Comparative Study of Ismat Chugtai and Amrita Pritam: Selected Writings
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JAC : A Journal Of Composition Theory ISSN : 0731-6755
Comparative Study of Ismat Chugtai and Amrita
Pritam: Selected Writings
Rituparna Mondal
Department of Comparative Literature( Batch 2015)
Jadavpur University, Kolkata, West Bengal
Mobile: 9830249784
Abstract- The 20th century has produced two very strong female writers, both members of the
Progressive Writers‟ Association who have not just redefined the boundaries of what constitutes „female
writing‟ but has created a literature of such powerful narratives that they have rightfully become the
hallmark of progressive and pragmatic writings. Ismat Chugtai(1911-91) and Amrita Pritam(1919-2005)
are both stalwarts of Urdu and Punjabi literature respectively. While Ismat Chugtai was a resolute
iconoclast whose often controversial writings on sexuality and political opinions have often been seen as
futuristic and upholder of women empowerment, Amrita Pritam‟s powerful invocation of the
heartbreaking stories that revolve around Partition, are perfect examples of liberal writing, she continually
writes on the amity and cultural similarity that connects Hindus and Muslims and hence delivers a
powerful message of upholding communal harmony.
This paper would talk about the socio-historical background in which these writers wrote to give a better
sense of why these writers‟ became synonymous with courage and modern sensibility, in both their
personal and professional life. The paper would discuss the following works to talk about feminism,
women empowerment, modernity and progressivism: Lihaf, Gainda, That Man, Pinjar, Rasheedi Ticket.
In an age of Me Too and communal fervour, Ismat Chugtai and Amrita Pritam‟s writings are not just a
symbol of women empowerment and modernity, but together they constitute a genre of literature that is
progressive and cosmopolitan, writings that break stereotypes and is emblematic of a powerful female
writers who not just broke but shattered the glass ceiling altogether, in their personal and professional
lives.
Keywords modernity, short stories, feminism, sexuality, women‟s rights, patriarchy
Volume XIII Issue II FEBRUARY 2020 Page No: 789JAC : A Journal Of Composition Theory ISSN : 0731-6755
Introduction
“Literature is a social institution, using as its medium language, a social creation”- Rene Wellek
Indian literature of the 20th century is a memorable record of the triumph and tragedy of the Indian people
involved in the most significant engagement in their history- the struggle for Independence and the
challenges that followed the achievements of that goal…Indian literatures written in different languages
began to negotiate with the changes in the literary community since the beginning of the 19th century that
witnessed the introduction of the printing press, the rise of the new middle class under a new educational
dispensation, and the slow decline of the traditional patronage system. (das) A new kind of literary
writing began to take shape that was influenced by the socio-political movements of the time. These
writings didn‟t follow the erstwhile theme of religious writings. If anything the writings were social
commentaries within the shell of creativity that encapsulated the ethos of modern Indian literature.
One of the most interesting influences on the modern Indian literature was that of the Progressive Writers‟
Association. The PWA was born as a result of a political consciousness, a desire for a better nation that
was ready to provide economic, social and cultural stability to its citizens. The PWA was born on 1932
after the publishing of a compilation of stories called Angarey (The Burning Embers). Members of PWA
were literary geniuses like Premchand, Sadat Hasan Manto, Khuswant Singh, Faiz Ahmed Faiz,etc. who
wrote poignant narratives on social, cultural and political issues. The Progressives believed that art had a
purpose and it was the moral responsibility of the artists to create a better place for its citizens by helping
them bring a change in the society. Historically this phase is also known as the age of revolutionary
writings, a development that could be attributed to the presence of literary intellectuals who were
ideologically Leftists. They believed in the emancipation of those who worked on grassroot levels, they
believed in the upliftment of the marginalised and social outcastes. The utopianism of progressives
naturally attracted a lot of supporters who protested against the hegemonic forces that perpetuated social
injustices and demanded reforms. The book Angarey was the first attack on society through literature.
The stories in the collection were written by Sajjad Zaheer, Mamudduzafar, Rashid Jahan and Ahmed Ali
and dealt with the prevailing problems of noble families, the hypocrisy of social and religious life in
contemporary India, and took more than a pot-shot at religious orthodoxy, attacking it with what Ahmed
Ali later referred to as the ,‟absence of circumspection‟. (ahmed)
Progressive Writers‟ Association and the consequent movement sought to transform the face of South
Asian literature and help to reshape the society under colonial rule. This kind of ambitiousness was the
very hallmark of the Progressives who mostly belonged to the middle class society in India, had a well
educated background and hence were deeply frustrated with the mediocrity and social and economic
backwardness of their nation. Ismat Chugtai and Amrita Pritam, both members of the PWA were nurtured
and influenced by these political and social ideologies. Although contemporaries, Chugtai (b. 1915) and
Pritam (b.1919) had a very different approach towards their writings. While Chugtai was known for her
fierce and often controversial writings, Pritam writings had more of a psychological undertone that tried
to capture the psyche of the subjects. Together, Chugtai and Pritam defined a new age woman writer, who
was immensely self-sustained, someone who didn‟t fear expressing their political opinions and were a
voice of protest against the systemic oppression meted out their gender.
