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Lifting the Veil
'Gloriously provocative... female sexuality within a patriarchal world is Chughtai's central concern' Kamila Shamsie, winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction 2018, from the introduction
Lifting the Veil is a bold and irreverent collection of writing from India's most controversial feminist writer. These stories celebrate life in all its complexities: from a woman who refuses marriage to a man she loves to preserve her freedom, to a Hindu and a Muslim teenager pulled apart by societal pressures, to eye-opening personal accounts of the charges of obscenity the author faced in court for stories found in this book.
Wickedly funny and unflinchingly honest, Lifting the Veil explores the power of female sexuality while slyly mocking the subtle tyrannies of middle-class life. In 1940s India, an unlikely setting for female rebellion, Ismat Chughtai was a rare and radical storyteller born years ahead of her time.
'Ismat Chughtai is known for her iconoclastic, feminist writings which explored the inner workings of women's lives' Huffington Post
Lifting the Veil is a bold and irreverent collection of writing from India's most controversial feminist writer. These stories celebrate life in all its complexities: from a woman who refuses marriage to a man she loves to preserve her freedom, to a Hindu and a Muslim teenager pulled apart by societal pressures, to eye-opening personal accounts of the charges of obscenity the author faced in court for stories found in this book.
Wickedly funny and unflinchingly honest, Lifting the Veil explores the power of female sexuality while slyly mocking the subtle tyrannies of middle-class life. In 1940s India, an unlikely setting for female rebellion, Ismat Chughtai was a rare and radical storyteller born years ahead of her time.
'Ismat Chughtai is known for her iconoclastic, feminist writings which explored the inner workings of women's lives' Huffington Post
262 pages, Paperback
First published September 12, 2001
124 people are currently reading
2,122 people want to read
About the author
Ismat Chughtai
86 books297 followersIsmat Chughtai (Urdu: عصمت چغتائی) (August 1915 – 24 October 1991) was an eminent Urdu writer, known for her indomitable spirit and a fierce feminist ideology. She was considered the grand dame of Urdu fiction, Along with Rashid Jahan, Wajeda Tabassum and Qurratulain Hyder, Ismat’s work stands for the birth of a revolutionary feminist politics and aesthetics in twentieth century Urdu literature. She explored feminine sexuality, middle-class gentility, and other evolving conflicts in the modern Muslim world. Her outspoken and controversial style of writing made her the passionate voice for the unheard, and she has become an inspiration for the younger generation of writers, readers and intellectuals.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
September 9, 2023
Read this book like there's no tomorrow because it's so well written!!!
I am amazed at how quick I finished up reading the entire book in a matter of few hours because the writing is that smooth and appealing!
A 4 🌟 read for me as I find some of the stories having ended so soon and some characters tend to get hidden and a few stories having their plots a little bit messy but otherwise I would say this book got my heart and soul.
This very collection made the author as one of my most favourite and would-be most recommended notable authors of India.
I find the India during the 1940s quite interesting while reading these stories: the patriarchal society in its gloomy glory; the womenfolk being the ones who both torture and raise their own kind; the one disease which killed many (still a burden now!); coming of age stories; sexuality and how women are seen as objects; the poor conditions through which women have to live; the wrong beliefs and unnecessary treatments women and children had to go through; sexual and physical assaults which women suffer and painfully looked over; the seeming burden of girls and women to their families; women writers and writing; caste and cultural discrimination; religion and faith; the partition times and politics; families and relationships; mental health issues and man-woman relationship have been dealt with both care and honesty as it is.
Sad to say, all these things haven't changed much in 2020. Yes, much improvements can be seen here and there but I wouldn't be surprised if the author told me these stories were written this year itself.
Liked the book for letting me know an author who wrote in such a style that left me wondering about why the stories in this book isn't made a must read for everyone!
I find the non-fictional writings are outstanding!
One about her notorious writer brother.
The second one which reflects her crazy friendship with Manto.
The third with her writing being problematic to the rest of the world.
I enjoyed this collection so much and it's so damn liberating to read it!
I am amazed at how quick I finished up reading the entire book in a matter of few hours because the writing is that smooth and appealing!
A 4 🌟 read for me as I find some of the stories having ended so soon and some characters tend to get hidden and a few stories having their plots a little bit messy but otherwise I would say this book got my heart and soul.
This very collection made the author as one of my most favourite and would-be most recommended notable authors of India.
I find the India during the 1940s quite interesting while reading these stories: the patriarchal society in its gloomy glory; the womenfolk being the ones who both torture and raise their own kind; the one disease which killed many (still a burden now!); coming of age stories; sexuality and how women are seen as objects; the poor conditions through which women have to live; the wrong beliefs and unnecessary treatments women and children had to go through; sexual and physical assaults which women suffer and painfully looked over; the seeming burden of girls and women to their families; women writers and writing; caste and cultural discrimination; religion and faith; the partition times and politics; families and relationships; mental health issues and man-woman relationship have been dealt with both care and honesty as it is.
Sad to say, all these things haven't changed much in 2020. Yes, much improvements can be seen here and there but I wouldn't be surprised if the author told me these stories were written this year itself.
Liked the book for letting me know an author who wrote in such a style that left me wondering about why the stories in this book isn't made a must read for everyone!
I find the non-fictional writings are outstanding!
One about her notorious writer brother.
The second one which reflects her crazy friendship with Manto.
The third with her writing being problematic to the rest of the world.
