Neuroquantology |November 2022 | Volume 20 | Issue 17 |Page 1046-1051| Doi: 10.48047/NQ.2022.20.17.

NQ880134
Dr. Shahida, Material Feminism: Reading Rashid Jahan’s Angarey And Other Short Stories

Material Feminism: Reading Rashid Jahan’s

AngareyAnd Other Short Stories
Dr. Shahida1*

Abstract:-
Rashid Jahan (1905-1952) a medical officer by profession and a communist by ideology broke every rule by
which a Muslim woman from ‘shareef gharana’ was expected to live in pre-independent India of 1920s and 30s.
She vociferously opposed societal norms that oppressed women through her works. She is one of the earliest
women writers who is known for inaugurating a new era of Urdu literature written by women. The publication
of Rashid Jahan’s Angarey (1931), a collection of short stories and plays, co-authored with three male friends
including her husband, created a stir among Muslim genteel for being too radical. She faced severe criticism from
Muslim clerics on account of her portrayal of the plight of women and particularly Muslim women behind the
‘veil’ in the most realistic manner. Issues like women education and literacy, safe motherhood, safe
contraception, sexual practices, sexual abuse etc. among Muslim women were raised for the first time in India. As
a result Angarey was banned on charges of being ‘immoral.’ Material feminism is a theoretical framework that
looks at global oppression of women, people of colour and minorities in terms of their concrete economic and
social conditions. The practitioners of this theory view gender as social construct. They are of the opinion that
women are historically viewed as mere objects for reproduction and their gender role in society has more or less
confirmed that. There are many social and economic conditions that have resulted in marginalization of women.
This paper aims at reading Rashid Jahan’s Angarey in terms of social relations and analytics grounded in the
material conditions of Muslim society in pre-independent India. I shall be focusing on analyzing social
1046
arrangements-most notably the family, domesticity, and motherhood- that have promoted women’s
marginalization. In other words, I shall be investigating what social and economic constraints prevented women
from things like pursuing a career, access to education, opportunity to be self dependent economically etc.
1
Keywords:material feminism, women, social, economic, minority.
DOI Number: 10.48047/NQ.2022.20.17.NQ880134 Neuroquantology 2022; 20(17):1046-1051

IRashid Jahan (1905-1952) a medical officer by family where women were allowed to pursue
profession and a communist by ideology, broke education and career of their choice. Her
every rule by which a Muslim woman from mother and aunt taught at the Aligarh Girls’
‘shareef gharana’ was expected to live in pre- School and wrote for Urdu magazines
independent India of 1920s and 30s. She is including their own entitled ‘Khatun.’ The
often declared as a rebel with a cause. In fact, house was always open for intellectuals and
Rakshanda Jalil in A Rebel and her Cause: The new ideas.
Life and Work of Rashid Jahan (2014) praises
her for openness and frankness in speaking Rashid Jahan was a rebel in truest sense, she
about religion and women. broke all the stereotypes on her way to
becoming a doctor and a path breaking writer.
Rashid Jahan was the eldest daughter of Sheikh She wrote some 25-30 shot stories and 15-20
Abdullah and Wahid Jahan Begum. Both of plays basically about women and on women.
them worked actively in education of Muslim Unfortunately much of it is lost. Her extremely
girls. Despite of all the oppositions they were frank and sometimes angry stories about the
successful in establishing school for girls which
*Corresponding Author: - Dr. Shahida
Address:-1*Assistant Professor, Department of Humanities and Social lives andNational
Sciences deprivations ofTechnology,
Institute of women Kurukshetra
in purdah
later onEmail:-shahida2709@[Link]
Haryana, became the Aligarh Women’s College. contributed much in “reconfiguring Urdu
She wasconflicts
Relevant fortunate to have beendisclosures:
of interest/financial born in Thea authorsliterature that
declare that the the wasProgressive
research conducted in theWriters’
absence
of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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Dr. Shahida, Material Feminism: Reading Rashid Jahan’s Angarey And Other Short Stories

