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कागजी है पैरहन
A Life in Words, the first complete translation of her celebrated memoir Kaghazi hai Pairahan, provides an authentic and delightful account of several crucial years of Ismat’s life. Presented along with the vivid and high-energy descriptions of her childhood years are the conflicted experiences of growing up in a large Muslim family during the early decades of the twentieth century. We get an intimate view of a writer’s fierce struggle to find her own voice and depict with passion and precision the visible and subtle tyrannies of contemporary society. A Life in Words is a searingly honest and compellingly readable memoir of the life of one of the most significant Urdu writers of all time.
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First published January 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
November 12, 2025
“I had to wear a burqa for the first time, and I cannot put into words the sense of humiliation I had to suffer. So intense was this feeling of debasement that several times I thought of jumping off the train and committing suicide.”
“Human beings have ostensibly given up cannibalism, but the truth is that they continue to devour human flesh in some form or the other.”
A very important and impressive collection of works from the erudite Chughtai, who wrote one of the first novels in India depicting lesbian love. I am forever grateful to have read this since it is a great primer on Indian history and culture, which I have learned nothing about from my American public school education. Would recommend.
“Human beings have ostensibly given up cannibalism, but the truth is that they continue to devour human flesh in some form or the other.”
A very important and impressive collection of works from the erudite Chughtai, who wrote one of the first novels in India depicting lesbian love. I am forever grateful to have read this since it is a great primer on Indian history and culture, which I have learned nothing about from my American public school education. Would recommend.
March 19, 2022
نجانے کتنے عرصے سے منفرد سے غیر دریافت شدہ خودنوشتوں کی تلاش رہتی ہے. عموماً جو آپ بیتیاں اوسط درجہ کی محسوس ہوتی ہیں، وہ وہی ہوتی ہیں جن کی شروعات، افسانوی رنگ کی بجائے رپورتاژ کی شکل میں اہل خانوادہ و عیال کی تاریخ و حسب نسب کے بیان سے کردی جائیں۔
عصمت چغتائی کی خودنوشت بہت ہی عمدہ اور دلچسپ انداز میں شروع ہوتی ہے. بعد کے واقعات میں بھی تسلسل اور داستاں گوئی کے جوہر موجود ہیں. اس کتاب کی واحد کمی کرداروں کے بھرمار اور حسبِ ضرورت تعارف نہ ہونا ہے. قاری سمجھ ہی نہیں پاتا کہ باجی و آپا میں کس کردار کا تذکرہ ہورہا ہے. اسی ننھے و منے بھائی میں مرزا عظیم بیگ چغتائی و شمیم و نسیم بیگ چغتائی کو ڈھونڈنا جوئے شیر لانے کے مترادف بن جاتا ہے۔
عصمت چغتائی کی خودنوشت بہت ہی عمدہ اور دلچسپ انداز میں شروع ہوتی ہے. بعد کے واقعات میں بھی تسلسل اور داستاں گوئی کے جوہر موجود ہیں. اس کتاب کی واحد کمی کرداروں کے بھرمار اور حسبِ ضرورت تعارف نہ ہونا ہے. قاری سمجھ ہی نہیں پاتا کہ باجی و آپا میں کس کردار کا تذکرہ ہورہا ہے. اسی ننھے و منے بھائی میں مرزا عظیم بیگ چغتائی و شمیم و نسیم بیگ چغتائی کو ڈھونڈنا جوئے شیر لانے کے مترادف بن جاتا ہے۔
June 11, 2021
Not sure if it was the translation, but felt no thrill or beauty in the prose.
Loved:
The beginning and the end. Keen observations.
Expressing her views with frankness, honesty and sheer bluntness.
Her thoughts were much ahead of her time.
Issues on burkha, girl kid education, her rebellious spirit.
Conversations and funny instances related to Nanhe Bhai.
Obscenity charges and exchanges with Manto.
Intriguing details about Lihaaf and Angarey.
Her close friends and the mindset against caste by family members of friends.
Towards the end - there are a couple of pages dedicated to collection of rare books, reading habits in family, book treasures. Pure delight!
Did not like:
Dry narration throughout.
Felt like a diary of daily regular life (which is what a memoir is! duh!) without much interesting stuff.
The book structure was pretty abstract. Chapter changes were pretty disconnected.
My state of mind while reading this. Kind of a slump. It deserves another try.
Loved:
The beginning and the end. Keen observations.
Expressing her views with frankness, honesty and sheer bluntness.
Her thoughts were much ahead of her time.
Issues on burkha, girl kid education, her rebellious spirit.
Conversations and funny instances related to Nanhe Bhai.
Obscenity charges and exchanges with Manto.
Intriguing details about Lihaaf and Angarey.
Her close friends and the mindset against caste by family members of friends.
Towards the end - there are a couple of pages dedicated to collection of rare books, reading habits in family, book treasures. Pure delight!
Did not like:
Dry narration throughout.
Felt like a diary of daily regular life (which is what a memoir is! duh!) without much interesting stuff.
The book structure was pretty abstract. Chapter changes were pretty disconnected.
My state of mind while reading this. Kind of a slump. It deserves another try.
May 17, 2012
To readers, Ismat Chughtai was an eminent Urdu writer. Her bold protagonists stood out from the ordinary, her outspoken approach jolted regressive minds and her rebellious themes raised many eyebrows. Her strong feminist ideology, blunt and deliberate, made her one of the most controversial and successful writers of her time. 'A Life in Words: Memoir' (Kaghazi Hai Pairahan) is Ismat Chughtai speaking to us in defence of 'Lihaaf', her controversial short story, and to an extent, justifying her disposition of being a rebel in a then orthodox society. Read full review on The Times of India (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/li...)
September 13, 2015
Need to read Lihaaf now.