I enjoyed this collection so much and it's so damn liberating to read it!
May 9, 2024
An anthology of quite audacious and contentious short stories written by one of the first female Muslim authors from the Indian subcontinent, especially considering the time period in which they were written. In addition to discussing the politics and society of her era, Chughtai also writes about the average people in her town. Chughtai's writing style is intriguing in every manner. Like all translations from Urdu, I did felt like much of the meaning was lost in English, but Chughtai's sardonic humor and candid observations on society made these stories a pleasure to read.
1. Gainda - 3/5
2. The quilt - 4.5/5
3. Wedding suit - 3.5/5
4. Kafir - 3/5
5. Childhood - 3/5
6. The net - 3.5/5
7. The mole - 4/5
8. The homemaker - 4.5/5
9. Touch me not - 2.5/5
10. Quit India - 3/5
11. The survivor - 2/5
12. Sacred duty -4.5/5
13. Tiny's granny -2/5
14. The vocation - 4/5
15. All alone - 2.5/5
16. The invalid - 1.5/5
17. Mother-in-law - 2.5/5
18. Roots - 2.5/5
19. Hell-bound - 2.5/5
20. My Friend, My Enemy - 3/5
21. In the name of those married women - 3/5
1. Gainda - 3/5
2. The quilt - 4.5/5
3. Wedding suit - 3.5/5
4. Kafir - 3/5
5. Childhood - 3/5
6. The net - 3.5/5
7. The mole - 4/5
8. The homemaker - 4.5/5
9. Touch me not - 2.5/5
10. Quit India - 3/5
11. The survivor - 2/5
12. Sacred duty -4.5/5
13. Tiny's granny -2/5
14. The vocation - 4/5
15. All alone - 2.5/5
16. The invalid - 1.5/5
17. Mother-in-law - 2.5/5
18. Roots - 2.5/5
19. Hell-bound - 2.5/5
20. My Friend, My Enemy - 3/5
21. In the name of those married women - 3/5
March 7, 2018
To be a female, Muslim Indian writer is to be burdened by a triptych of prejudices; colonialism, patriarchy and zealotry. Yet, rather than be weighed down by this load, Chughtai’s prose soars majestically above the cultural cliches and convolutions which she is surrounded by; her raw, sensitive and at times humorous studies of female sexuality, desire and love, her fearless exploration of homosexuality and a myriad of other taboo subjects place her amongst the greatest Indian writers.
“Lifting the Veil” is formed of a series of vignettes dealing-in the main-with love. “The Homemaker” explores the relationship with mediocre Mirza and the coquettish Lajo. At first Lajo is taken by Mirza’s timid and timorous behaviour, his tenderness acting as a stark contrast to the roughness she is used to. However, in seeking to domesticate her, in entrapping Mirza within the societal conventions of marriage he falls prey to his own insecurities and slowly begins to resemble the cruel, hypocritical and narrow-minded men who drove Mirza to him. Mirza’s love is unbridled and Lajo’s attempts to shackle her only serve to turn her away from him, the fires of her passion slowly ebbing into embers of indifference as he realises to his sorrow. Lajo eventually repents and discovers the error of his ways.
‘The Mole’ is a story depicted with the many colourations of love as seen through the eyes of the painter Choudhury, who is unable to depict the beauty of his model, the sultry and seductive Rani.
“Her eyes too changed colour constantly. On the first day, he confidently prepared a tar-black tint. But suddenly he saw red lines around her pupils, and then the space around them seemed to fill up with the blue of clouds.”
In many ways ‘The Mole’ is about the difficult of art in depicting one of the very things it was made to do; beauty and emotions, just as Choudhury is unable to capture the true essence of Rani’s beauty, so the author is constantly striving to depict the inner lives of the characters and the brief moments of beauty which light up, however ephemerally, their worlds. Although Chughtai deals with common themes in Indian society, such as religion, caste and family she frequently turns these conventions on their heads; from Tiny, the young girl who is castigated for being sexually molested as a child or the vengeful, homicidal Muslim parents who are unable to deal with the marriage of their daughter to a Hindu man, Chughtai explores the hypocrisy inherent in societal concepts of shame and honour.
In addition Chughtai explores India from the perspective of the outsider and the outcasts; lesbians, courtesans, spinsterish artists and crack-poet poets make up the pantheon of odd-balls who populate Chughtai’s novels. Chughtai is able to depict them with verve and sensitivity and as fully-formed characters and the empathy she is able to illicit is forced rather than natural.
“On judgement day, the trumpet sounded, and granny woke with a start and got up coughing and clearing her throat, as though her ears had caught the sound of free food that was being doled out…cursing and swearing at the angels,she dragged herself somehow or other doubled up as she was over the bridge of Sirat and burst into the presence of god…and god, beholding the degradation of humanity, bowed his head and wept tears, and those divine tears of blood fell upon granny’s rough grave, and bright red poppies began to dance in the breeze.”
“Lifting the Veil” is formed of a series of vignettes dealing-in the main-with love. “The Homemaker” explores the relationship with mediocre Mirza and the coquettish Lajo. At first Lajo is taken by Mirza’s timid and timorous behaviour, his tenderness acting as a stark contrast to the roughness she is used to. However, in seeking to domesticate her, in entrapping Mirza within the societal conventions of marriage he falls prey to his own insecurities and slowly begins to resemble the cruel, hypocritical and narrow-minded men who drove Mirza to him. Mirza’s love is unbridled and Lajo’s attempts to shackle her only serve to turn her away from him, the fires of her passion slowly ebbing into embers of indifference as he realises to his sorrow. Lajo eventually repents and discovers the error of his ways.