Movement initiated.”1 She has contributed in its publication, due to severe criticism and
inspiring many feminist writers later on, for public outrage, the British government was
instance IsmatChugtai, who was her junior at forced to impose ban and circulation its
the Aligarh school, confesses in her autobio- publication in 1933. The Muslim clerics issued
graphy that Rashid Jahan was a freethinker fatwas against the four authors, and being the
and rebel. “She spoiled me because she was only female writer in the group Rashid Jahan
very bold and would speak all sort of things suffered all the more for transgressing the
openly and loudly, and I just wanted to copy boundaries of behavior that is expected from a
her… the handsome heroes and pretty young educated Muslim woman in pre
heroines of my stories, the candle-like fingers, independent India. Threatened of an acid
the lime blossoms and crimson blossoms all attack, Rashid Jahan continued to speak her
vanished… the earthy Rashid Jahan shattered mind. She had become the notorious
all my ivory idols to pieces…Life, stark and ‘Angareywali’ in public. The irony of the whole
naked, stood before me.” 2 situation was that people condemned her
openly yet enjoyed reading Angarey in private
It was the publication of Rashid Jahan’s spaces. Ahmed Ali wrote:
Angarey (1931), a collection of short stories
and plays, co-authored with three male friends We knew the book would create a stir, but
Zahir Ahmed, Sajjad Zahir and her husband never dreamt it would bring the house down.
Mahmud-zzafar, that created a stir among We were condemned at public meetings and
Muslim genteel for being too radical. It was private; bourgeois families hurried to
during her stay in Lucknow, she came in dissociate themselves from us and denied
contact with these politically conscious young acquaintance with us, especially with Rashid
writers all of whom believed in the power of Jahan and myself…people read the book
the written words to change the world. They behind closed doors and in bathrooms with
are also given the credit of introducing new relish but denounced us in the open. We were
narrative techniques and initiating the lampooned and satirized, condemned 1047
Progressive Writers’ Movement in Urdu editorially and pamphlets… our lives were
Literature, “These young writers not only threatened.3
challenged the social orthodoxy but also 2
traditional literary narratives and techniques. Newspapers and journals published angry
In an attempt to represent the individual mind editorials and articles denouncing the book,
and its struggle, they ushered in the narrative calling it a “filthy pamphlet…which has woun-
technique known as stream of consciousness” ded the feelings of the entire Muslim
(Babbar, 8). community…and which is extremely objection-
able from the point of view of both religion and
This young group of writers challenged the morality.”4
orthodoxy and hypocrisy of Muslim society.
Rashid Jahan faced severe criticism from This paper aims at reading Rashid Jahan’s
Muslim clerics on account of her portrayal of Angarey in terms of social relations and
the plight of women and particularly Muslim analytics grounded in the material conditions
women behind the ‘veil’ in the most realistic of Muslim society in pre-independent India. I
manner. Issues like women education and shall be focusing on analyzing social
literacy, safe motherhood, safe contraception, arrangements-- most notably the family,
sexual practices, sexual abuse etc. among domesticity, and motherhood-- that have
Muslim women were raised for the first time in promoted women’s marginalization. In other
India. As a result Angarey was banned on words, I shall be investigating what social and
charges of being ‘immoral.’ Three months after economic constraints prevented women from

3
“Rashid Jahan: The Bad Girl of Urdu Literature.”
1
Amrita Dutta,”Rashid Jahan: A Spark that Lit Fire.” Sangat Review. [Link]
Indian Express. 23 May 2014. jahan/
4
[Link] Rakshanda Jalil. “The Bad Girl of Urdu Literature.” 4
spark-that-lit-the-fire/ January 2012.
[Link]
2
Ibid. ?issue=20130104&page=16
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Dr. Shahida, Material Feminism: Reading Rashid Jahan’s Angarey And Other Short Stories