June 4, 2012
A must read for all Chughtai fans. Even more so for those who have no knowledge of her except, perhaps her unnecessarily sensationalized 'Lihaaf'. Special thanks to the translator for being as faithful to Urdu as he possibly can. Ismat is probably one of the most underrated Urdu feminist writers, IMHO. The book is a true insight into the making of a revolutionary writer at a time when girls were hardly exposed to basic education. A salute to her fighting spirit.
January 4, 2022
“Women cook food Ismat. When you go to your in-laws what will you feed them?” he asked gently after the crisis was explained to him. “If my husband is poor, then we will make khichdi and eat it and if he is rich, we will hire a cook,” I answered. My father realised his daughter was a terror and that there wasn’t a thing he could do about it.”
― Ismat Chughtai
A life in words is an honest collection of memories and moments of the life of prolific Urdu writer ‘Ismat Chughtai’. Born in a time where the only job of a woman was to get married and procreate, Ismat Aapa, as she was fondly called, was a rebel with a cause. Not willing to be tied down into domesticity she fought with an orthodox and misogynist world for her right to be educated and have a career in the field of education. Here was a woman way ahead of her time, who decided to take her life into her own hands and shape her destiny.
Her father was a magistrate which allowed her family to travel the length and breadth of the country and have many experiences. Quick-witted and possessing a sharp tongue she found herself constantly being admonished by her traditional mother who worried about her marriage and chided by her well-educated father and brothers who indulged her love of books.
Surrounded by a horde of siblings, nieces, nephews, aunts, and uncles her life was rich with stories, so it was not a surprise that she started documenting her life experiences in short stories for Urdu journals with the women she knew being the central protagonists. She published numerous short stories, novels and plays where her candour was enough to shock most minds and raised many eyebrows. A woman who wrote for women she was a beacon of women empowerment and her writing reflected their inner desires and strengths at a time when no one heard or wanted them to speak.
The story that got her fame and disrepute was Lihaf (Quilt), about Begum Jan, the wife of Nawab, a rich lord, who spent all his time away from her with prostitutes. The neglected, lonely wife found solace and love in the arms of Rabbo, her servant who was dedicated to her in every possible way. It caused a huge uproar in literary circles with a case of obscenity filed against her in Lahore court. The story was a breakthrough for its early depiction of sex which was a taboo in the Indian literary and non-literary circles.
Imagine being a woman in a feudal and traditional society being hauled to a criminal court because of something you wrote, in a world where you were not supposed to be seen or heard? What courage would it have taken for her to document many such stories without mincing any words in her trademark nonchalant style? There are many words lost in translation as the original book was written in Urdu but as a reader, you are so engrossed that you find yourself caught up in the madness of a time when life was simpler yet so complex. A quote by her that has always resonated with me is "I have always thought of myself first as a human being and then as a woman". imagine if this is how the world perceived us, how different our lives would be?
Ismat Chughtai is a must-read for anyone who wants to fight this fight for feminism, women's right to self-expression and just being themselves.
― Ismat Chughtai
A life in words is an honest collection of memories and moments of the life of prolific Urdu writer ‘Ismat Chughtai’. Born in a time where the only job of a woman was to get married and procreate, Ismat Aapa, as she was fondly called, was a rebel with a cause. Not willing to be tied down into domesticity she fought with an orthodox and misogynist world for her right to be educated and have a career in the field of education. Here was a woman way ahead of her time, who decided to take her life into her own hands and shape her destiny.
Her father was a magistrate which allowed her family to travel the length and breadth of the country and have many experiences. Quick-witted and possessing a sharp tongue she found herself constantly being admonished by her traditional mother who worried about her marriage and chided by her well-educated father and brothers who indulged her love of books.
Surrounded by a horde of siblings, nieces, nephews, aunts, and uncles her life was rich with stories, so it was not a surprise that she started documenting her life experiences in short stories for Urdu journals with the women she knew being the central protagonists. She published numerous short stories, novels and plays where her candour was enough to shock most minds and raised many eyebrows. A woman who wrote for women she was a beacon of women empowerment and her writing reflected their inner desires and strengths at a time when no one heard or wanted them to speak.
The story that got her fame and disrepute was Lihaf (Quilt), about Begum Jan, the wife of Nawab, a rich lord, who spent all his time away from her with prostitutes. The neglected, lonely wife found solace and love in the arms of Rabbo, her servant who was dedicated to her in every possible way. It caused a huge uproar in literary circles with a case of obscenity filed against her in Lahore court. The story was a breakthrough for its early depiction of sex which was a taboo in the Indian literary and non-literary circles.
Imagine being a woman in a feudal and traditional society being hauled to a criminal court because of something you wrote, in a world where you were not supposed to be seen or heard? What courage would it have taken for her to document many such stories without mincing any words in her trademark nonchalant style? There are many words lost in translation as the original book was written in Urdu but as a reader, you are so engrossed that you find yourself caught up in the madness of a time when life was simpler yet so complex. A quote by her that has always resonated with me is "I have always thought of myself first as a human being and then as a woman". imagine if this is how the world perceived us, how different our lives would be?
Ismat Chughtai is a must-read for anyone who wants to fight this fight for feminism, women's right to self-expression and just being themselves.
