KISHWAR Naheed has once again written her autobiography. This time she has done the work in a different and perhaps more meaningful way. No doubt, her previous volume, Buri Aurat ki Katha, had caused quite a stir in literary circles. It was provocative enough to evoke sharp reaction from different literary and non-literary quarters for and against what she had written. But perhaps that did not satisfy her fully. She seemed to feel that much more remained to be said.
The present volume appears to be an outcome of this feeling. And, no doubt, much more has been said and in a better way. She has devised an unusual technique to say things which, if said in a direct way, would not have the required impact. A so-called bad woman engaged in a dialogue with her unborn daughter. So the title of the volume is Buri Aurat ke Khatut Nazaida Baiti ke Naam.
This reminds me of certain tales in ancient Hindu scriptures where the unborn son, being in the womb of his mother, dares to open a debate with his learned father. It may, however, seem a bit odd that while the book under discussion is replete with references from western literature, I am trying to discover in it some link with the eastern tradition of thought.
A repeat of Buri Aurat in the title is perhaps a hint that this volume should be read in continuation of the previous autobiographical work.
We already know that the author is the mother of two sons, who are off and are referred to here in different contexts. She adds to our knowledge by revealing that she also has a daughter, who, however, has chosen not to be born. It may appear unfortunate. But the author has okayed her daughter’s decision.
“It is very good of you that you refused to share these poisonous moments and decided not to make your appearance in this world.”
On another occasion, she says: “I am very thankful that you were not born.”
However, she is in constant communication with her unborn daughter. Betrayed by all of her friends and relatives, she turns to her and finds in her a sympathetic soul ready to share her sorrows. So, she bares her soul to her, narrating all the painful experiences she has had in a male-dominated society. However, the unborn daughter does not accept unquestioningly everything told to her. She dares to question her mother for her own behaviour and the mother is obliged to explain her position.
Conceived on these lines, this piece of writing could turn into a work of fiction. But Kishwar has planned it the other way. She is keen to tell her personal experiences in a direct way and to castigate all her friends, contemporaries and relatives for their callous attitude towards her. To this extent, she is personal. And she has a justification for it. After all, she is talking to her daughter, who is expected to share the woes and sorrows of her distressed mother. Who will listen to the Ram Kahani of an afflicted woman if not her daughter — a daughter who, being acutely aware of the unjust ways of a society, has refused to come out of the womb of her mother?
But what distinguishes this autobiographical account is the fact that Kishwar goes beyond what is mere personal. In fact, it is an autobiography which reads like a verdict on society. The autobiographer is angry not only with her friends and relations, but also with all of society. And don’t forget that this writer is in the forefront of the feminist movement. Every word she writes must serve the cause of women. How can she reconcile with a society which takes pride in being male-dominated and is stubbornly stuck to rituals like honour killing and Karo-kari?
Of course, she is acutely conscious of all the evils this society suffers from. For the benefit of her unborn daughter, she enumerates all these social evils as if she is presenting a charge-sheet against Pakistani society. But what, according to her, ails this society is its repressive attitude towards women? It is in relation to this anti-woman behaviour of this society that she is most sensitive. She impresses on her daughter that had she been born, she would have suffered all this during her lifetime. But why should she frighten her daughter? She has already decided not to take the risk of being born.
But a critic with a psychological outlook may detect between the lines of this writing a sense of deprivation in the writer in respect of children. She has two sons and no daughter. The unborn daughter may be seen as an expression of a hidden desire for a daughter. The two sons are, after all, males. As is evident from this account, their male psychology prompts them to try to impose restrictions on the mother. In this situation, she seems to have nurtured a secret desire to have a daughter who was expected to have a better understanding of the problems of her mother.
The book can be read and understood in different ways. It may be taken as an autobiography written differently from the formally written ones. Here we see a happy blending of social criticism and what is most personal. The introduction of an imaginary character along with real figures imparts to this realistically written account an imaginative dimension. It is an autobiography with a touch of fiction.
KISHWAR Naheed has once again written her autobiography. This time she has done the work in a different and perhaps more meaningful way. No doubt, her previous volume, Buri Aurat ki Katha, had caused quite a stir in literary circles. It was provocative enough to evoke sharp reaction from different literary and non-literary quarters for and against what she had written. But perhaps that did not satisfy her fully. She seemed to feel that much more remained to be said.