things like pursuing a career, access to long as he has given a woman food and
education, opportu-nity to be self-dependent clothing, he has done enough. The more
economically etc. and specifically Muslim conscientious husband would think he is being
women. fair if he spends one night with one wife and
the other with the second. As though wives
IIMaterial feminism is a theoretical framework were mere toys for their husband, he can play
that looks at global oppression of women, with either one he fancies. And who is to
people of colour and minorities in terms of blame? (230)
their concrete economic and social conditions.
The practitioners of this theory view gender as Fatima mocks at ‘shareef’ men and refutes to
social construct. They are of the opinion that her aunt’s argument that it is Allah who has
women are historically viewed as mere objects given higher status to men in society:
for reproduction and their gender role in
society has more or less confirmed that. The Oh, come on! Men have written these books
situation is all the more difficult and typical in according to their own wishes. Those who
case of Muslim women. There are different create religions, write shariahs and laws-they
causes of Muslim women’s disempowerment are all men after all! They write everything to
and oppression. Firstly, Muslim women are suit men; what would they know about a
dependent on different interpretation of Sharia woman’s heart? Had they been woman, they
laws. Within legal framework polygamy and would have known. (231)
divorce is permissible and easy for men. This
in effect has deteriorated the condition of Atiq in actuality wants a younger wife,
women and has generated feeling of insecurity daughter of a devotee, who will be more docile
and fear among women. Rashid Jahan has very and pliable. Silently many times Rashid Jahan
frankly discussed the plight, fear and anxieties encourages women solidarity, “What if the two
of a Muslim woman by plays like Aurat (1941) women were to unite? What would the man do
1048
and PardekePeeche (Behind the Veil) (1942). then? The man would leave both and marry a
third! I just don’t mean the two wives; I mean
Auratleaves us with a hope of change and women generally.” (231) The same idea of
progress. Fatima, a childless woman, is men often quoting or rather manipulating 3
married to Atiq, a maulvi who is insistent on religious texts or sharia laws to prove their
remarrying in order to produce an heir. He argument is seen in BehindtheVeil. When
tries to convince Fatima on the grounds that Muhammadi Begum revolted against her
Sharia laws permit remarriage “if a woman is husband’s demand of getting married to her
barren or her babies do not live” (214). Fatima cousin Razia on the pretext of having fallen in
vociferously attacks him by saying, “This is the love with her, he first tries to cajole her by
first time I have heard about the Shariat saying saying, “Believe me, I am completely smitten
anything about children who don’t live! You with her. For God’s sake, help me.” (97) In
can produce any Shariat you like.” (214) order to pressurize her further he starts
Rashid Jahan has time and again raised issues quoting verses from Quran in order to
related to religious laws and their contribution convince her for remarriage, “He used to sit
in enslavement of wo-men. Atiq is a corrupt with the QuranSharif and read out aayats
Maulvi who treats people of their sickness by (verses) about the kind of hell I will face after
giving them amulets and potions. When Fatima death if I don’t help my husband. Anyway,
exposes his hypocrisy she is beaten and which fire could have burnt me more than the
insulted by Atiq. Atiq is representation of any one I carried within me, the one which
so called ‘shareef’ man who wants his wife scorched me all the time? In short, the same
willingly allow second marriage. He promises story that he would go mad was repeated
to be just while dealing with both the wives. endlessly.”(98)Both Fatima and Muhammadi
Rashida ridicules justifica-tion given by men are insecure about their future due to their
for remarriage: husband’s insistent demand of remarriage.
Both religion and sharia laws have not been
Exactly! What would he know? A man thinks as able to render them sense of justice or security.

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Dr. Shahida, Material Feminism: Reading Rashid Jahan’s Angarey And Other Short Stories

