Celebration of womanhood
The poetesses of emotive power, Amrita Pritam, Parveen Shakir and Zehra Nigah were not only blessed with the magic of verse, they also lived as extraordinary personalities. If they were sensitive enough to paint their longings for love and yearning of the heart and soul, they could very well challenge the social order in a more staunch and hard-hitting manner.
Come February 4 and the city will witness a celebration of womanhood, “Main Kaun Hoon”, and that too from a poetic standpoint.
Three sisters, Shaila Hattangadi, Shobhana Rao and Nirmala Jaishankar along with theatreperson Salima Raza will present the works of women poets from India and Pakistan at the Indian International Centre.
“We haven’t taken any single aspect of the works of these women, but have attempted to look at its diverse facets. The focus, however is on a woman’s worldview and the feminine experience,” says Shaila, who along with her sisters and brother belongs to the distinguished “Gulwadi Quartet”, and has performed across the globe.
The presentation will include tarannum renditions of ghazals, nazms and dramatised recitations of the works of Amrita Pritam, Mahadevi Verma, Kishwar Naheed, Zehra Nigah, Parveen Shakir, Naseem Nakhat, Noorjehan Sarwat and Indira Varma. “It will be an endeavour to aesthetically evoke and enhance the lyrical beauty of each poem through the seamlessly woven magic of music and drama,” says Shobhana.
Shaila talks about Amrita Pritam’s Aj Aakhaan Waris Shah Nu, wherein Amrita calls out to Waris Shah and expresses her anguish over the massacre during Partition.
Ultimately, we believe that women want a more humane world with a focus on values, and not a superficial one, says Shobhana about the show.
“These women made comments on whatever they experienced. So, these are strong women who don’t believe in living on male generosity,” she adds, as she talks of poetess Kishwar Naheed, who comes from a conservative Pakistani society, and has been regarded as a fearless voice.
And about the similarities in the works of women of the sub-continent, Shaila says, “There is an element of solitude, which is common in these works. These women speak of a generation were the norms have to change. They have to be looked at with a new approach, and may not adhere to the typical male stereotype.”
Shaila adds, “We have always wanted to come together for this concert and celebrate these women. It’s after extensive research that we could settle for the names and then works of these prominent names.”
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