Pauline, our devoted Story Café blogger, couldn’t make it this week, so I had my pen and notebook at the ready to take notes….
We had a full house for our Urdu Poetry Story Café, which was researched and lovingly selected by Syma and Saadia. Syma started by telling us that Urdu poetry has a long and rich history, and that it has such depth. When translating, people often say that you can’t find the words in English to do it justice.
Saadia read some beautiful short poems to start with, such as this one:
It is the existence of woman that gives the universe its colours,
She is the leading instrument in the grand orchestra of life itself.
Saadia read one of her one poems, the powerful ‘Silent screams’, followed by the poetry of Perveen Shakir. Perveen Shakir’s poems are known for giving a voice to women and their experiences. After her untimely death in 1994, she is now considered one of the best modern poets the Urdu language has ever produced. One of our audience members told us that Perveen Shakir had visited her school in Pakistan, and that there is a road named after her in Islamabad.
We were then introduced to the work of Kishwar Naheed. She is one of the best known feminist poets of Pakistan, and her powerful poetry confronts patriarchal views in a strong, direct voice. Her poetry has been translated into English and Spanish and her famous poem ‘We Sinful Women’ (which Saadia read brilliantly) gave its title to a ground breaking anthology of contemporary Urdu feminist poetry published in London by The Women’s Press in 1991.
Before the break, we read a poem by Noshi Gilani. Her poetry is renowned for its candour and frankness and she has gained a committed international audience, performing regularly at large poetry gatherings in Pakistan, Australia, Canada and the US.
After our tea break, we were delighted to welcome Glasgow-based Kausar Arshad, who has worked with Syma on creative writing and acting projects, and who is also a holiday blogger. Kausar read some of her own work, including a poem called ‘Let me hear’. She also read a poem by Rahat Zahid, the first Scottish-Pakistani poet to translate some of Robert Burns’ poems into Urdu.
Finally we welcomed Tasneem Karim, a true trailblazer. Tasneem, an Urdu teacher (who taught Syma!), established the Urdu curriculum in Scottish schools – an incredible achievement. It was fascinating to listen to Tasneem’s experiences, and to think about how vital language is to our sense of identity and belonging.
We finished with a humorous poem in Punjabi, read by Kausar, about a universal theme – ‘what shall we cook today?’ which had everyone laughing!
Today’s Story Café was a delight for our ears and an inspiration to be introduced to these remarkable women – I left with my heart feeling full. Thanks so much to Syma and Saadia for all their hard work and preparation, and to Kausar and Tasneem for reading and sharing their stories with us.