‘The Mole’ is a story depicted with the many colourations of love as seen through the eyes of the painter Choudhury, who is unable to depict the beauty of his model, the sultry and seductive Rani.
“Her eyes too changed colour constantly. On the first day, he confidently prepared a tar-black tint. But suddenly he saw red lines around her pupils, and then the space around them seemed to fill up with the blue of clouds.”
In many ways ‘The Mole’ is about the difficult of art in depicting one of the very things it was made to do; beauty and emotions, just as Choudhury is unable to capture the true essence of Rani’s beauty, so the author is constantly striving to depict the inner lives of the characters and the brief moments of beauty which light up, however ephemerally, their worlds. Although Chughtai deals with common themes in Indian society, such as religion, caste and family she frequently turns these conventions on their heads; from Tiny, the young girl who is castigated for being sexually molested as a child or the vengeful, homicidal Muslim parents who are unable to deal with the marriage of their daughter to a Hindu man, Chughtai explores the hypocrisy inherent in societal concepts of shame and honour.
In addition Chughtai explores India from the perspective of the outsider and the outcasts; lesbians, courtesans, spinsterish artists and crack-poet poets make up the pantheon of odd-balls who populate Chughtai’s novels. Chughtai is able to depict them with verve and sensitivity and as fully-formed characters and the empathy she is able to illicit is forced rather than natural.
“On judgement day, the trumpet sounded, and granny woke with a start and got up coughing and clearing her throat, as though her ears had caught the sound of free food that was being doled out…cursing and swearing at the angels,she dragged herself somehow or other doubled up as she was over the bridge of Sirat and burst into the presence of god…and god, beholding the degradation of humanity, bowed his head and wept tears, and those divine tears of blood fell upon granny’s rough grave, and bright red poppies began to dance in the breeze.”
April 5, 2016
I received this book from my Secret Santa and I am so so grateful. The stories get better towards the end. The story on Manto and Chughtai's brother are priceless. And The Quilt! I cannot even imagine how she wrote a story like that at the time that she did. Perhaps that is why Chughtai was called a rebel! Must must read.
July 28, 2021
Chughtai writes : “ In my stories I’ve put down everything with objectivity. Now, if some people find them obscene, let them go to hell. It’s my belief that experiences can never be obscene if they are based on authentic realities of life. These people think that there’s nothing wrong if they can do things behind the curtains…. They are all halfwits.”
I am still waiting to articulate my thoughts.
I am still waiting to articulate my thoughts.
December 8, 2020
Really looking forward to read other books of the writer.
December 8, 2017
It is unsavory bordering on blasphemous to rate a selection of writings as essential as this. So I start by limiting myself to the construct of the world around me - something Ismat Chughtai never seems to have done.
Here is a woman who wrote what she saw. She didn't feel the need to sugarcoat or romanticize to uphold a dream. She didn't shy away from seeing through the eyes of s/he who cast the first stone even having committed sins of her/his own. She didn't fear being judged by those who didn't want to believe what was staring their face. She didn't apologize for bringing forth the abject miseries that surround us, the depths of hell that souls can sweep because of who they are. Admittedly, she rebelled without wanting to be an inspiration. She rebelled because she believed in her cause and couldn't fathom why others didn't (Her stories about her relationship with Manto and her brother Azim Beg Chughtai, are spectacular examples of this)
The internet is peppered with reviews on each of her pieces featured here and many of them beautiful critiques / homages that I would not do justice to recreate here. So here is what I will say, she ends the last story by being grateful for appreciation in her lifetime - it heartens me to know she felt that way given so many masters rarely had the chance. And yet, it pains me that we are a society that has regressed to ages before Ismat Chughtai's own lifetime if we still get outraged by the Lipstick Under My Burkhas of the world when she had lifted the veil so many, many decades ago. It reminds me how dangerous it can be to forget our pasts and the struggles of those who fought every way they could to "rake up the filth, just so someone would do something about it."
Here is a woman who wrote what she saw. She didn't feel the need to sugarcoat or romanticize to uphold a dream. She didn't shy away from seeing through the eyes of s/he who cast the first stone even having committed sins of her/his own. She didn't fear being judged by those who didn't want to believe what was staring their face. She didn't apologize for bringing forth the abject miseries that surround us, the depths of hell that souls can sweep because of who they are. Admittedly, she rebelled without wanting to be an inspiration. She rebelled because she believed in her cause and couldn't fathom why others didn't (Her stories about her relationship with Manto and her brother Azim Beg Chughtai, are spectacular examples of this)
The internet is peppered with reviews on each of her pieces featured here and many of them beautiful critiques / homages that I would not do justice to recreate here. So here is what I will say, she ends the last story by being grateful for appreciation in her lifetime - it heartens me to know she felt that way given so many masters rarely had the chance. And yet, it pains me that we are a society that has regressed to ages before Ismat Chughtai's own lifetime if we still get outraged by the Lipstick Under My Burkhas of the world when she had lifted the veil so many, many decades ago. It reminds me how dangerous it can be to forget our pasts and the struggles of those who fought every way they could to "rake up the filth, just so someone would do something about it."