May 21, 2018
عرصہ دراز کے بعد بہت عمدہ کتاب پڑھنے کا اتفاق ہوا ۔ عصمت کو میں نے بہت تو نہیں پڑھا،انکا ذکر دوزخ نامہ میں ہوا اور میرا تجسس بڑھنے لگا۔ دو ایک افسانے پڑھے مگر وہ بات نہ بنی۔ ایک ساتھی نے اپنے انسٹا گرام پر یہ کتاب لگائی اور ان سے پوچھ کر پیکجز مال لاہور سے حاصل کی۔
اس کتاب میں عصمت کی زندگی کے مختلف ادوار لکھے ہیں اور اتنے خوبصورت انداز میں کہ قاری ان میں کھو جائے۔ مجھے بعض مقامات پر محسوس ہوتا ہے کہ میں خود عصمت سے باتیں کر رہی ہوں۔ انداز بیان اور منظر کشی اعلی پائے کی کیگئی ہے۔ مگر پرانے اور نئے ایڈیشن میں ترتیب کا فرق ہے؛ نئی ترتیب اسکو بہت دلکش بناتا ہے۔
عصمت برصغیر کی ان خواتین میں شامل ہیں جو بی۔اے پاس تھی اور یہ ہرگز عام نہ تھا۔ مخالفت کے باوجود وہ پڑھی نوکری کی اور عورت ہونے کو کبھی عار نہیں بنایا۔ اسکے ساتھ اس کتا ب میں عورت ابد سے کیسی تھی کیل مقام تھا اور وہ مقام کیسے کھو گیا. دور حاضر تک اس مقام پہ کیسے آئی اور شادی کی ابتدا کیسے ہوئی لکھا ہے.
مثبت رویہ ہر شے کو بدل دیتا ہے مگر اس کے ساتھ لگن ہونا ضروری ہے ۔ اس نے زندگی میں محبت کو کبھی ڈھال نہ بنایا اپنے اور لڑکیوں کے حصول علم کے لیے کام کیا اور یہ بھی پرواہ نہیں رہی کہ سامنے والی لڑکی مسلمان ہے یا دیگر مذاہب کے ماننے والوں میں سے کوئی ہے۔ جبکہ یہ وہ دور تھا ان باتوں کو لازم و ملزوم سمجھا جاتا تھا.
میں عصمت سے باتیں ہی کر رہی تھی کہ اچانک کتاب کا احتمام ہوا بہت باتیں ابھی بھی جاننا چاہتی ہوں. آپ بھی اس کتاب کو ضرور پڑھیں امید ہے پسند آئے گی.
اس کتاب میں عصمت کی زندگی کے مختلف ادوار لکھے ہیں اور اتنے خوبصورت انداز میں کہ قاری ان میں کھو جائے۔ مجھے بعض مقامات پر محسوس ہوتا ہے کہ میں خود عصمت سے باتیں کر رہی ہوں۔ انداز بیان اور منظر کشی اعلی پائے کی کیگئی ہے۔ مگر پرانے اور نئے ایڈیشن میں ترتیب کا فرق ہے؛ نئی ترتیب اسکو بہت دلکش بناتا ہے۔
عصمت برصغیر کی ان خواتین میں شامل ہیں جو بی۔اے پاس تھی اور یہ ہرگز عام نہ تھا۔ مخالفت کے باوجود وہ پڑھی نوکری کی اور عورت ہونے کو کبھی عار نہیں بنایا۔ اسکے ساتھ اس کتا ب میں عورت ابد سے کیسی تھی کیل مقام تھا اور وہ مقام کیسے کھو گیا. دور حاضر تک اس مقام پہ کیسے آئی اور شادی کی ابتدا کیسے ہوئی لکھا ہے.
مثبت رویہ ہر شے کو بدل دیتا ہے مگر اس کے ساتھ لگن ہونا ضروری ہے ۔ اس نے زندگی میں محبت کو کبھی ڈھال نہ بنایا اپنے اور لڑکیوں کے حصول علم کے لیے کام کیا اور یہ بھی پرواہ نہیں رہی کہ سامنے والی لڑکی مسلمان ہے یا دیگر مذاہب کے ماننے والوں میں سے کوئی ہے۔ جبکہ یہ وہ دور تھا ان باتوں کو لازم و ملزوم سمجھا جاتا تھا.
میں عصمت سے باتیں ہی کر رہی تھی کہ اچانک کتاب کا احتمام ہوا بہت باتیں ابھی بھی جاننا چاہتی ہوں. آپ بھی اس کتاب کو ضرور پڑھیں امید ہے پسند آئے گی.
July 14, 2016
Love the subject and am so fascinated by Chugtai her sensibility, and take on life as evidenced by her books but this book (apparently her memoir translated) was disjointed and could not keep my interest; can't tell if it was the narrative or just a bad translation because Chugtai herself is a compelling writer (and an even more compelling person) but maybe not as dextrous a memoirist. This did however provide a good insider view of the making of a leading and fearless urdu writer from the progressive writers' movement in India!
December 24, 2012
Patchy narrative and nothing about her personal, aka marital, life at all, and honestly, that intrigued me even more.
October 8, 2017
A lot of things, Ismat sketched in the book hold true even in present times. How a girl should be perceived as good and how should she behave in order to be perceived as good.
August 21, 2017
This was a book about a female Muslim writer from India (at the time before the partition) very much cut from the same cloth that Edward Said is in many ways in that she was an intellectual. It was a coincidence that I was also reading a couple of Edward Said books at the time and one being his memoirs. This was the same but covered a very short period of her life (like the Said book) but I couldn’t really engage with this one. It went through a myriad of names of relatives but I couldn’t really associate myself with them. The book started off well with beautiful descriptions of my place of birth (Lahore in what is now Pakistan) and interesting insights into the books that influenced her, and her struggles and desperation to get an education at a time when most women from that part of the world were encouraged to get married only. Here were some of my favourite parts of the book:
• “Human beings have ostensibly given up cannibalism but the truth is that they continue to devour human flesh in some form or the other. I couldn’t care less for such a world and detest the principles of the system which allows this.”
• “Books have affected me more than anything else in my life. Every book I have read has given me something. I have looked for answers to most of my problems and found them. Books have proved to be my closest friends, providing me succour in moments of sorrow. I have coped with my hours of darkness and a thousand deprivations with the help of these friends.”
• “Only I know how I read those books by stuffing my nostrils. I love books. I feel uneasy if I don’t have books and journals scattered on my bed. There are book in every nook and cranny of my house. Even the bathrooms are stuffed with comics and magazines of all kinds. The same is true of my daughters. My grandson too is crazy about books. He falls asleep with books lying by his side.”
