LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 18:1 January 2018
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.
         C. Subburaman, Ph.D. (Economics)
         N. Nadaraja Pillai, Ph.D.
         Renuga Devi, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.
         Dr. S. Chelliah, Ph.D.
Assistant Managing Editor: Swarna Thirumalai, M.A.

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Re-defining Sexuality:
From Object to Subject in Ismat Chughtai’s Lihaaf

Shikha Thakur


Abstract

This paper demonstrates the imposed sexuality of women in patriarchal society, by collating varied renowned feminist writers’ views to uncover the female sexuality. The paper not just challenges the conventionally patriarchal institution of marriage but also explores multiple cultural and psychological problems underwent by women post marriage. Through protagonist of the story, Begum Jan, Chughtai, aims to voice the unvoiced and unleash the leashed. The paper primarily represents the sexuality of women as a means to re-define her identity, by challenging the traditional sexuality conferred to her, that in turn makes her grow from an object of despondence to the subject of agency.

This paper portrays the intricate relationship between the agency of gender and culture by marking Begum Jan’s journey with stigmatization, commoditization and double marginalization in the institution of marriage; which in turn results in robust subversion of the culturally gendered patriarchal ideology. Henceforth, , Judith Butler’s ‘Resignification’, Mikhail Bakhtin’s ‘carnivalesque’ and Michel Foucault’s ‘heterotopia’ aptly substantiate Begum Jan’s gradual movement from object of victim to subject of power. Her imposed debilitating femininity, and negation of humanity, eventually results in transgression of the patriarchal protocols, thereby, vindicating the fact, greater the oppression stronger the rebellion.

Introduction

Ismat Chughtai, a pioneer of Urdu writings, known worldwide for her landmark short story named, Lihaaf (The Quilt) 1942, was levelled against the charge of obscenity, for having written a story from the perspective of a six-year-old girl, unveiling the same-sex desires. Her indomitable spirit and a fierce feminist ideology made her explore feminine sexuality in multiple offshoots, terming her a revolutionary feminist in twentieth century Urdu literature.

Lihaaf’, published in the Urdu literary journal Adab-i-Latif, translated from Urdu to English by M. Asaduddin, is a story about a woman’s erotic relationship with the same sex, exploring a unique narrative that reflects on a realistic aspect of woman, who declines to follow the master narrative. The story gruffly posits the objectification of wife in the feudal society who in turn resorts to lesbian relationship-female bonding as a core weapon to combat patriarchy and staunch masculinity. For this reason, Ismat Chughtai in one of her interviews states, that Lihaaf “brought me so much notoriety that I got sick in life. It became the proverbial stick to beat me with and whatever I wrote afterwards got crushed under its weight.”

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Shikha Thakur
Assistant Professor
Lovely Professional University
Jalandhar - Delhi G.T. Road
Phagwara 144411
Punjab
India
Shikhamittu1@gmail.com

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