Chauthi ka joda by ismat chughtai biography
Unitchauthi ka i
Ismat Chughtai is known for her fierce feminism that she explored by putting out on paper Urdu stories of blunt and bold themes such as gender inequality and lesbianism. The list of feminist stories by Ismat is a long one, ‘Lihaaf’, being the most controversial of them all, and hence very well known. There are various other stories that deserve attention and close critical reading, one such story is Chauthi ka Joda(The Dress Of The Fourth Day), in which Chughtai has focused on the exploitation of women done by family members for their sexual pleasure, an issue that still remains a big taboo.
Also Read: The Life and Times of Literary Iconoclast Ismat Chughtai
Chauthi ka Joda revolves around a widow, Bi amma, who lives in near-penury with her two young daughters, Kubra and Hamidah. The story focuses on Bi amma’s obsession to get Kubra married off as soon as possible, and the terrible outcome of Bi amma’s urgent and desperate attempts to get her married to her brother’s son, Rahat.
Bi amma considers marrying off Kubra as the best way to get rid of her, reduce her own burden, and secure a good future for her, and to ensure Hamidah’s timely marriage. Kubra is portrayed as an extremely simple and plain girl who is too innocent for the worldly shrewdness, and is quickly ‘aging’, as Bi amma is constantly reminded by her neighbours.
Amidst this obsession with Kubra’s marriage comes news of the arrival of the girls’ cousin Rahat, Bi amma’s brother’s son who is to live with the family for a month for his training. The family starts to worry about how they are going to feed another person with their limited income (Bi amma’s sewing skills are not enough). When Bi amma’s sister hears this, she tells Bi amma to calm down and make use of this opportunity by impressing Rahat and getting him to marry Kubra, who upon hearing this, becomes dedicated to this cause.
The obsession for marrying off Kubra is seen in full light when Rahat finally comes to live Ismat Chughtai is one of the best short story writers and one among the first few feminist writers of Urdu literature. Ismat Chughtai is considered the trend setter in Urdu short story and touched new topics which were considered taboo when Urdu short story was in its infancy and its scope of topics was very much limited. Ismat wrote on diverse topics and issues. Ismat wrote on lower and lower middle class and on the issues of women which were considered a taboo during her time for a women writer but she didnt budge before anybody and chose a different path for her very different from the other women of her times. Woman, especially the middle class Muslim woman is one important topic of her short stories. Ismat brought out the issues of women in her short stories very artistically and with rare depth and eloquence. Chughtai saw and knew about the issues and problems of women of her era and took keen interest in highlighting these through her short stories. She laments about the wretchedness and plight of women and of being her without education. She wants to see women free from any male bondage and suppression. Through her short stories Ismat wants to awake the reader about the plight of women. The women we see in the stories of Ismat Chughtais short stories dont want to be machines, but to be human and they want to proclaim this humanity and strive for their rights by breaking age old myths and obstacles surrounding them. She wants to break the male orthodoxy in society and subjugation of women. The women characters of Ismat Chughtai are different as compared to female characters depicted in earlier Urdu short stories. Chauthi Ka Joda (The Wedding Suit) is about a poor widow Bi Amma who has two daughters, Kubra and Hameeda. The story focuses on Bi Ammas obsession to get Kubra married as soon as possible, but every time she nears her goal of marrying off Kubra, something terrible happens and Kubras Indian Urdu writer and filmmaker (–) Ismat Chughtai (21 August – 24 October ) was an Indian Urdu novelist, short story writer, liberal humanist and filmmaker. Beginning in the s, she wrote extensively on themes including female sexuality and femininity, middle-class gentility, and class conflict, often from a Marxist perspective. With a style characterised by literary realism, Chughtai established herself as a significant voice in the Urdu literature of the twentieth century, and in was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India. Ismat Chughtai was born on 21 August in Badayun, Uttar Pradesh to Nusrat Khanam and Mirza Qaseem Baig Chughtai; she was the ninth of ten children—six brothers and four sisters. The family moved frequently as Chughtai's father was a civil servant; she spent her childhood in cities including Jodhpur, Agra, and Aligarh—mostly in the company of her brothers as her sisters had all got married while she was still very young. Chughtai described the influence of her brothers as an important factor which influenced her personality in her formative years. She thought of her second-eldest brother, Mirza Azim Beg Chughtai (also a novelist), as a mentor. The family eventually settled in Agra, after Chughtai's father retired from the Indian Civil Services. Chughtai received her primary education at the Women's College at the Aligarh Muslim University and graduated from Isabella Thoburn College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Despite strong resistance from her family, she completed her Bachelor of Education degree from the Aligarh Muslim University the following year. It was during this period that Chughtai became associated with the Progressive Writers' Association, having attended her first meeting in where she met Rashid Jahan, one of the leading female writers involved with the movement, who was later credited
The women in Ismat Chughtais short stories
Ismat Chughtai
Biography
Early life and career beginnings (–41)