January 21, 2022
3.5 Stars 🌟
A compilation of short stories from one of the pioneer female muslim writers to come out of the Indian sub-continent. Very bold and controversial in content especially given the era they were written in. If I'm not mistaken, it was also banned at some point as well and Chughtai got a lot of flak for it too.
A compilation of short stories from one of the pioneer female muslim writers to come out of the Indian sub-continent. Very bold and controversial in content especially given the era they were written in. If I'm not mistaken, it was also banned at some point as well and Chughtai got a lot of flak for it too.
May 12, 2020
Lift the veil of a "decent" society
and peek inside,
remove the mask of prejudices,
and you'll get a glimpse of filth.
This filth is reality.
A rotten core coated in shimmering gold
in a hypocrite society.
Chughtai's writing is celebrated as feminist, liberal, bold, courageous, and much more. Her stories reflect the then society. She faced legal charges for writing 'obscene' contents like 'Lihaaf'. In the society where acknowledging the existence of female sexuality is indecent, men went around sexually assaulting little girls and women and got away with it. Her characters are gray i.e. Human.
A few years ago, I had read Lihaaf and didn't think about it much. Writing about homosexuality in 1942 British-India is daring. Chughtai was later thanked by the Begum who inspired this story. The real Begum got the courage to change the course of her life thanks to Chughtai. Re-reading it today, I personally feel the writing is visual with metaphors. But, I couldn't ignore how uncomfortable pedophilia and sexual abuse made me feel and I rarely find people mentioning this aspect of the story. I just wanted fictional Begum to leave the kid alone and continue her quilt-dance. But, Damn!
Anyways, this particular story collection includes both fiction and non-fiction writings. Her friendship with Manto is exciting. Her relationship with her brother is heartbreaking. And she acknowledges them when they're gone. Loss makes her see things she never bothered to notice. Maybe that's the beauty of being human. We live with prejudices and once we know something slipped away from our grip, we grow to find a different light to the same story.
I love the realism Ismat Chughtai offers through her story. I laughed and cried with her words. I got excited, disgusted, frustrated, and angry! For this lovely bumpy ride, 4 Stars!
and peek inside,
remove the mask of prejudices,
and you'll get a glimpse of filth.
This filth is reality.
A rotten core coated in shimmering gold
in a hypocrite society.
Chughtai's writing is celebrated as feminist, liberal, bold, courageous, and much more. Her stories reflect the then society. She faced legal charges for writing 'obscene' contents like 'Lihaaf'. In the society where acknowledging the existence of female sexuality is indecent, men went around sexually assaulting little girls and women and got away with it. Her characters are gray i.e. Human.
A few years ago, I had read Lihaaf and didn't think about it much. Writing about homosexuality in 1942 British-India is daring. Chughtai was later thanked by the Begum who inspired this story. The real Begum got the courage to change the course of her life thanks to Chughtai. Re-reading it today, I personally feel the writing is visual with metaphors. But, I couldn't ignore how uncomfortable pedophilia and sexual abuse made me feel and I rarely find people mentioning this aspect of the story. I just wanted fictional Begum to leave the kid alone and continue her quilt-dance. But, Damn!
Anyways, this particular story collection includes both fiction and non-fiction writings. Her friendship with Manto is exciting. Her relationship with her brother is heartbreaking. And she acknowledges them when they're gone. Loss makes her see things she never bothered to notice. Maybe that's the beauty of being human. We live with prejudices and once we know something slipped away from our grip, we grow to find a different light to the same story.
I love the realism Ismat Chughtai offers through her story. I laughed and cried with her words. I got excited, disgusted, frustrated, and angry! For this lovely bumpy ride, 4 Stars!
September 27, 2024
It's a collection of short stories. I'm writing snippets, keywords or quotes for each, in case you're interested in reading a particular one.
1. Gainda - widowhood, premarital sex and pregnancy, domestic and sexual violence, caste and class oppression, female friendship.
2. Lihaaf (The Quilt) - This story is considered Chughtai's most controversial work, leading to a lawsuit for obscenity. It explores themes of lesbianism, female sexuality, and desire.
3. Chauthi ka Joda (The Wedding Suit) - It's about the burden of an unmarried daughter in Indian society. Kubra, labeled as a 'spinster,' carries the burden of finding a husband, with her only hope resting on winning over her cousin.
"What kind of youth was it that fairies never danced before her eyes, nor did curled ringlets play coquettishly with her cheeks? She did not experience any storm raging in her breast, neither did she impetuously ask the monsoon clouds the whereabouts of her beloved. Adolescence crept up on her unawares, with silent steps, as it were, and left her no one knew when! Sweet years gave way to sour ones, and finally they became bitter."
4. Kafir (Infidel) - Interfaith marriage between two friends during Hindu Muslim riots.
5. Bachpan (Childhood) - Not everyone's childhood is a merry one. This is Chughtai's childhood many can relate to.
"Shall I tell everyone that I thank God for sheer survival? That I'm glad childhood was temporary, and that it's over and done with? If it were not so, then life would have been unbearable for those of us who didn't have an Uncle Ghaar, a Captain Harley or who never had qahwa to drink or bundles of chocolates to eat. As for us, as long as childhood lasted, we were like a juggler's monkeys."
6. The Net - Coming of age, female sexuality, self discovery, betrayal. The story highlights the early conditioning of girls to feel ashamed of their sexuality from a young age.