life experiences in her works. The lady doctor

Secondly, women as mere objects for who examines Muhammadi Begum is none
reproduction and their gender role in society other than the voice of Doctor Rashid Jahan
has been challenged more or less confirmed herself. She becomes mouthpiece of Muham-
that. This is well expressed in works like madi Begum expressing how women suffered
Behind the Veil. It is a one act play, published in due to early marriage and frequent childbirth.
Agareyalong with other short stories. It created Muhammadi Begum in spite of poor health is
serious furore among Muslim clergy and the pregnant again and forced for sex in spite of
elite class. Here she exposes the condition of suffering from fever and gynecological issues.
women from ‘shareef khandan.’ The play is a This is not only case of Muhamaadi Begum, she
conversation between two women. Aftab gives reference of Mirza Maqbool Ali Shah who
Begum who is about 40 years and the younger is old with granddaughters has married again.
one who looks much older, tired and depressed The new wife is not more than twenty years.
Muhammadi Begum, “The lady doctor asked She is forced into marriage as she has six
my age. ‘thirty two years’, I said. She smiled in unmarried sisters. Muhamadi Begum says,
a way that gave me an impression that she did “And this latest wife of his is so young; with
not believe me.” (85) Married at 17, such an innocent face! She would be hardly
Muhammadi Begum has borne children every twenty. The unlucky girl is doomed. She has six
year since; except twice when her husband unmarried sisters.”(91)
was abroad and once when they had fought.
The children are unhealthy and mal- The issues of women health and neglect of safe
nutritioned. They are pale, thin, quarrelsome, contraception or delivery of child is often
ill-kempt and rowdy. This is because she is not highlighted by Rashid Jahan. Not only by giving
allowed to breast feed and nurse children the example of Muhammadi Begum she
because the husband has huge sexual appetite portrays issues of female health but in many
and not only his wife he goes around to other short stories she has focused on female health.
1049
women too, prostitutes, “I am always In A Daughter-in-law for Asif Jahan, Rashid
terrorized by the threat, ‘I will remarry if you Jahan has been extremely open and frank
breastfeed the children. I need a woman at all about trauma a woman has to face while
times. I don’t have the patience to wait while childbirth. Plus, unskilled and illiterate 4
you attend to the children.’”(89) There are midwifes make it all the more dangerous for
several ayahs and maid kept for taking care of the patient. The midwife uses of rusted knife to
children yet they remain unmanageable: cut the umbilical of the newly born infant, then
in spite of complications in the delivery, the
How else be when they are deprived of their females of the household prefer illiterate
mother’s milk? They bring home any kind of midwife over a skilled doctor.
wet nurse they can find; the blind, the pock-
marked, the fat, the thin. Whoever one Thirdly, when it comes to education mostly
stumbles upon is employed. My husband is the Muslim women are not allowed western
decision maker. He says I need not bother with education. In fact they are forced to take up
all this when with God’s grace, we have money. religious education. And if some of them are
As far as he is concerned, all pleasure is limited educated they are ridiculed or taunted as
to his own lust. His only worry is that he will ‘Memsahib.’ In this short story Saas aur Bahu,
be inconvenienced if a child stays with me. He Rashid Jahan brings out the tussle between
is not concerned, be it night or day. All he mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, represent-
wants is for his wife to be available to him at all ation of orthodox and modern. The mother-in-
times. (88) law disapproves her daughter –in-law on
account of her modern thinking and education
Muhammadi Begum is also medically and often used the word ‘memsahib’ in a
unhealthy. She suffers from pyorrhea and has derogatory manner.
had several teeth pulled out that too because
the husband complained that her mouth stinks. Fourthly, imposition of purdah system, early
As a lady doctor Rashid Jahan has used her real marriage and polygamy has more or resulted

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Dr. Shahida, Material Feminism: Reading Rashid Jahan’s Angarey And Other Short Stories

in disempowerment of women. In this short story ‘Mard aur Aurat’ she deliberately does
story ‘Dilli ki Sair’ Rashid Jahan has presented a not assign any names to the characters. The
simple incident though it leaves a deep impact. story is in the form of a conversation taking
Malka Begum, a young housewife, is the first place between a man and a woman. The man
among her acquaintances to have taken a ride wants to marry this woman and tries to
in train and gone to Delhi. She had already convince her that her job will in many ways act
recounted the story thousand times, but there as an impediment in their ‘happily married
is always a ready audience to hear it again, ever after.’ She refuses to abandon the idea of
probably because these women have never quitting her job for the sake of matrimony. The
ever travelled to Delhi. This train ride has man mocks at the woman urging her to quit
given Malka Begum a standing among other her job by saying, “kaunsa ek
women. It does not matter the listeners hazarrupyakamayakarti ho. Sau rupya …to
whether the trip was memorable or not. It was tumaharitankhahai” (97) (you don’t earn a
just her journey by train that elevated her thousand rupees or so; merely 100 rupees is
status. The situation is highly ironical because your salary). The lady retorts “Kuchbhi ho, hai
as soon as Malka Begum and her husband to yeh meri azadi ki kunji” (97) (whatever it is,
reached Delhi, at the railway station, Malka it is key to my freedom). It is through this
Begum’s husband meets an acquaintance, some woman Rashid Jahan tries to emphasise on the
station master, and goes off on his own leaving need for women to be economically
her to guard the luggage. Cladded in a burqa , independent and not to forsake career in the
sitting atop her luggage, she waits on the name of matrimony. Her short stories deal
platform for hours watching the people and with themes such as oppression, women
action around. She had to tolerate stares and health, gender discrimination, religion,
comments passed by rowdy men who are marriage, relationship between man and
especially curious about women in burqa. woman etc. In a similar manner Rashid Jahan
Some cough deliberately and others pass lewd has focused on the need of economic
comments. One of them says, “Show us your independence of women in her play ‘Behind
face…” (121) Petrified she keeps sitting there the Veil.’ Muhammadi finds her condition is 1050
guarding the luggage and also suffers pangs of bad because she is not financially independent.
hunger. Finally the husband returns after two She has to suffer because she is not capable of 5
hours, twirling his moustaches, not looking a taking care of her own needs unlike the lady
bit repentant about abandoning her in an doctor who seems to be an empowered lady,
unknown place. Hungry and terrified by male “Aye, Miss Sahib! You are fortunate. You earn
gazes she had lost all the zeal for sightseeing. money for yourself, and you spend it the way
She just wants to return home. Carelessly the you wish too, and sleep in peace. As far as I am
husband asks her, “I can get some puris if you concerned, who cares if I go to hell or to
are hungry? Will you eat? I have already eaten heaven! All that they care about is their
at the hotel.”(123) It is just a two page story pleasure and enjoyment.” (90).
and it speaks volumes regarding callous
attitude of husband and male privileges. It is a IIIRashid Jahan’s works are pertinent because
penetrating account of life behind veil or burqa her works have successfully initiated
and how men continue to enjoy without any emancipa-tory thinking at a point of time when
regrets. Women tolerate their callousness by women were not only put behind veils but also
justifying it as, “Men are like that; women silenced. Through her writings she made them
know it and can do nothing about it.” (Jalil, understand that for a woman economic
2014; 139) independence is a way to dignified life. Stories
and plays such MardwaAurat (Man and
There are many social and economic Woman), Dilli ki Sair (A Tour to Delhi),
conditions that have resulted in PardekePeechey (Behind the
marginalization of women. Rashid Jahan Veil),Woman(Aurat), Sale, and many others
through her writing has vociferou-sly opposed have highly realistically portrayed condition of
such societal norms responsible for women’s Muslim woman of ‘shareef khandan.’
dependence on man economically. In her short

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Dr. Shahida, Material Feminism: Reading Rashid Jahan’s Angarey And Other Short Stories

In the present it becomes important to revisit

the works of Rashid Jahan because they are
outstanding in terms of issues they raised.
Women who questioned societal norms and
moral values were often scorned and hated.
Rashid Jahan faced that defamation and ill
treatment yet she did not give up. She
continued to work both in theory and practice
for women and their progress. Her works are
significant because even after 80 years or so
the issues raised by her remain unresolved.
This is equally interesting to note that prior to
French Feminists like Simone De Beauvoir who
became role model for modern woman,
rebellious and freethinking woman, Rashid
Jahan had already established herself as one.
To conclude with apt words of Dr. Hamida
Saiduzzafardecribes Rashid Jahan as:

Rashid Jahan was first woman in Urdu who

addressed herself squarely, consistently and
forcefully to the myriad of problems of the
middle and lower-middle class woman in
Indian society, she can rightly be called Urdu
literature’s first ‘angry young woman.’5

References
Angarey. Vibha S. Chauhan and Khalid Alvi. Trans. Delhi:
Rupa, 2014.
Babbar, Nadira Z. “Foreword.” Angarey. Vibha S. Chauhan 1051
and Khalid Alvi. Trans. Delhi: Rupa, 2014. 6
Gopal, Priyamvada. Literary Radicalism in India: Gender,
Nation and the Transition to Independence. New
York: Routledge, 2005.
Jalil, Rakshanda. A Literary History of Progressive
Writers’ Movement in Urdu. Delhi: Oxford University
Press, 2014.
…, A Rebel and her Cause: The Life and Works of Rashid
[Link]: Women Unlimited, 2014.
Rashid Jahan ki Kahaniyan. Siddiqui, Shakeel. Trans.
Delhi: Vani publications
Shrivastava, Gauri. The Legend Makers: Some Eminent
Muslim Women of India. Delhi: Concept Publishing,
2003.

5
Jalil, Rakshanda. “The Bad Girl of Urdu Literature: Dr.
Rashid Jahan”
[Link]
?issue=20130104&page=16

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