• “In the beginning men and women has more of less equal status. in terms of physical strength too there was not much difference. Division of labour was implemented in the conduct of daily life among tribes. Women produced children who strengthened the tribe, so they has a position of prominence. Before the institution of marriage came into vogue, children were identified by their mothers. Women have multiple husbands and there was no way children could be identified except by the mother. They got their names from the mother. Women used to be the chief of the tribes. Slowly the quest for comfort made them physically weak. Just as the rulers wallowing in luxury lose their kingdoms and become kings in name only, women lost their importance and were turned into machines for producing children. They were gradually relegated to working at home."
• “Human beings have ostensibly given up cannibalism but the truth is that they continue to devour human flesh in some form or the other. I couldn’t care less for such a world and detest the principles of the system which allows this.”
• “Books have affected me more than anything else in my life. Every book I have read has given me something. I have looked for answers to most of my problems and found them. Books have proved to be my closest friends, providing me succour in moments of sorrow. I have coped with my hours of darkness and a thousand deprivations with the help of these friends.”
• “Only I know how I read those books by stuffing my nostrils. I love books. I feel uneasy if I don’t have books and journals scattered on my bed. There are book in every nook and cranny of my house. Even the bathrooms are stuffed with comics and magazines of all kinds. The same is true of my daughters. My grandson too is crazy about books. He falls asleep with books lying by his side.”
• “In the beginning men and women has more of less equal status. in terms of physical strength too there was not much difference. Division of labour was implemented in the conduct of daily life among tribes. Women produced children who strengthened the tribe, so they has a position of prominence. Before the institution of marriage came into vogue, children were identified by their mothers. Women have multiple husbands and there was no way children could be identified except by the mother. They got their names from the mother. Women used to be the chief of the tribes. Slowly the quest for comfort made them physically weak. Just as the rulers wallowing in luxury lose their kingdoms and become kings in name only, women lost their importance and were turned into machines for producing children. They were gradually relegated to working at home."
July 26, 2024
I've wanted to read Ismat Chughtai's memoirs / autobiography for a while. I finally got around to reading it.
This book 'A Life in Words : Memoirs' ('Kaghazi Hai Pairahan') can be more accurately called a memoir rather than an autobiography. In it, Ismat Chughtai gives an account of a few years of her life, and describes events and incidents which were important to her and made an impact on her life. The story is not chronological – it doesn't start from one particular time and end at another particular time. The story moves back and forth. Sometimes two chapters are sequential and continue a particular series of events. At other times, the different chapters feel independent. On the whole, the book feels like a collection of essays, mostly independent, about Ismat Chughtai's life. I later discovered that she wrote this for a literary magazine and one chapter used to appear in the magazine every month. Ismat Chughtai seems to have told the editor of the magazine that it is not going to be a continuous account, and she'll just share things that she remembers. When we read the book, this is how we feel. We feel that we are having a conversation with someone and the story moves back and forth. Ismat Chughtai herself says this about her writing –
"I began to experience the same thrill in writing as I did in reading. I was counted among the chatterboxes in our talkative family. When I wrote, I imagined my readers sitting before me. I talked and they listened. Some agreed with me. Some didn't; some smiled while others got angry, and some felt jealous. Even now, I experience the same feelings. I narrate stories to my audience like a traditional storyteller. And just as a storyteller inserts personal opinions in the telling of a story, I do too."
In her memoir, Ismat Chughtai talks about her family, about her mom and dad and her brothers and sisters and shares many family stories. If we are familiar with her short stories, we can spot the inspiration behind some of them in her family stories. She also talks about the time a case was filed against her when she published her short story 'Lihaaf' ('The Quilt'). It was very fascinating to read. Some of her fellow writers asked her to apologize for publishing the story, and she was told that she'll be let off if she apologized. She refused. She also talks about how she had to fight with her family to get educated. Her family was totally against her going to high school and college. She managed to fight and win and get there and then went on to become the headmistress in a school. She also talks about the time she worked in a school owned by a Nawab and how he tried to get her married to his son. One of the stories I loved was about her friendship with a Hindu girl when they were kids and how they later drifted apart, but many years later they got in touch again and at that time her friend was getting married and when they met on the eve of the wedding, the years melted away and they became kids again. It was a beautiful story. Another of my favourite stories is about her time in Isabella Thoburn College in Lucknow. She talks about her inspiring English teacher Dr.Tucker, who is eighty years old. She knew English literature inside out and the way she taught her students was very inspiring. Hoping that one day I can visit Isabella Thoburn College. Both Ismat Chughtai and Rashid Jahan studied there. It is a hallowed institution. Ismat Chughtai also mentions Rashid Jahan in many places and talks about how Rashid Jahan is one of her biggest inspirations. Ismat Chughtai studied in the school that Rashid Jahan's parents had founded and she shares many anecdotes from that time which are charming to read.
There are more stories in the book, many more. I'll let you read the book and enjoy its pleasures yourself.
One of the things from the book that left a deep impression on me was this passage.
"We were ten siblings, two of whom did not have any children. Thirty-nine children were born to eight brothers and sisters. Out of them, thirteen migrated to Pakistan and sixteen chose to stay back here in India. Azim Bhai had already died. Among the brothers, four migrated to Pakistan after Partition, one stayed in India. All the four sisters, including me, stayed back in India. Among the four brothers who went over to Pakistan, three have died and one, who is younger than I, is alive. The brother who lives in India is older than me."