7. Til (The Mole) - Rani and her mole on a socially deemed 'bad place' (her breast). It emphasizes how the perception of a woman's body as obscene stems from the objectifying gaze of the observer, discouraging women from taking pride in their own bodies.
8. Gharwali (The Homemaker) - Oppressive nature of the institution of marriage. How an unmarried woman may be objectified for her sexuality, but once she's married, her husband's honor is tied to her that very sexuality.
9. Chhui Mui (Touch-me-not) - After multiple miscarriages, this is Bhabijan's last chance to win her husband's love and salvage their marriage. She fears being replaced by another bride who might have better prospects of bearing children for the family.
10. Quit India - Pre-independence India, politics, story of a man who was left behind.
11. Sacred Duty - liberal, secular, interfaith marriage
12. Tiny's Granny - destitution, survival, loss
13. Vocation - prostitution, hatred towards the women involved in it through patriarchal conditioning
14. All Alone - Loneliness, aging, unconfessed love
15. The Invalid - agony, helplessness due to chronic illness, will to live
16. Mother-in-law - motherhood
17. Roots - How the Partition affected relationships, memories, and what home, community and roots meant.
18. Hell-bound - This story holds deep sentimental value for Chughtai and was very difficult for her to write. It's about her brother Azim Baig Chughtai, also a writer, who died at an early age of tuberculosis.
19. My Friend, My Enemy! - This story evokes both delight and sadness. This story explores Chughtai's bond with Manto and her reflections on him after his passing. As his friend, Chughtai offers an accurate portrayal of Manto and his unconventional lifestyle that perhaps no one else could have captured as precisely.
20. In the Name of Those Married Women - This story touches on Chughtai's legal troubles over Lihaaf and Manto's challenges with Bu. It also reflects Chughtai's affection for Lahore and her eventual encounter with the Begum who inspired her to write Lihaaf at the first place.
My personal favourites are Gainda, Lihaaf, Til and The Net.
1. Gainda - widowhood, premarital sex and pregnancy, domestic and sexual violence, caste and class oppression, female friendship.
2. Lihaaf (The Quilt) - This story is considered Chughtai's most controversial work, leading to a lawsuit for obscenity. It explores themes of lesbianism, female sexuality, and desire.
3. Chauthi ka Joda (The Wedding Suit) - It's about the burden of an unmarried daughter in Indian society. Kubra, labeled as a 'spinster,' carries the burden of finding a husband, with her only hope resting on winning over her cousin.
"What kind of youth was it that fairies never danced before her eyes, nor did curled ringlets play coquettishly with her cheeks? She did not experience any storm raging in her breast, neither did she impetuously ask the monsoon clouds the whereabouts of her beloved. Adolescence crept up on her unawares, with silent steps, as it were, and left her no one knew when! Sweet years gave way to sour ones, and finally they became bitter."
4. Kafir (Infidel) - Interfaith marriage between two friends during Hindu Muslim riots.
5. Bachpan (Childhood) - Not everyone's childhood is a merry one. This is Chughtai's childhood many can relate to.
"Shall I tell everyone that I thank God for sheer survival? That I'm glad childhood was temporary, and that it's over and done with? If it were not so, then life would have been unbearable for those of us who didn't have an Uncle Ghaar, a Captain Harley or who never had qahwa to drink or bundles of chocolates to eat. As for us, as long as childhood lasted, we were like a juggler's monkeys."
6. The Net - Coming of age, female sexuality, self discovery, betrayal. The story highlights the early conditioning of girls to feel ashamed of their sexuality from a young age.
7. Til (The Mole) - Rani and her mole on a socially deemed 'bad place' (her breast). It emphasizes how the perception of a woman's body as obscene stems from the objectifying gaze of the observer, discouraging women from taking pride in their own bodies.
8. Gharwali (The Homemaker) - Oppressive nature of the institution of marriage. How an unmarried woman may be objectified for her sexuality, but once she's married, her husband's honor is tied to her that very sexuality.
9. Chhui Mui (Touch-me-not) - After multiple miscarriages, this is Bhabijan's last chance to win her husband's love and salvage their marriage. She fears being replaced by another bride who might have better prospects of bearing children for the family.
10. Quit India - Pre-independence India, politics, story of a man who was left behind.
11. Sacred Duty - liberal, secular, interfaith marriage
12. Tiny's Granny - destitution, survival, loss
13. Vocation - prostitution, hatred towards the women involved in it through patriarchal conditioning
14. All Alone - Loneliness, aging, unconfessed love
15. The Invalid - agony, helplessness due to chronic illness, will to live
16. Mother-in-law - motherhood
17. Roots - How the Partition affected relationships, memories, and what home, community and roots meant.
18. Hell-bound - This story holds deep sentimental value for Chughtai and was very difficult for her to write. It's about her brother Azim Baig Chughtai, also a writer, who died at an early age of tuberculosis.
19. My Friend, My Enemy! - This story evokes both delight and sadness. This story explores Chughtai's bond with Manto and her reflections on him after his passing. As his friend, Chughtai offers an accurate portrayal of Manto and his unconventional lifestyle that perhaps no one else could have captured as precisely.
20. In the Name of Those Married Women - This story touches on Chughtai's legal troubles over Lihaaf and Manto's challenges with Bu. It also reflects Chughtai's affection for Lahore and her eventual encounter with the Begum who inspired her to write Lihaaf at the first place.
My personal favourites are Gainda, Lihaaf, Til and The Net.