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Ismat Chugtai and the rise of modern feminist Urdu writings
In the introduction to A Life in Words, M.Assauddin writes about the heyday of feminist writings in Urdu
literature. He talks about how there was a considerable number of women‟s journals, namely the big
three: Tahzib un Niswan(1898), Khatoon (1904) and Ismat (1908) where debates were regularly held
regarding the position of muslim women in the society and their resistance from behind the purdah. He
goes on to say that although journals and certain fictional writings did exist, there was a dearth of
autobiographical or biographical accounts by women in Urdu.
This changed with the entry of Ismat Chugtai into the Urdu literary scene. Her autobiography Kaghazi
Hai Pairahan (KHP) written for the Urdu journal Aaj Kal, published between March 1979 to May 1980,
provides us with extremely relevant glimpses into the life of Ismat Chugtai and her psychological
underpinnings that are considered to be the key to understanding her literary works. Her memoirs
collected as A Life in Words provide us with snippets of the events that lead to the cultural manifestations
of Ismat Chugtai as a writer. She mentions the orthodoxy that existed in muslim households and the life
of women behind the purdah. She ruminates about her different family members, like her cousins and
aunts and the life they lead. It is interesting to note that Ismat Chugtai‟s rebelliousness directly transfers
into her writings. For example, the short story „Chauthi Ka Joda‟ is a criticism of an orthodox society
which obsesses over spinsterhood and silences accounts of sexual abuse. Ismat‟s own mother was always
against the education of her daughter because she believed that well educated women fail to be get
married and it was said that her family believed that „educating girls was worse than prostitution‟.
Chauthi ka Joda literally means a wedding suit. The story revolves around a widow Bi-Amma and her
two young daughters Kubra and Hamidah. Bi-Amma is obsessed with getting Kubra married off as soon
as possible. She utilises the opportunity when Rahat appears on the scene. The mother and the daughters
do everything possible to lure Rahat into marrying Kubra. The story portrays the extreme pressure on
women to look beautiful, as is evident from Bi-Amma‟s lament, “ Khuda ne surat nahi di, isiliye Rahat
uski taraf dekhta tak nahin”( Rahat doesn‟t even look at her because God hasn‟t given her fair features).
Bi- Amma constantly makes Kubra do things for Rahat to compensate for her lack of beauty, while
Hamidah gets Rahat‟s attention because she is pretty.
The trope of hankering for love and attention finds an altogether different expression in Chugtai‟s most
controversial story Lihaf (The Quilt) where Begum Jaan, the wife of the Nawab is seen wilting away in
the absence of love and devotion from her husband, who doesn‟t seem interested in her and spends his
time with young choir boys. The young Begum wasn‟t even allowed to get out of her house. In order to
show what happens to these neglected house wives of our society, Chugtai spun an excellent tale that
delves into female sexuality. Unable to find love and attention from the Nawab, Begum Jaan is seen
having a lesbian relationship with Rabbu. Although Chugtai categorically says in her memoirs that she
didn‟t intend Lihaf to be a „lesbian story‟ and was just showing the measures to which women have to go
because they don‟t have the right to express their desires and are always expected to remain with her
husband even if the man treats her badly. Despite this explanation, two things must be said about Lihaf.
Firstly, the story was published at a time when the word „sex‟ was a taboo, and homosexuality was hardly
ever spoken about. Women were expected to be pure, which meant that they were treated as asexual
beings everywhere but their bedroom. To write a tale like Lihaf and to publicly defend it without an
ounce of remorse or embarrassment speaks not only of Chugtai‟s immense courage but also makes her a
woman who was always ahead of her times.
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Ismat Chugtai has been rightly described as a fierce iconoclast who refuses to keep quiet about gendered
supremacy, oppression of women and most importantly the silencing of women‟s voices to suit the
comfort of patriarchy. Her writings created a new narrative style in Urdu literature which voiced social
and political opinions and continuously questioned the morality of a degenerating society.
Amrita Pritam and feminist writings in Punjabi Literature
Amrita Pritam was one of the foremost in modern Punjabi literary scene. Her writings are philosophical
expressions of the author‟s innermost feelings and portrays the psychology of women and why women
do, what they do. Pritam‟s autobiography Rasheedi Ticket would remind one of Chugtai‟s KHP, both the
writers do not follow a strict chronological order while narrating their memories. Pritam‟s first chapte
deals with the first sixteen years of her life and then moves haphazardly to talk about her Padmshree
award and then again back to the Partition. A pervading theme in Pritam‟s writings is the theme of love
and its various ramifications- Pritam talks at length about her relationship with Sahir Ludhianvi and their
deeply passionate yet tumultuous relationship that caused problems to both the parties. It is a beautiful
account of her psychological underpinnings, interspersed with poetic outbursts. Unlike Chugtai‟s
directness and hardcore politicization of her writing subjects, Pritam follows a very nuanced manner of
narration. Her personal opinions on caste, narrated on the very beginning of Rashidi Ticket where her
family members observed untouchability with respect to Muslims or her religious opinions like failure to
pray properly to God during the morning puja portrays the dichotomies within which Hindu women
situated themselves. If Chugtai is an iconoclast who sternly revolts against Islamic orthodoxy, Pritam
voices her dissent through her short stories and novels. Her narrative tone may not be as ferocious as
Chugtai, but she appeals to the emotional faculties of the readers to draw empathy for her characters who
are victims of rape, marital abuse and societal evils.
