  53. ^ "Ismat Chughtai". SAWNET.org. Archived from the original on 7 January 2012. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
  54. ^ "Remembering Ismat Chughtai, Urdu's Wicked Woman". The Wire. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  55. ^ KK, Satyavrat (8 October 2016). "Why 'Angaaray' was banned (and what it could teach an Indian author about writing of women and sex)". Scroll.in. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  56. ^ "Ismat Chughtai's 107th Birthday". Google. 21 August 2018.
  57. ^ "List of winners of Ghalib Award in Urdu, 1976 onwards". Ghalib Institute. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  58. Padma Awards. Archived
    from the original on 23 April 2018. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  59. ^
    OCLC 420600128
    .

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to Ismat Chughtai.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ismat_Chughtai&oldid=1215288428"