It was sad to read that Partition divided her family and half of them ended up in each of the two countries. This happens all the time today, when family members move apart as they go to work and live in new places and the physical and emotional distance between them increases. But when this parting is forced by historical circumstances, it is hard to take. I had a boss once. He invited me home for dinner to celebrate the Chinese New Year with his family. I went with him. His wife was there and his brother and his family were there. His dad was also there. My boss was in his fifties at that time, and so his dad must have been in his eighties. After we all talked for a while and we were all enjoying dinner and there was a festive and relaxed atmosphere at home , everyone told me the story of my boss' dad. My boss was Taiwanese but his dad lived his younger years when Taiwan and China were one country. Somehow after 1949, he ended up in Taiwan and his sister ended up in China and they couldn't meet again. Many decades later a chartered flight was organized between the two countries so that family members who ended up on the two sides could meet again. My boss' dad was on that flight and when he landed in China and met his sister for the first time in decades, the two hugged each other and were crying for the whole day and couldn't speak a single word. After hearing the story, I started crying. This is what happens when families are divided because of political and historical events. It is heartbreaking.
I loved Ismat Chughtai's memoirs. It was beautiful, moving, charming, inspiring. I'd love to read a proper biography of her which describes the events of her life chronologically. I discovered that there is one such biography. Hoping to read it soon.
Have you read Ismat Chughtai's memoirs? What do you think about it?
This book 'A Life in Words : Memoirs' ('Kaghazi Hai Pairahan') can be more accurately called a memoir rather than an autobiography. In it, Ismat Chughtai gives an account of a few years of her life, and describes events and incidents which were important to her and made an impact on her life. The story is not chronological – it doesn't start from one particular time and end at another particular time. The story moves back and forth. Sometimes two chapters are sequential and continue a particular series of events. At other times, the different chapters feel independent. On the whole, the book feels like a collection of essays, mostly independent, about Ismat Chughtai's life. I later discovered that she wrote this for a literary magazine and one chapter used to appear in the magazine every month. Ismat Chughtai seems to have told the editor of the magazine that it is not going to be a continuous account, and she'll just share things that she remembers. When we read the book, this is how we feel. We feel that we are having a conversation with someone and the story moves back and forth. Ismat Chughtai herself says this about her writing –
"I began to experience the same thrill in writing as I did in reading. I was counted among the chatterboxes in our talkative family. When I wrote, I imagined my readers sitting before me. I talked and they listened. Some agreed with me. Some didn't; some smiled while others got angry, and some felt jealous. Even now, I experience the same feelings. I narrate stories to my audience like a traditional storyteller. And just as a storyteller inserts personal opinions in the telling of a story, I do too."
In her memoir, Ismat Chughtai talks about her family, about her mom and dad and her brothers and sisters and shares many family stories. If we are familiar with her short stories, we can spot the inspiration behind some of them in her family stories. She also talks about the time a case was filed against her when she published her short story 'Lihaaf' ('The Quilt'). It was very fascinating to read. Some of her fellow writers asked her to apologize for publishing the story, and she was told that she'll be let off if she apologized. She refused. She also talks about how she had to fight with her family to get educated. Her family was totally against her going to high school and college. She managed to fight and win and get there and then went on to become the headmistress in a school. She also talks about the time she worked in a school owned by a Nawab and how he tried to get her married to his son. One of the stories I loved was about her friendship with a Hindu girl when they were kids and how they later drifted apart, but many years later they got in touch again and at that time her friend was getting married and when they met on the eve of the wedding, the years melted away and they became kids again. It was a beautiful story. Another of my favourite stories is about her time in Isabella Thoburn College in Lucknow. She talks about her inspiring English teacher Dr.Tucker, who is eighty years old. She knew English literature inside out and the way she taught her students was very inspiring. Hoping that one day I can visit Isabella Thoburn College. Both Ismat Chughtai and Rashid Jahan studied there. It is a hallowed institution. Ismat Chughtai also mentions Rashid Jahan in many places and talks about how Rashid Jahan is one of her biggest inspirations. Ismat Chughtai studied in the school that Rashid Jahan's parents had founded and she shares many anecdotes from that time which are charming to read.
There are more stories in the book, many more. I'll let you read the book and enjoy its pleasures yourself.
One of the things from the book that left a deep impression on me was this passage.
"We were ten siblings, two of whom did not have any children. Thirty-nine children were born to eight brothers and sisters. Out of them, thirteen migrated to Pakistan and sixteen chose to stay back here in India. Azim Bhai had already died. Among the brothers, four migrated to Pakistan after Partition, one stayed in India. All the four sisters, including me, stayed back in India. Among the four brothers who went over to Pakistan, three have died and one, who is younger than I, is alive. The brother who lives in India is older than me."
It was sad to read that Partition divided her family and half of them ended up in each of the two countries. This happens all the time today, when family members move apart as they go to work and live in new places and the physical and emotional distance between them increases. But when this parting is forced by historical circumstances, it is hard to take. I had a boss once. He invited me home for dinner to celebrate the Chinese New Year with his family. I went with him. His wife was there and his brother and his family were there. His dad was also there. My boss was in his fifties at that time, and so his dad must have been in his eighties. After we all talked for a while and we were all enjoying dinner and there was a festive and relaxed atmosphere at home , everyone told me the story of my boss' dad. My boss was Taiwanese but his dad lived his younger years when Taiwan and China were one country. Somehow after 1949, he ended up in Taiwan and his sister ended up in China and they couldn't meet again. Many decades later a chartered flight was organized between the two countries so that family members who ended up on the two sides could meet again. My boss' dad was on that flight and when he landed in China and met his sister for the first time in decades, the two hugged each other and were crying for the whole day and couldn't speak a single word. After hearing the story, I started crying. This is what happens when families are divided because of political and historical events. It is heartbreaking.
I loved Ismat Chughtai's memoirs. It was beautiful, moving, charming, inspiring. I'd love to read a proper biography of her which describes the events of her life chronologically. I discovered that there is one such biography. Hoping to read it soon.
Have you read Ismat Chughtai's memoirs? What do you think about it?
January 2, 2018
I have this three stars not on basis of the content, which is a mix of hearty tales from the author’s life, but to the sheer lackadaisical translation and editing of the book. So sloppy. Sentences end in one place and something completely unrelated picks up. There’s no trajectory, no chronology, no introduction of the circus of characters parading across every page.
