Ismat Chughtai is known for her fierce feminist ideologies. Fondly addressed as ‘apa’ or ‘elder sister’, Chughtai, in one of her rare interviews on Doordarshan in the ’80s, spoke extensively about her childhood influences. She was a writer, an educator and an icon of women's empowerment. Chughtai penned her early pieces in the late 1930s but was not much known in the literary circles until 1942, the year ‘Lihaaf’ was published. In most of her works she raises a serious concern towards The Quilt is one of few stories fully about women, but not feministic, this edge is not overstepped by Ismat, the author does not affirm that women are fully self-contained and need no men, on the contrary – they lack men’s attention and love, and if they don’t get it they would search for alternatives. Interestingly, she also wrote the dialogue for Shyam Benegal’s Junoon in 1978, and even played the role of Jennifer Kendal’s character’s mother. In this line Ismat Chughtai is trying to explain the patriarchal attitude of society. Chughtai explored her unapologetic feminism by committing to paper Urdu stories of raw and unconventional themes such as gender inequality and same-sex relationships. Ismat Chughtai’s short stories helped in bringing out many complications in society which would rather have been unknown to people in India. Even as a child, I always insisted on doing everything that my brothers did.". Originally published at www.literatureguide.in. Nawab Sahab was rich, highly reputation and powerful and it is enough for any parents. She was, without a doubt, the grande dame of modern Urdu fiction. For her writing Ismat gain a title “Rebellion”, during her life she faced lots of criticism from her parents, relatives and society but she never stop herself to write. Ismat Chughtai. "Lihaaf" ("The Quilt") is a 1942 Urdu short story written by Ismat Chughtai. She said, “In my stories, I’ve put down everything with objectivity. She lived her life the way she wanted, and wrote the truth in her many stories, novels, and nonfiction essays. Her father, Mirza Qaseem Beg Chaghtai, was a civil servant, whose work took the family to cities like Jodhpur, Agra and Aligarh. In so doing Chughtai challenged the central tenet of Muslim nationalism, the idea of the family as the means of preserving Muslim culture and virtue. Main Theme: Homosexuality, sexual discrimination, marriage for money etc, Nawab Sahab: A well reputed Nawab and a homosexual, Begum Jaan: wife of Nawab Sahab and our story protagonist Amiran: A little girl who is niece of Begum Jaan and she is narrating the story Rabbu : Servant in Begum Jaan house, Some other servants, some children and mother of Amiran. So we can imagine that how much difficult it will be for Ismat Chughtai to write about the subject of Homosexuality on that time. Chughtai faced severe criticism for another of her famous stories, Gainda (Marigold) in 1938. Ismat chughtai in her short story ‘Tiny’s granny (Nanhi ki naani)’ takes up the issue of identity crisis and insecurities of sorts. “Nawab was” but who suffer ? These people think that there is nothing wrong if they can do things behind the curtains… All of them are half-wits. Chughtai began writing in her early teens, stories that she claimed were around her and just waiting to be penned. The story proceeds with the perspective of a small, innocent girl, and deals with certain themes considered "obscene." I would like to give some example of Bollywood movies which banned by censor board of India due to the intense scene of Homosexuality and other issues of society. Quilt (Lihaaf) is the most controversial and most popular work by well-known Urdu writer of Indian Sahitya (Literature) “Ismat Chugtai”, story of Quilt … I want to portray her tension and desperation.”. Malika Kishwar, the Queen Mother of Awadh, travelled to London to meet Queen Victoria and plead for her son. When a local cleric condemned The Women’s School as ‘a brothel which produced abominations’, Chughtai wrote an article in the Aligarh Gazette, calling on progressive teachers and students to support the school and rally in support of women’s education. Introduction Lihaf is an Urdu short story that made Ismat Chughtai popular for its controversies. It’s my belief that experiences can never be obscene if they are based on authentic realities of life. Available in Hindi and Urdu.For meaning of Urdu words you do not understand, click on that word. Nawab have lots features of “women” but was not ready to leave his patriarchy attitude of men that “I am a men and I am superior”. It was a sharp critique on the sexual exploitation of young, female domestic help by their masters’ sons. 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