MANTO AND HIS "SCANDALOUS" WOMEN (Part I)

"Aurat par likhne ke liye khud aurat banana padhta hai." - Manto

Sugandhi, Sharda, Sultana, Mozil, Sakina ... Manto has to his credit some of the finest women characters in Urdu literature. Manto’s women characters bring out various facets of women, who question existing gender norms and embody the elements of courage and freedom in them. His groundbreaking writings on tabooed topics in fact portrays women’s power and agency. We follow Manto’s unique gaze on these characters through dramatic readings of his writings.

The readings are interspersed with relevant excerpts from articles, poems and discussions that help further our understanding of the theme. 

PRESENTED BY

Readers

Nachiket Devasthali | Sapan Saran | Alka Sharma | Aslam Parvez

Singer

Jahnvi Shrimankar

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About the programme

'Urdu Hai Jiska Naam'

Urdu is perceived as a language of culture, of sophistication, philosophy, romance, and poetry ! 'Urdu Hai Jiska Naam' is an attempt to enter the rich world of Urdu literature.

We have taken great care to transcribe, perhaps for the first time, a wide range of writing from Urdu into Devnagari thereby insuring authenticity and accuracy. Urdu readings are carefully curated, so that every piece of writing is placed in a social and cultural context which enhances its accessibility and illuminates its larger meaning. Listeners get to know the writer’s personality and idiosyncrasies, they get to know the times in which the piece was written, they get a sense of “being there”.

And all this rendered by a pool of highly skilled theatre actors. It’s quite remarkable how listeners, young and old, build a special relationship with Urdu. 

Conceived by

Aslam Parvez and Tamaasha Theatre