March 14, 2018
Ismat Chughtai shows how using very few words can have a big impact. This short story collection is extremely enjoyable, full of wit, so smart and hold a strong sense of power. Chughtai faced court for some of the stories found in this book due to their obscenity and content. Towards the end of the book, we have personal accounts from Chughtai, one in which she speaks of the charges she faced in court and the impact this had on her as a person and a family as a whole. I know now why she is so courageous yet controversial. Exploring sexuality with such frankness is brave, being a Muslim woman. *
I can't believe this collection was originally written in 1942. They are so easy to read and even easier to understand. I love how she leaves a lot to the readers imagination but gives you enough to want so much more. I wish each story was that little bit longer. *
Chughtai says to a male in one of her personal accounts: "God has made you a man, I had NO hand in it, and He has made me a woman, you had no hand in it. You have the freedom to write whatever you want, you don't need my permission. Similarly, I don't feel any need to seek your permission for writing the way I want to." I have fallen in love with her.
Rating - 5🌟
I can't believe this collection was originally written in 1942. They are so easy to read and even easier to understand. I love how she leaves a lot to the readers imagination but gives you enough to want so much more. I wish each story was that little bit longer. *
Chughtai says to a male in one of her personal accounts: "God has made you a man, I had NO hand in it, and He has made me a woman, you had no hand in it. You have the freedom to write whatever you want, you don't need my permission. Similarly, I don't feel any need to seek your permission for writing the way I want to." I have fallen in love with her.
Rating - 5🌟
August 25, 2018
1. Gainda - 4/5
2. The Quilt - 5/5
3. The Wedding Suit - 3/5
4. Kafir - 2.5/5
5. Childhood - 4/5
6. The Net - 3/5
7. The Mole - 3/5
8. The Homemaker - 4/5
9. Touch-me-not - 3/5
10. Quit India - 4/5
11. The Survivor - 3/5
12. Sacred Duty - 3/5
13. Tiny Granny - 4/5
14. Vocation - 3/5
15. All Alone - 3/5
16. The Invalid - 5/5
17. Mother-in-law - 4/5
18. Roots - 3/5
19. Hell-bound - 3/5
20. My Friend, My Enemy - 4/5
21. In the name of those married women - 4/5
2. The Quilt - 5/5
3. The Wedding Suit - 3/5
4. Kafir - 2.5/5
5. Childhood - 4/5
6. The Net - 3/5
7. The Mole - 3/5
8. The Homemaker - 4/5
9. Touch-me-not - 3/5
10. Quit India - 4/5
11. The Survivor - 3/5
12. Sacred Duty - 3/5
13. Tiny Granny - 4/5
14. Vocation - 3/5
15. All Alone - 3/5
16. The Invalid - 5/5
17. Mother-in-law - 4/5
18. Roots - 3/5
19. Hell-bound - 3/5
20. My Friend, My Enemy - 4/5
21. In the name of those married women - 4/5
November 2, 2016
This book shows the brave face of Ismat Chugtai.
This was my first book by her, I have been hearing that she is one of the most courageous writers of urdu language and this book proves that.
Highly admirable and thought provoking short stories, raw and honest.
This was my first book by her, I have been hearing that she is one of the most courageous writers of urdu language and this book proves that.
Highly admirable and thought provoking short stories, raw and honest.
January 6, 2018
If only the translations were better.
April 1, 2023
I am glad I got to read about an important age in Indian History through the searing lens of Ismat Aaapa that spares none, and dishes out all the juicy gossip of those times. Her writing has all the drama, of all the highs and lows of emotions. It has also a certain kind of cheekiness, a daring that is needed to talk about aspects of everyday life that are forcefully mystified and kept under wraps. I didn't enjoy the initial stories much, because I felt she only writes about realism, but that's not true. Ismat adds her own salt to the drama and leaves the readers slowly enraptured by the world she constructs. It left me dazed, happy, sad, ponderous, and constantly amazed and impressed by Ismat. Can't wait now to read Tedhi lakeer!
October 13, 2012
A lot of controversy has surrounded Ismat Chughtai for her short story "The Quilt"-whose story touches upon female sexuality,homosexuality and the suffocation of women under the strictures of matrimony. But,sadly,"The Quilt" is just one of her stories,and of that,just an average one,among other gems of stories. Honestly,apart from the controversy that surrounds the story regarding Chughtai was taken to court on charge of obscenity(which is mentioned in her other article,"In the Name of those Married Women",in the same book),the Quilt is just an ordinary piece,with respect to Chughtai's literary capabilities.
Some of her other extraordinary stories(well at least personal favourites)include "The Homemaker","The Mole",among others.
I found "The Homemaker" and "The Mole" noteworthy because in these stories she unabashedly portrays women of less-than-expected moral values,regarding sex. The Homemaker describes the life of Lajo(meaning 'the Coy one',though heroine is anything but),a girl who was orphaned at birth,grew up in the streets,and everything that she knew about life was taught to her by the street. She knew the utility(one can say) of her allure as woman. She bore no qualms about trading sex for things she might want,it was a non-issue for her. She did not mind being objectified. She took it in her stride,and maybe described as being innocence personified.
Some of her other extraordinary stories(well at least personal favourites)include "The Homemaker","The Mole",among others.