One of the most famous novels of Pritam is Pinjar which deals with the life of a Hindu girl named Puro.
Puro is forcefully carried off and raped by a Muslim man named Rashid, who later marries Puro claiming
his love for her. In a riot torn pre-partition India, Puro is a representation of the thousands of women who
were sexually and physically abused, raped, impregnated and left to die by the members of both the
Hindu and Muslim communities. The novel follows Puro‟s life as she learns to accept her life as the
wedded wife of her rapist. Puro‟s conversion to Islam and her family member‟s denial to accept her back
is Pritam‟s way of protesting against the society which blames and shames its women for actions
perpetrated by men. Pinjar literally means skeleton and refers to a young woman who was raped and left
to die, as the girl continued to be ostracized by the society, she slowly transformed into a skeleton and
ultimately died while giving birth to a son. Pinjar is a social commentary on the position of women in the
Indian society and the need to atone for such a behaviour meted out to its women.
Pritam is seen spinning tales which portrayed different kinds of women, it was perhaps her attempt to
create a collage of women‟s narrative that underlined the fact that no matter what was the social, religious
and cultural background of these women, they were victims of subjugation and oppression. In the short
story „The Stench of Kerosene‟, Pritam creates a girl like Guleri who is hounded by her mother in law for
the former‟s inability to bear a child. Although Guleri who is loved and adored by her husband, he fails to
do anything when his mother decides to marry off her son again. The story ends with Guleri‟s suicide and
is synonymous with not just the death of women kind in the hands of men but it makes us realise that the
Volume XIII Issue II FEBRUARY 2020 Page No: 792JAC : A Journal Of Composition Theory ISSN : 0731-6755
real perpetrators are the bearers of patriarchy, which involves women like Guleri‟s mother-in-law who
bring ruin and destruction to the members of her own gender. Pritam deals with female commodification
in her another well known short story „A soundless shriek‟. The story revolves around a childless aged
couple, Sardar and his wife Nihal Kaur. As Nihal is unable to bear a child she holds herself responsible
for the sorrows of her husband and hence decides to get him married. Just like „The Stench of Kerosene‟,
the character of Nihal Kaur is seen atoning for non (Chugtai)-existing sins because that is how the society
had conditioned its women to be, subservient to her husband and always take the blame for every wrong
things that happens to his life, while the husband doesn‟t even need to reciprocate his wife‟s love and
affection. The Sardar is married off to a young girl Veero who was sold off my the male members of her
family for a mere sum of two thousand rupees. As the story proceeds we learn not just about Veero‟s
ordeals but get to hear about myths and superstitions regarding child birth when Veero gets pregnant. The
story ends with Veero confessing to Nihal Kaur that the baby doesn‟t belong to the Sardar but to her lover
who cannot accept her.
The sufferings of women within the “holy matrimony” as envisaged by the elders of our society is a
recurrent theme in Pritam‟s novels. Her realistic depiction of the marital insufficiencies with respect to the
psyche and body of women is one that needs to be acknowledged more and given credit. Pritam
singlehandedly narrativizes women‟s voices by showcasing women as objectified, sexualised
commodities whose rights are neither protected by their families nor the society.
Conclusion
Women‟s writing in India has come a long way since Krishnobhabini Rai and Rashashundari Debi started
writing about their experiences in the form of memoirs. To think of a single cataclysmic moment that
redefined feminist writings in India would be impossible but it can be said that the influence of the
Progressive Writers‟ Association on its women writers is of considerable significance. The idea behind
this paper was to write about two of the most iconic female writers of the 20 th century who encapsulated
the power and tenacity of women. Ismat Chugtai and Amrita Pritam perfectly fits this description for their
unwavering support for women‟s issues which could be seen through their body of work that voices,
narrativizes and fights for women. Together these two powerhouse writers provide us with female
characters who are real women of blood and bones, characters who are relatable an still exists in the
present age. Through their writings we get to not just experience the social reality of 20th century India
and its women but we also learn about the genesis of a new age woman who uses her morality and
strength to shatter break societal convention and express her own sexuality and love.
Volume XIII Issue II FEBRUARY 2020 Page No: 793JAC : A Journal Of Composition Theory ISSN : 0731-6755
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Author-Reader Intermediaries A History of Indian Literature: 1911-1956 DelhiSahitya Akademi 1994
Factors contributing to the fomation of Progressive Writers' Association Literature and Politics in the Age of
Nationalism New Delhi Routledge India 2009 447 English
WORKS CITED
Ismat Chugtai: A Life in Words Navi Mumbai Penguin Books India 2012 English
Lifting the Veil New Delhi Penguin Books India 2018 English
Pinjar, The Skeleton and Other Stories New Delhi Tara India Research Press 2015 English
The Revenue Stamp Kolkata Vikas Publishing House 2015 English
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