Breaking shackles

By Shahid Karim

Sharafat Jee Poll Saraat is a collection of poems by Attiya Dawood on problems women have been facing for centuries. Perhaps, these issues have no real meaning in  a made society which is more painful for the aware woman.

One poem 'Kaash Samajhdar na Banoon' seems strange in a society which gives respect to consciousness, then what is the kind of consciousness that makes a person pity herself. Why is a woman's consciousness considered something wrong in our social structure. Women in our society are known through their roles like mother, daughter, sister, and wife. They are considered nothing apart from these roles. Their recognition as an aware individual is very strange for this society. The question is if our society has the flexibility where in they can survive as a woman?

Certainly not, suggests Attiya. Women are made dependent in a Will they ever be their confident, man made society for the sake of able, independent selves in any class, man's sovereignty of our society? When men and women are equal, the game of domination over each looks like a malicious effort of sick minds.

No one has control over being born a male or a female. Then why men dominate all the aspects of life. Why is it only a man’s rolle to determine and why a woman’s existance and consiousness not considered.

One of the poems 'Saharay kay Baghair' describes eloquently how dependence makes a completely .sane person retarded. What does it give and how much does it take back. It is like where one party makes a deal similar to that of a master who manages a proposal for his slave. Apart from blocking freedom, it creates mental and physical prison which sucks their souls and makes them puppets. The poem describes this dilemma of women in our society in a pithy manner. Women are made dependent in a man made society for the sake of man’s sovereignty.

The poerns ‘Pyar Zaroor Karna’, ‘Auron Say Pehlay’ and ‘Sangsar Tamana’ are                      about the poet’s desire for a balanced society. She calls upon the soci­ety to realise and see life in its original colours, exhorts us not to see life through theeyes of customs, calls women to go their own destiny. She urges them to free themselves from the chain of accepted behaviour.

Some descriptive poems draw the picture of women in our society very clearly. The poem ‘Such ki Talaash’ describes a conscious woman's feelings in a society where she is leading a false life. Society's considerations always stand before her and she never crosses the limits set by it. At times she wonders if she has any freedom of thought. She is a prisoner in the male dominated world.

All this artificial structure in which women have to live now look clearly outdated. Her own self now is not ready to go with her. All these uncertainties and absurdities create confusion among both men and women because customs are not made for both pillars of society. These customs turn women to stones who need the protection of men and the social structure, turning the society into a desert. The poem further explains that the society does not have ears to listen to a woman's feelings.

Despite of all these realities, she dreams of freedom and is self‑determined. This is what gives her hope. It is the division of women's roles which led them away from themselves as human beings. Their needs are defined according to their roles, but in a society a free, independent and conscious woman is without any 'role'. Perhaps a woman is a stranger to herself as a woman, she is trained to see herself as a role player.

Some of the poems are about man‑woman relationship like ‘Sumandar ka Doosra Kinara’, ‘Jazbat kay Qatal pe’, ‘Turn aur Mein’, ‘Dil ka Aks’, ‘Bairang Tasveer’ and ‘Muhabbat ki Manzil’.

These poems question the possi bility of a normal relationship in a suffocated society where a woman has no will of her own and her status is pre‑determined by men and everything is done to satisfy man's ego. A society where everything is determined and recognized by men, it's not strange that women are second class citizens.

‘Barossay ka Qatal’, ‘Maslehaton ki Dunya’ and ‘Naya Samaaj’ are poems which address society, making it aware that women can know themselves perfectly. So there is no need to keep them under male domination as balance between the two will be better for both of them. Women's awareness and freedom will give balance to the society, where she has the same rights she will build her own character.

The poem ‘Baikar Khilona’ criticises the society at the rape of minor girls and uses the metaphor of 'useless toys'. The poem taunts men that their animal desires are now going to pollute the innocent souls. The poem ‘Shariat Bill’ criticises legislators for using political and moral tools of the society for male supremacy.

Now that the women are very much aware of their rights they are more powerful. The slavish attitudes of the society are going to whither and won't be able to crush today's woman's enthusiasm for freedom.

 The  News on Sunday August 23, 1998