But Ismat is a delight. Such wit and repartee. The silliest and funniest anecdotes, and stories of a life before Partition leaves you with an inexplicable sense of nostalgia. She is irresistible- the charming combination of mischief and intelligence, gumption, energy, and sheer appetite for life is contagious.
If you can bear a clumsily edited book with a heart of gold, this one’s for you.
But Ismat is a delight. Such wit and repartee. The silliest and funniest anecdotes, and stories of a life before Partition leaves you with an inexplicable sense of nostalgia. She is irresistible- the charming combination of mischief and intelligence, gumption, energy, and sheer appetite for life is contagious.
If you can bear a clumsily edited book with a heart of gold, this one’s for you.
September 14, 2020
I am one of those who knew about Chughtai from Lihaf only. Unfortunately that's how it is for most people.
The book here is not an autobiography but says enough about the person she was and the times she lived in. It covers parts of her childhood and college life. Be it the portrayal of a large muslim household in Aligarh or the hostel life in Lucknow, her style is very direct and one gets engrossed in what she's saying. Her audacity and matter-of-factly nature comes out abundantly though one is able to get a glimpse of her sensitivity as well.
A book worth a look.
The book here is not an autobiography but says enough about the person she was and the times she lived in. It covers parts of her childhood and college life. Be it the portrayal of a large muslim household in Aligarh or the hostel life in Lucknow, her style is very direct and one gets engrossed in what she's saying. Her audacity and matter-of-factly nature comes out abundantly though one is able to get a glimpse of her sensitivity as well.
A book worth a look.
September 17, 2020
loved reading it! i felt like it was a historical fiction by the way it includes so many historic events and the descriptions of old hindustan as it progresses into the colonized India and later, in India and Pakistan. i found Ismat as an incredibly strong and independent woman with big dreams and the will to achieve them. as well as a fearless writer who had no hesitation in showing society it's wrongs.
As a Pakistani, i related to her in several ways and the way she wrote about family was so nostalgic and heart warming.
As a Pakistani, i related to her in several ways and the way she wrote about family was so nostalgic and heart warming.
October 6, 2024
The book begins with Ismat Chughtai being served summons to appear before the Lahore High Court in connection with the obscenity charges brougth against her short story "Lihaaf". There was a similar charge against Saadat Hasan Manto too, and she makes the two trips they made to Lahore out to be a grand picnic. She describes in detail the places she saw, the people she met, the food she made and the experiences she collected. If she was anxious, she doesn't show it. If she was unhappy with the way her husband reacted to the trial, she makes only a passing mention of it. This essay in some ways sets the tone for the rest of the book.
The book reads exactly like what it is- a series of essays written as and when the fancy took her, with no attempt at even putting it in chronological order. The leaps back and forth in time remained disconcerting till the end, more so because even the dates were not mentioned. You had to attempt to pierce together the timeline from clues like the age of the siblings, whether they were married or not, and a throwaway reference to the place where her father was currently posted. For awhile, I tried to keep track of her relations and their relationships, but given how many siblings she had, and the multitude of nieces and nephews and aunts, uncles and cousins, I soon gave up and concentrated on just enjoying the stories.
And the stories were enjoyable! Ismat, as we know from reading her works of fiction, has a keen eye and a ready wit, both of which are visible in abundance in these essays. Some of the dialogues she attributes to herself are almost too good to have been spontaneous, and while she repeatedly describes herself as unruly, she clearly does so with a lot of pride. Her single minded dedication to getting an education, and then towards her chosen career in the education of girls was genuinely inspiring. As was the honesty with which she described the inherent hypocrisy within families and her own fairly brazen attempts at subverting them.
For me, the highlight of the book was the account of contemporary Muslim society. The Chughtais were progressive and aristocratic Muslims who interacted socially with people belonging to other faiths- there was genuine respect and affection between her family and families that follow other faiths, and her father even risked his job to ensure a Muharram procession passed off peacefully.
I wish the book could be rereleased after revising it adequately to make it a smoother read. That would certainly take away from the spontaneity of her narration (she describes her thoughts as galloping faster than her words could), but would be a much better reading experience.
The book reads exactly like what it is- a series of essays written as and when the fancy took her, with no attempt at even putting it in chronological order. The leaps back and forth in time remained disconcerting till the end, more so because even the dates were not mentioned. You had to attempt to pierce together the timeline from clues like the age of the siblings, whether they were married or not, and a throwaway reference to the place where her father was currently posted. For awhile, I tried to keep track of her relations and their relationships, but given how many siblings she had, and the multitude of nieces and nephews and aunts, uncles and cousins, I soon gave up and concentrated on just enjoying the stories.
And the stories were enjoyable! Ismat, as we know from reading her works of fiction, has a keen eye and a ready wit, both of which are visible in abundance in these essays. Some of the dialogues she attributes to herself are almost too good to have been spontaneous, and while she repeatedly describes herself as unruly, she clearly does so with a lot of pride. Her single minded dedication to getting an education, and then towards her chosen career in the education of girls was genuinely inspiring. As was the honesty with which she described the inherent hypocrisy within families and her own fairly brazen attempts at subverting them.
For me, the highlight of the book was the account of contemporary Muslim society. The Chughtais were progressive and aristocratic Muslims who interacted socially with people belonging to other faiths- there was genuine respect and affection between her family and families that follow other faiths, and her father even risked his job to ensure a Muharram procession passed off peacefully.
I wish the book could be rereleased after revising it adequately to make it a smoother read. That would certainly take away from the spontaneity of her narration (she describes her thoughts as galloping faster than her words could), but would be a much better reading experience.
May 30, 2020
Fascinating read about a brave woman from a hyper conservative background, in pre-independence, undivided India, who braved all odds to get an education and to write, at times scandalising the society of that time. Some interesting stories here, like the part where she, along with Sadat Hasan Manto, gets summoned to a court in Lahore from Mumbai for "writing obscene literature". Another one on her fleeting relationship with Zafar Quraishi Zia, where she questions her own archaic beliefs about physical love. Some of the passages on things happening in her family can be long-winging, but in totality much of it is rewarding.
