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. ---- 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 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism