Kanniya Dan

Ismat Chughtai’s new short story collection, “Kanyadaan: Ismat Chughtai”, published by Rekhta Publications, comprises a selection of her well-known stories along with new and previously unpublished short storys. The collection includes notable stories such as “Jaal”, “Chhui-Mui”, “Do Haath”, “Lihaaf”, “Kanyadaan”, “Zehr Ka Pyala”, “Ghoonghat”, “Charpai”, “Kaamchor”, “Kaisi Biwi Kaisa Shohar”, and “Chhoti Aapa”. These stories vividly depict women’s emotions, the suffocation of social constraints, and their defiance against them, making this collection highly worth reading. Famed for her novel “Tedhi Lakeer” and short story “Lihaaf”, Ismat Chughtai was one of Urdu literature’s most prominent fiction writers, novelists, and playwrights. She was born on August 21, 1915, in Badayun (Uttar Pradesh). Chughtai portrayed women’s lives, emotions, and the restrictions of society with bold realism. Associated with the Progressive Writers’ Movement, her writings gave a new identity and voice to women in Urdu literature. She passed away on October 24, 1991.