August 27, 2023
i started this book at a very strange time in my life when i didn't know who i was or where i was headed. ismat's writings and volunteering for the Aurat March reignited in me the identity of an opened minded feminist for myself. i also learnt a lot, like the fact that aligarh college gave refuge to a lot of women, and that it had this culture of education and academia and learning and it was great. i also never thought about muslims opposed to partition before i read this book, which is funny because there obviously were muslims opposed to partition.
i also found this cute lil not in the earlier chapters and left one of my own as a reply.
i also found this cute lil not in the earlier chapters and left one of my own as a reply.
August 9, 2020
This work is translated from Urdu, translator gave the introduction to the translation and the way the memoir is written with various supporting references and notes. Very thought provoking and gives various insights into the society, culture and aspects of life during the life of author.
January 9, 2013
To be honest, I hadn’t heard the name before, Ismat Chughtai, though it sounded vaguely familiar. So I gladly picked up her “memoirs”—no, I wouldn’t define the book as an autobiography—more so because it is the work of an Indian woman, trying to create an identity for herself in a time when it not only seemed difficult, but improbable.
Like I mentioned, it is not really an autobiography, but more like an account of her life growing up in Jodhpur, and also in Aligarh and Lucknow, where she studied. (There are references to her life in a couple of other small places also, where she stayed briefly.) There is though a mention of one event of her life after college, when she was summoned to a court in Lahore, Pakistan for an apparently obscene story she had written, Lihaaf, and that got published in a journal.
‘A life in words’ is an endearing account of Ismat’s growing-up surrounded by her vast and loving family that consisted of her parents, nine other siblings, a warm entourage of teeming cousins, and various aunts and uncles.
For the full review, visit IndiaBookStore.
Like I mentioned, it is not really an autobiography, but more like an account of her life growing up in Jodhpur, and also in Aligarh and Lucknow, where she studied. (There are references to her life in a couple of other small places also, where she stayed briefly.) There is though a mention of one event of her life after college, when she was summoned to a court in Lahore, Pakistan for an apparently obscene story she had written, Lihaaf, and that got published in a journal.
‘A life in words’ is an endearing account of Ismat’s growing-up surrounded by her vast and loving family that consisted of her parents, nine other siblings, a warm entourage of teeming cousins, and various aunts and uncles.
For the full review, visit IndiaBookStore.
May 5, 2025
भारतीय समाज के रूढ़िवादी जीवन मूल्यों और घिसी पीटी परंपराओं पर इस्मत चुगताई ने अपनी कहानियों से जितनी चोट की है और इसे एक अधिक मानवीय समाज बनाने की जो कोशिश की है वो काबिले बयान है। ऐसी पैनी नजर की लेखिका की खुद की अपनी बनावट क्या है, कैसे उसका निर्माण हुआ इस बात का जवाब उनकी आत्मकथा 'कागजी है पैरहन' में कलमबद्ध है। घटनाएं अलीगढ़, आगरा, जोधपुर, बरेली, सांभर, जावरा आदि शहरों के इर्द गिर्द घूमती है। मंटो और लाहौर की अदालत में अश्लीलता वाले मुकदमे का भी जिक्र आता है।
पढ़ने में यह एक पूरे समय और समाज का जीवंत और प्रमाणिक वर्णन है। पिता रियासतों में जज थे, तो ब्रिटिश भारत के रजवाड़ों के जीवन का वर्णन भी यहां है और एक धनी मुस्लिम परिवार के सदस्यों, आपसी नोंक-झोंक और लहजे का भी बेहतरीन चित्रण लेखिका ने किया है। तीस के दशक के कुलीन मुस्लिम परिवार में एक लड़की के पढ़ने लिखने में कितनी मुश्किलें आती होंगी, इसकी सहज ही कल्पना की जा सकती है। ये मुश्किलें इस आत्मकथा की कथावस्तु है। लेकिन जो पीड़ा ये मुश्किलें एक जिद्दी लड़की के भीतर पैदा करती होंगी इसका अंदाजा पाठक को खुद ही लगाना होगा क्योंकि अपने दुखों का बयान इस्मत चुगताई की फितरत में नहीं रहा।
पढ़ने में यह एक पूरे समय और समाज का जीवंत और प्रमाणिक वर्णन है। पिता रियासतों में जज थे, तो ब्रिटिश भारत के रजवाड़ों के जीवन का वर्णन भी यहां है और एक धनी मुस्लिम परिवार के सदस्यों, आपसी नोंक-झोंक और लहजे का भी बेहतरीन चित्रण लेखिका ने किया है। तीस के दशक के कुलीन मुस्लिम परिवार में एक लड़की के पढ़ने लिखने में कितनी मुश्किलें आती होंगी, इसकी सहज ही कल्पना की जा सकती है। ये मुश्किलें इस आत्मकथा की कथावस्तु है। लेकिन जो पीड़ा ये मुश्किलें एक जिद्दी लड़की के भीतर पैदा करती होंगी इसका अंदाजा पाठक को खुद ही लगाना होगा क्योंकि अपने दुखों का बयान इस्मत चुगताई की फितरत में नहीं रहा।
March 9, 2018
nice fictional approach towards some of her life issues, but irrelevant to the reader who specifically wants to have an insight of ismat chughtai among her contemporaries..I am highly disappointed with this book as I want to read a lot more about her life and her grooming as a writer, the effect her era had on her stories and stimuli for some of her disputed stories....any how excellent english translation by Noor Zaheer....I gave this book one extra star for its translation.
