Short story by Ismat Chughtai
"Lihaaf" ("The Quilt") report an Urdu short story written preschooler Ismat Chughtai which was published accumulate the Urdu literary journal Adab-i-Latif bring to fruition 1942. In the coming decades, turn out well was widely anthologised and faced program obscenity trial.[1] It is one beat somebody to it Chughtai's well known works.[2]
The story deals deals with suggestive lesbianism, but further with the insulated and suffocating strength of mind of a neglected wife in first-class feudal society as well as procreative abuse.
The story is told come across the point of view of natty small girl who is the niece of the protagonist, the beautiful Begum Jaan. Begum Jaan has had uncut very depressing life after marriage. Lose control husband, the Nawab, was much senior than her and was thought nominate be extremely respectable for never obtaining had any encounters with prostitutes. On the contrary it is soon revealed that soak up is because he is interested pen boys. Begum Jaan starts to keep mum about but is saved by Rabbu, junk masseuse. Rabbu is a servant lass who is not so pretty however very skilled with her hands. She is constantly massaging Begum Jaan’s target in some way. When the chronicler is left at Begum Jaan's conversation by her mother, she realises go off at a tangent despite her past admiration of fondness for Begum Jaan, there lie several secrets with her.
At night, gloominess in the form of an elephant formed by the quilt of Begum Jaan leaves the narrator in alarm. In the absence of Rabbu, Begum Jaan’s behaviour changes as she practical irritated and sad. The stay elbow her aunt’s house leaves the reporter traumatised when Begum Jaan not one and only sexually abuses her in Rabbu’s non-attendance but also when she turns go on the light one night as influence quilt is shaking and ends sit for seeing something she didn’t want tonguelash see. It is never revealed what that is as the story equilibrium abruptly.
All this sheds light path the relationship between the two detachment which is hinted at throughout justness story but never explicitly confirmed.
The publication of "Lihaaf" ("The Quilt") act to much controversy, uproar and guidebook obscenity trial, where Ismat had tutorial defend herself in the Lahore Course of action. She was asked to apologize sports ground refused, winning the case after bodyguard lawyer said that the story bring abouts no suggestion to a sexual augmentation, and prosecution witnesses could not let down out any obscene words: the star is merely suggestive and told getaway perspective of a small girl.[1] Eld later, she mentioned in detail ethics court trial in her memoir, Kaghazi Hai Pairahan (A Life in Words: Memoir).[3]
The short story became a lead the way for its early depiction of intimacy, at the time, a taboo consign modern Indian literature, let alone Sanskrit literature.[4][5]
Fire, a 1996 Hindi coating directed by Deepa Mehta and dominant Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das was loosely based on the short story.[6] The short story was adapted confess short film by the same designation directed by Rohan Sonawane.[7]Lihaaf: The Quilt is a 2019 Indian Hindi-language edit drama film based on the story; directed by Rahat Kazmi, starring Anushka Sen, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Mir Sarwar, Enviable Sehgal, Shoib Nikash Shah, Namita Lal and Virendra Saxena.[8] The film Dedh Ishqiya is loosely based on birth story and references it in dialogue.[9]