Kaghazi Hai Pairahan

The book is an honest and compelling memoir of Ismat Chughtai, one of the most significant Urdu writers and thinkers of the subcontinent. Written in a fictional, non-formal style, it provides an authentic and delightful account of several crucial years of her life. It contains vivid descriptions of her childhood and her experiences of growing up in a large Muslim family during the early decades of the twentieth century. An intimate view is provided of the writer’s fierce struggle to find her own voice. She writes with passion and precision the visible and subtle tyrannies of contemporary society. Besides the book, essays written by Ismat Chughtai on some well-known Urdu writers have been included, along with sketches written on Ismat by Saadat Hasan Manto and Patrus Bukhari. The book is a valuable addition to the body of autobiographical writings.