November 2, 2017
बाकी कई आत्मकथाओं की तरह, इसे भी पीछे से पढ़ना शुरू किया। इसके भी अपने फायदे हैं। आप वहां से शुरू करते हैं,जहाँ से आप लेखक को जानते हैं। अगर आप तरक्कीपसंद है, तो इस्मत का लिखा हुआ पढ़ने पर आप बेहद मोहब्बत में पड़ जाते हैं। काग़ज़ी है पैरहन में वो सारे टुकड़े हैं जिनसे 'लिहाफ', 'घूंघट' निकली। इस्मत इन सारे से किस्सों से बनी। पुस्तक का हर भाग आपको कई सवाल देकर जाता है, कभी कभी जबाब भी।
October 18, 2015
The style is amazing and reading this book means living a lost world ...
October 9, 2019
Awesome book. Would have been nice if it was a comprehensive account of the author's complete life.
October 6, 2019
If you have ever wanted to know (albeit briefly) what kind of woman Ismat Chughtai was, then ‘A Life in Words’ is your time-machine. The memoir, a fast paced, disjointed account of Ismat’s life is written in a conversational manner, like she herself is telling you her story, jumping from one unrelated event to another, then circling back to the original story. The book, simply put, is a roller-coaster ride with vivid insights into a time in Indian history where religion existed, but people still lived cordially with each other. The way she describes her early years in Jodhpur, Agra, Aligarh and Sujat, each of her little stories could be an engaging short film.
‘Kaghazi Hai Pairahan’ explores Ismat’s initial struggles growing up in a large, fairly conservative Muslim family and her determination to fight for the same opportunities her elder brothers received, especially in terms of education. Reading this book you get the impression that Ismat is like the wind, going through life one experience at a time but rarely allowing herself to stop long enough to be rooted in one spot.
Ismat dedicates major portions of the book to her elder brother, Azim Beg Chughtai, who being a writer himself, introduced her to reading and encouraged her writing. She also has a special place for her father, who gave into her demands to go to school when she faced opposition on all fronts. Chughtai’s reverance for her fellow students, professors and teachers from her time at Aligarh Muslim University and IT College in Lucknow is apparent as they make frequent appearances in the book - in fact, a lot more than her own family.
Chughtai mostly refrains from mentioning her husband, Shahid Lateef and their life in Bombay and that bothered me a little bit. Apart from a few pages about her travels to Lahore for the trial against her story, ‘Lihaaf’ and Manto’s, ‘Bu’ and her account of her adventures with Shahid and Manto during those years, the reader is not privy to her life after marriage or her life as a screen-writer at all. The book completes a full circle as it starts and ends with her childhood but definitely leaves you hungry for a lot more.
‘Kaghazi Hai Pairahan’ explores Ismat’s initial struggles growing up in a large, fairly conservative Muslim family and her determination to fight for the same opportunities her elder brothers received, especially in terms of education. Reading this book you get the impression that Ismat is like the wind, going through life one experience at a time but rarely allowing herself to stop long enough to be rooted in one spot.
Ismat dedicates major portions of the book to her elder brother, Azim Beg Chughtai, who being a writer himself, introduced her to reading and encouraged her writing. She also has a special place for her father, who gave into her demands to go to school when she faced opposition on all fronts. Chughtai’s reverance for her fellow students, professors and teachers from her time at Aligarh Muslim University and IT College in Lucknow is apparent as they make frequent appearances in the book - in fact, a lot more than her own family.
Chughtai mostly refrains from mentioning her husband, Shahid Lateef and their life in Bombay and that bothered me a little bit. Apart from a few pages about her travels to Lahore for the trial against her story, ‘Lihaaf’ and Manto’s, ‘Bu’ and her account of her adventures with Shahid and Manto during those years, the reader is not privy to her life after marriage or her life as a screen-writer at all. The book completes a full circle as it starts and ends with her childhood but definitely leaves you hungry for a lot more.
September 30, 2024
The context is so very fascinating - the early twentieth century, a large Muslim family, a young and ambitious girl. Ismat Chugtai, the daughter of a civil servant, one of ten children, writes about her peripatetic life - Aligarh, Jodhpur, Lucknow; the men and women in her family, each a character in his or her own way; her fight to get an education, first at AMU and then IT college Lucknow, the beginnings of her writing. Chugtai comes across as precociously confident, with an independent point of view and a sharp tongue. Reading the memoir, one understands how her bold-for-her-time stories came into being. A lot of the material is drawn straight from life - her family's large cast of characters, her friends and neighbours, even strange Rajasthan royalty. As lived history, this book is a treasure.
But the writing itself is uneven. The large number of characters and the chronology can get confusing, and her straightforward, almost stacatto narration can pall after a while.
Also, while her childhood is very interesting, one wishes there was more of her adult writing life, the influences on the writing itself, her contemporaries, and what she thought of them. After all, she was such an integral part of The Progressive Movement, one that impacted the trajectory of Indian literature.
But it's an important book, one that describes a time and place of historical importance, and one that showcases a critical figure in our feminist history.
But the writing itself is uneven. The large number of characters and the chronology can get confusing, and her straightforward, almost stacatto narration can pall after a while.
Also, while her childhood is very interesting, one wishes there was more of her adult writing life, the influences on the writing itself, her contemporaries, and what she thought of them. After all, she was such an integral part of The Progressive Movement, one that impacted the trajectory of Indian literature.
But it's an important book, one that describes a time and place of historical importance, and one that showcases a critical figure in our feminist history.
March 28, 2020
It's like time travel, as you unfold all the pages you get encapsulated into the pre partition era of Hindustan. The narration highlights the gender roles, education and the role of society at large accustomed to pre conceived notions. The establishment of institutions for women education, the struggle associated and the necessity to raise a voice amidst all of these are particularly notable.
The tales of her childhood are beautiful and let you wonder if you could relive the close knitted family traditions that once existed in a particularly large household. India was indeed full of colours, traditions and held strongly it's secular nature.
The tales of her childhood are beautiful and let you wonder if you could relive the close knitted family traditions that once existed in a particularly large household. India was indeed full of colours, traditions and held strongly it's secular nature.
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