Wajida Tabassum
| Wajida Tabassum | |
|---|---|
| Born |
1935 Amravati |
| Died |
7 December 2011 Mumbai |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Known for | Stories, verses and songs |
| Notable work | Utran |
Wajida Tabassum (1935–2011) was an Indian woman writer of fiction, verses and songs in the Urdu language. She wrote 27 books. Some of her stories have been made into Television serials and also Indian movies. Her story titled "Utran" (1975) was controversial and was made into a popular soap opera on Indian television in 1988.[1][2][3] Another of her stories called the Hand Me Downs, which was part of an anthology of 20 short stories, under the title Such Devoted Sisters was published in 1994,[4] and was made into a movie in 1996 under the title "Kama Sutra: A Tale Of Love" for which script was written by Mira Nair and Helena Kriel.[4][5]
Biography
Tabassum was born in Amravati, Maharashtra in 1935. She graduated from the Osmania University with a degree in Urdu language. After graduation her family moved from Amrvati to Hyderabad where she started writing stories in Urdu in the Dakhini dialect from 1940 in the backdrop of the aristocratic social life of Hyderabad.[3][6][7] She married her cousin Ashfaq Ahmad in 1960; he was employed in the Indian Railways. After his retirement he published all her books. They had settled in Bombay and had five children, four sons and one daughter.[6]
Tabassum's stories started appearing in the monthly magazine “Beeswin Sadi” (meaning: twentieth century). These stories were erotic in style as she brought out the life styles of the Hyderabadi nawabs, which was considered "luxurious and amorous". Tabassum's collection of stories was first published as Shahar-e-Mamnu (The forbidden city) in 1960 which became very popular and revived critical acclaim. Mujtaba Husain, a literary critic observed that "she was the first story writer after Chughtai who can be called sahib-e-asloob, a writer with distinct style. and had also commented that she had not crossed the "limits of decorum (and decency)" in her stories. The story titled “Utran” (meaning disposed cloth) which was made into a Hindi TV serial was a literary achievement for her. Her other stories titled Nath ka bojh (Burden of the nose-ring), Haur upar (little more higher) and Nath Utarwai (Removal of the nose-ring) were controversial as there was more of obscene and erotic element in these stories. During the 1960 and 1970s the erotic stories which she wrote were published in the magazine titled “Shama” for which she received very handsome payments at that time. However, she withdrew from the writing scene as she suffered from arthritis and lead a secluded life in her home in Mumbai. However, her house was used for shooting of films. She died on 7 December 2011 in Mumbai.[6][7]
Publications
Apart from Utran, some of her other published books are: Teh Khana, Kaise Samjhaoon, Phul Khilne Do, Zakhme-e-Dil Aur Mahak, Aur Mahak and Zar, Zan, and Zamin (1989).[6][7]
References
- ↑ Economic and Political Weekly. Sameeksha Trust. 1994.
- ↑ Butalia 2013, p. 119.
- 1 2 Women 1990, p. 131.
- 1 2 Muir 2006, p. 113.
- ↑ Variety International Film Guide. Andre Deutsch. 2003.
- 1 2 3 4 "Wajeda Tabassum". Urdu Youth Forum. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
- 1 2 3 Khan, AG (31 January 2011). "Wajida Tabassum: a defiant writer". The Milli Gazette. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
Bibliography
- Butalia, Urvashi (2 January 2013). Katha: Short Stories by Indian Women. Saqi. ISBN 978-1-84659-169-3.
- Muir, John Kenneth (2006). Mercy in Her Eyes: The Films of Mira Nair. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 978-1-55783-649-6.
- Women, Kali for (1990). The Slate of Life: More Contemporary Stories by Women Writers of India. Feminist Press at CUNY. ISBN 978-1-55861-088-0.