I found "The Homemaker" and "The Mole" noteworthy because in these stories she unabashedly portrays women of less-than-expected moral values,regarding sex. The Homemaker describes the life of Lajo(meaning 'the Coy one',though heroine is anything but),a girl who was orphaned at birth,grew up in the streets,and everything that she knew about life was taught to her by the street. She knew the utility(one can say) of her allure as woman. She bore no qualms about trading sex for things she might want,it was a non-issue for her. She did not mind being objectified. She took it in her stride,and maybe described as being innocence personified.
June 13, 2019
Ismat, a pioneer women writer; her writings and heart-rending stories possess the rare capacity to move you even if you've read any story umpteen number of times.
Lihaaf is perhaps her most popular and controversial story. But I, in particular, loved Kafir where both the lovers are ridiculing each other's religion, and are shown to have been united by love. This is extremely relevant story of our times when people are divided by religion but fail to recognize the common thread -- love.
My Friend, My Enemy about Manto provided me with tools to understand Manto a lot. I don't think Manto could've described their relationship any better than Chughtai did. I am reminded of my discussions on literature with a friend of mine, and we both used to, and still do, fight and disagree a lot on matters discussed in this essay.
Hell-bound on her brother is yet another piece which portrays her relationship and writing influence of her brother on her. It's written with no inhibition and that's what makes it an amazing read.
All in all, an enriching experience.
Lihaaf is perhaps her most popular and controversial story. But I, in particular, loved Kafir where both the lovers are ridiculing each other's religion, and are shown to have been united by love. This is extremely relevant story of our times when people are divided by religion but fail to recognize the common thread -- love.
My Friend, My Enemy about Manto provided me with tools to understand Manto a lot. I don't think Manto could've described their relationship any better than Chughtai did. I am reminded of my discussions on literature with a friend of mine, and we both used to, and still do, fight and disagree a lot on matters discussed in this essay.
Hell-bound on her brother is yet another piece which portrays her relationship and writing influence of her brother on her. It's written with no inhibition and that's what makes it an amazing read.
All in all, an enriching experience.
April 5, 2020
Ismat Chughtai is an Urdu writer of the early 1900's who audaciously acknowledged the female sexuality and portrayed it challenging the patriarchial structure.Her works goes in depth to reflect the socio-economic and sexual exploitation suffered by woman.She is undoubtedly a feminist
symbol and a rebel of her times.
symbol and a rebel of her times.
January 30, 2022
Unlike Manto - her stores are hopeful and not of despair.
But i think, in my opinion, this collection could have been better - average at best, this collection.
But i think, in my opinion, this collection could have been better - average at best, this collection.
May 4, 2021
I often struggle with short stories but Ismat Chugtai is exceptional.
July 31, 2022
"Lifting the Veil" is my very first Ismat Chughtai, and as they said, first time is incomparable, so it is as it is!
Just finished it and I'm still a rollercoaster of overwhelming emotions. "Lifting the Veil" brings together Ismat Chughtai's twenty-one selected short stories and these stories are so well-knitted and just the reflection of her surroundings.
Everyone says 'Lihaaf (The Quilt) ' is her best creation, but I found every single piece is unique in It's own way.
My heart bleeds with 'Gainda', I shuddered in 'The Quilt', I bowed my head from shame in 'Tiny's Granny', "Roots" made me feel comforted,I felt the same love in 'Kafir' ...
Ismat Chughtai's realism,courageous outlook and empathy make her stories more dear to heart and I feel real surprise to think about the then social atmosphere and her boldness to write this kind of stories!
I smiled and cried, got elated , disgusted, frustrated, and angry at the same time ! This rebel writer gave me a bumpy ride with her stories 🤎
Just finished it and I'm still a rollercoaster of overwhelming emotions. "Lifting the Veil" brings together Ismat Chughtai's twenty-one selected short stories and these stories are so well-knitted and just the reflection of her surroundings.
Everyone says 'Lihaaf (The Quilt) ' is her best creation, but I found every single piece is unique in It's own way.
My heart bleeds with 'Gainda', I shuddered in 'The Quilt', I bowed my head from shame in 'Tiny's Granny', "Roots" made me feel comforted,I felt the same love in 'Kafir' ...
Ismat Chughtai's realism,courageous outlook and empathy make her stories more dear to heart and I feel real surprise to think about the then social atmosphere and her boldness to write this kind of stories!
I smiled and cried, got elated , disgusted, frustrated, and angry at the same time ! This rebel writer gave me a bumpy ride with her stories 🤎
September 8, 2017
Took me back to the old Urdu era while reading this. Manto and Chughtai had created such a stir in the narrow world of shut-minds that it still reverberates. Chughtai's style is mesmerizing and she has not failed to surprise me. One of her stories titled "The Quilt (Lihaaf) had left a deep impact on me in 2007 when I first read it from someone's college literature book. I had forgotten the writer's name and also the title, but the story was fresh even after a decade and now I know the title and its writer. Everything about Chughtai's way of writing is captivating. I wish to read her work (and Manto's) in Urdu someday after I learn the language.
March 10, 2019
Born during a time when being a woman was looked down upon, Ismat Chughtai was a feminist without having to proclaim it. Her writing is uninhibited and raw, and it reverberates loudly to open the closed off minds of the masses to make way for the revolutionary ideas. Strong female characters who refuse to forfeit to their fate and have the audacity to fight the subjugation they were put through. Reading such works makes me believe in the power of words again, that there is inequality and prejudice which is still to be fought and literature is still one of the most vehement method of impressioning ignorant minds.
April 30, 2020
Review to follow.
