Fahmida Riaz : A Revolutionary Feminist Poet From Pakistan

https://www.dawn.com/news/1456045

~KIS SE AB ARZU-E VASL KAREN

IS KHARABE MEN KOI MARD KAHAN

Introduction:

Fahmida Riaz was an Urdu writer and a woman poet. She was known for her strong anti establishment and feminist leanings. She is titled as author of many books which includes Gooloavari, Khatt-e-Marmuz and Khana e Aab o Gil. She is known as the author of more than 15 books. She also held the post of MD at the National Bank Foundation and also the Urdu Dictionary Board.

Early Childhood and It’s Impacts:

She took birth on 28th July , 1945 in the India before partition in a literary family of Meerat , UP. Her father passed away when she was four and her mother took responsibility of her brought up on her own shoulders, solely. Every child is destined to have an impact from the happenings of his\her life. Same was the case with Fahmida. When from the childhood she witnessed her mother going through all the thick and thin of the life her personality was surely going to be affected. Though, it was nothing less than walking on stones but it had the other side too. Her situation gave her the vision of woman being an independent and responsible being. And that was the starting point of her to swim in the sea of feminism. 

AAWAZ AND THE IMPLICATIONS:

Fahmida started writing at a very young age and managed her own Urdu publication known as Aawaaz. Aawaaz was later banned for its revolutionary vision and publishing articles based on liberal views on then ruling government. And the consequences led her family to spend almost seven years in exile.

FAHMIDA AS FEMINIST AND CRITICISM:

    

       ~KUCH LOG TMHEIN SMJHEIN GE

WO TUM KO KKHOF DILAYEIN GE

JO HAI WO KHO BHI SAKTA HAI

IS RAH ME RAHZAN HAIN ITNE

KUCH AUR YAHAN HO SAKTA HAI

KUCH AUR TOU AKSAR HOTA HAI

PR TUM JIS LAMHAY ME ZINDA HO

YE LAMHA TUMSE ZINDA HAI

YE WQT NHI PHIR AYE GA

TM APNI KRNI KR GUZRO

JO HOGA DEKHA JAYE GA

Fahmida was caught saying these remarkable words:

“Feminism has so many interpretations. What it means for me is simply that women, like men, are complete human beings with limitless possibilities. They have to achieve social equality, much like the Dalit or the Black Americans. In the case of women, it is so much more complex. I mean, there is the right to walk on the road without being harassed. Or to be able to swim, or write a love poem, like a man without being considered immoral. The discrimination is very obvious and very subtle, very cruel and always inhuman.”

Fahmida wrote various poems on the topic of cruelties against women. She talked about them openly and that is why she was criticised. Her poems ranging from “Chadar aur Chaar Deewari, Khakm Badhn, Pathr Ki Zubaan, Betha Hai Mere Samne Wo” and many more points double standards and norms of our society and that is the very reason for her criticism.

OUR RESPONSIBILITY:

Time has passed and 3 years have gone since we have lost the iconic personality of Fahmida Riaz. It is our responsibility now to remember the tenets of her working for which she had suffered a lot. It is up to us now that whether we bore fruits to the roots she reaped or we are going to waste her all efforts? A thorough thinking and implementation of the thoughts are the need of time.