The Hindu : New Delhi News : Making the choice to voice

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Saturday, Sep 24, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Making the choice to voice

Mandira Nayar

NEW DELHI: Sitting in a tiny room in the basement of India International Centre, it was an evening that was really about the "world changing". Forging bonds of the literary kind, four women writers from Pakistan -- Feryal Ali Gauhar, Muneeza Shamsi, Sabyn Javeri Jillani and Humera Afridi -- who have chosen to write in the language of the "coloniser", decided to break a few stereotypes and strike a direct connection.

"There is so much about each other we do not know, so much misinformation that we get about each other from newspapers and journalistic writing, too many opinions flying around and less curiosity. There is nearly not enough exchange in literature. Usually we read Pakistani writers through Britain or even America, but we hope this book will reverse the flow,'' said Ritu Menon of the publishing house Women Unlimited at the release of its new book, "And the World Changed'' -- contemporary stories by Pakistani women.

Writing might be an outlet from the "chaadar" and the "char-diwari" for some, while the immigrant experience might have shaped the words of others, but for most it was really about finding a context for themselves.

"Despite individual successes, English language writing by Pakistani women as a body of work is not widely known. The intention of this anthology is to break that silence and explore the fiction and creative prose of Pakistani women, who by choosing English as their creative medium, write from the extreme edges of both English and Pakistani literature,'' said Muneeza, who has edited the anthology.

Moulding the language to include experiences that are beyond the English vocabulary, while it was a challenge to introduce into staid English the "scent of wet earth", the stories explore the world of a generation and a half Pakistani women. From leaving home to finding it, these stories bring alive the world beyond the border that is familiar and yet a little foreign.

"I write from the perspective of loss. It is difficult for me to tell you what I am feeling. I am a part of you, but am not. I am a citizen of a sovereign State that was never allowed to be sovereign. I think that most people in our countries don't have the choice of a voice. I believe I have a choice and I speak the words of those who have been silenced,'' asserted Feryal.

Blurring the boundaries to see a world through the eyes of women who have lived across many divides, these stories are about creating a space for words of women whether it is the shy Sabyn, who finally found what to do with her stories in her head, or Humera, more comfortable writing than speaking.

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