June 29, 2023
Considering the time period on which this book was written, it is very bold of writer to add such "tabo" topics on their writings and still get it published and got a fame👏👏👏
All the stories are very intriguing and got me glued to the book but even though, "The Quilt" and "The Homemaker" - these two were very interesting and thought provoking.
🔖 "The Quilt" talks about real desires of woman trapped in four walls of "society" to achieve what her body wants. Ignored by her husband, the story talks about a women who still finds a way out for her happiness in a sarcastic way. 💫💫
🔖 "The Homemaker" is yet another sarcastic tale that talks about the stigma of social standing and honor that a woman "brings"or "holds up" by being chaste/loyal to only one person that is her husband. Apart of them, all other women are not considered even as a human and just a means of leisure- is what society thinks of.✨️✨️
~ These two were very wonderful among all as they are (in my opinion) is a crisp answer who thinks of women as a commodity.
• Apart from the above two, there are others which are yet very interesting, they include "Tiny's Granny", " Hell-Bound","Kafir","Mother-in-law","The Wedding Suit" and mnay more...
Happy Reading 📖 📚🙂
All the stories are very intriguing and got me glued to the book but even though, "The Quilt" and "The Homemaker" - these two were very interesting and thought provoking.
🔖 "The Quilt" talks about real desires of woman trapped in four walls of "society" to achieve what her body wants. Ignored by her husband, the story talks about a women who still finds a way out for her happiness in a sarcastic way. 💫💫
🔖 "The Homemaker" is yet another sarcastic tale that talks about the stigma of social standing and honor that a woman "brings"or "holds up" by being chaste/loyal to only one person that is her husband. Apart of them, all other women are not considered even as a human and just a means of leisure- is what society thinks of.✨️✨️
~ These two were very wonderful among all as they are (in my opinion) is a crisp answer who thinks of women as a commodity.
• Apart from the above two, there are others which are yet very interesting, they include "Tiny's Granny", " Hell-Bound","Kafir","Mother-in-law","The Wedding Suit" and mnay more...
Happy Reading 📖 📚🙂
January 24, 2022
As with all short story selections, there were a few that stood out. My favorite was Chughtai’s recollection of her friendship with Manto in ‘My friend, my enemy!’. Their banter, their fierce arguments, their trips to Lahore for their court cases against obscenity, was a treat to read. Her remembrance of her brother in ‘Hell-bound’ was a sobering read.
The most famous of them, The Quilt, or ‘Lihaaf’ in Urdu would not surprise anyone today, but for the time it was written it, it was nothing but bold, and frank to the point of scandal.
Chughtai writes about the common people in her community, as well as the politics and society of her time. As with all translations from Urdu, I did feel like some of the essence was lost, but nonetheless, these stories make for excellent reading with Chughtai’s dry wit and unabashed observations of society.
The most famous of them, The Quilt, or ‘Lihaaf’ in Urdu would not surprise anyone today, but for the time it was written it, it was nothing but bold, and frank to the point of scandal.
Chughtai writes about the common people in her community, as well as the politics and society of her time. As with all translations from Urdu, I did feel like some of the essence was lost, but nonetheless, these stories make for excellent reading with Chughtai’s dry wit and unabashed observations of society.
August 9, 2023
Definitely enjoyed reading the autobiographical pieces in this collection more than the short stories.
Also worth mentioning that both ‘Tiny’s Granny’ and ‘Hell-bound’ are translated from the Urdu by Ralph Russell whereas the rest is translated by M. Asaduddin. I found Russell’s translations far easier to read, so maybe would have got more out of this one as a whole had the entire collection been published in his translation.
Also worth mentioning that both ‘Tiny’s Granny’ and ‘Hell-bound’ are translated from the Urdu by Ralph Russell whereas the rest is translated by M. Asaduddin. I found Russell’s translations far easier to read, so maybe would have got more out of this one as a whole had the entire collection been published in his translation.
February 9, 2025
pretty good collection of stories
February 28, 2022
Starting was strong and spirited but further, I just couldn't read it.
April 11, 2018
Lifting the Veil is a collection of short stories by one of India’s most acclaimed Urdu short stories writers. The diversity of the subjects in these short stories makes it one of the hardest books to review for me. There are obviously hits and misses; but the bold and brazen writing is a clear indication that she was a writer way ahead of her times and her voice echoes till today.
Ismat Aapa, as she was fondly known in India, highlights some of the realities of society in a very measured style; neither too caustic; nor too poetic; just the truth. In “The Homemaker”, double standards of men, and the society in general, with respect to expectations from a lover and a wife is skilfully etched out, as is the perception of a courtesan in “Vocation”. The communal lines that divide India are accentuated in “Sacred Duty” and “The Survivor” depicts how politics has always taken advantage of this divide. She tackles virtually taboo subjects like the affair between an elderly bachelor and his maid or a Englishman and his children’s nanny. She also unabashedly talks about female sexuality and professions like prostitution and courtesan without being judgmental. She often got into troubles with the authorities of her time; but that did not deter her from weaving magic through her pen.
Inmate Aapa was a feminist despite loudly proclaiming so; and hence in her stories the women are, to say the least, strong. Her females characters chose their own fate and even if they don’t, they have the spirit to rise despite multiple falls. Lao, in “The Homemaker”, is perfect example of this. This book is a must read for modern day feminists; especially now when movements like #metoo and #timesup have gathered momentum.
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