GOING down the memory lane, Kishwer Naheed tries hard but fails to recall the name of the first film she saw on the silver screen. All she recalls is this: “The entire khandaan was sitting together in the cinema house with myself comfortably seated in my mother’s lap when suddenly a man’s face zoomed in on the cinema screen. I don’t remember the actor, but only that my mother at once put her naqab down, saying, ‘Mua meri taraf hi deekhey jaa raha hai’ (what nonsense, he is looking directly towards me!)”
Kishwer also remembers that her father took the whole family to see Pukaar, because he himself was a great admirer of Naseem Pari Chehra (Saira Bano’s mother). We were only allowed to see award-winning or classic films like Treasure Island, or any other course-related film. Romantic and commercial films were a complete no-no, she hastens to add while recalling those good — or may be not-so-good — old days.
After marriage she made sure to make up for the lost time, but still picked only the classics and films recommended by trusted friends. Today it has been more than 20 years that she has not been to the cinema, but whenever there is time left from her voracious reading, she brings home a ‘recommended film’.
The last few she saw on the cable and enjoyed were Fire of Nandita Daas, Tammanna of Pooja Bhatt, Baghban of Amitabh and Hema Malini, Tehzeeb of Shabana Azmi, and Pinjar of Urmila. Lawrence of Arabia and Roman Holiday are among her favourites from the world of Hollywood.
Music has been a passion with Kishwer Naheed. Participating in children’s programmes and going to the radio station, she had the privilege of meeting and listening to all the great masters of the subcontinent. “From Roshan Ara and Mukhtar Begum to Chote Ghulam Ali Khan and Madam Noor Jehan, I had the pleasure of personally listening to all of them. Living legends like Mehdi Hasan and Fareeda Khanum are all close friends.”
She prefers classical music only and can “enjoy” but can’t “relate” to any other form. Amongst the younger lot, she likes Shafqat, because of his “good voice and sound schooling in the classical genre”.
As a child, she remembers not having a radio set in the house and going to her maternal uncle’s place to listen to qawwali and mushairas. “In fact, going to a mushaira was a major social event in those days. Our entire family would travel to places as far as Meerut, Aligarh and Buland Shehr to attend a mushaira where, segregated by a chik, men and women used to enjoy Jigar Muradabadi, Majaz and Jagan Nath Azad reciting their kalam in taranum.
Kishwer enjoys prose and poetry equally. “In case of poetry, I am a compulsive reader whether it is from Pakistan or any other country.” Among the best books she has are collections of Izharul Haq and Iftikhar Naseem. Besides, she finds Margrett Attwood and June Jordon “very close to me both in terms of writing prose and poetry”. She keeps herself up to date with the latest literature, but she can never re-read prose, “be it Arundathi Roy or Quratul Ain Haider ... once a book is read, it’s done.”
Does she allocate separate time to writing and reading, doing justice to both the inspiration and her craving? “Writing and reading are two separate things. The computer built in the mind is constantly at work. It’s like a recipe which is being cooked inside. When the thing is ready, it will come out. But, of course, reading is extremely essential for writing. New and good work opens many windows in the mind.”
Reading other people’s work gives her “great joy” specially “if I can relate to them”, to know someone else is also thinking on the same lines. She feels it is a pity that we have not been able to move beyond romanticism. “This world has so many topics to write on, but we are stuck with the Laila-Majnoon love story,” she regrets.
In spite of her extremely busy schedule, she does take out time to relax and enjoy. Her idea of entertainment is to call a group of friends over, cook for them and enjoy the evening chatting.
How she manages her time with all this is something she herself can explain. “You don’t find time, you have to create it. Or otherwise, be prepared for a boring life.” But this word is not in her dictionary. “I have so many phases of enjoyment during one day. Life wants more, I will not disappoint it.”
FAVOURITE MOVIES: English Classics & Urdu art films
FAVOURITE MUSIC: Bismillah Khan, Ustad Sharif Khan and Roshan Ara Begum
GOING down the memory lane, Kishwer Naheed tries hard but fails to recall the name of the first film she saw on the silver screen. All she recalls is this: “The entire khandaan was sitting together in the cinema house with myself comfortably seated in my mother’s lap when suddenly a man’s face zoomed in on the cinema screen. I don’t remember the actor, but only that my mother at once put her naqab down, saying, ‘Mua meri taraf hi deekhey jaa raha hai’ (what nonsense, he is looking directly towards me!)”
