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- Title
Chuhretrināmāh- As Feminine Voice in South Asian Literature.
- Authors
Pervaiz, Naila
- Abstract
Women have been marginalized in the human society in almost all parts of the world. Owing to this, the sufis in South Asia kept on underscoring the marginalized position of women particularly in their poetry. More often than not, the Sufis brought in the female argument in their poetic works as it was a common norm during olden times. Waris Shah, famous for his Hir, is a well-known classical sufi poet of eighteenth century Punjab, yet very few would have heard about one of his other creations namely Chuhretrināmāh. He has represented the doubly-marginalized community of the society in the Chuhretrināmāh. Speaking in the feminine voice, he highlights the concerns and miseries of an oppressed section of premodern Punjabi society i.e., Chuhri. Chuhri is one of the village menials proper who sweeps the house and village. She is the sweeper as well as scavenger of the Punjabi society. Waris Shah also brings to light some of the key concepts of Sufism in this poetic composition but the present study does not deal with it as it primarily focuses on the female voice presented by the poet. The concept of chuhri/chuhretri has been mentioned time and again by various Sufi poets like Shah Husain, Bullhe Shah, etc. In premodern Punjab, generally speaking, the status of women was quite low. Furthermore, the chuhri, being poor and at the lowest rung of the society, was more vulnerable than that of other women. The reason of selecting chuhri as a female voice was that the chuhra community was at the lowest ebb of the Muslim community during premodern times. She was the one who faced the abuses of society and was supposed to be thankful to those who allowed her to enter in their house for cleaning purposes. The chuhri has been faced with social, religious, economic oppression since long. Waris Shah has mentioned a woman's capacity to merge herself to her beloved/master/God as, unlike men, she loves through her soul and not physically. Sufis have adopted this particular phenomenon in order to present more loyal and submissive attitude towards God. One of the reasons of presenting oneself in the female position could be the feminine virtues of compassion, nurturing and devotion. The chuhri also employs a strategy to attain self-empowerment by attaching herself with the spiritual lineage (such as with the renowned twelfth-century Sufi Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani; d. 1166) because her own status is blood-based which she cannot change.
- Subjects
PUNJAB; SOUTH Asia; SOUTH Asians; LITERATURE; EIGHTEENTH century; HOUSE cleaning; SUFISM; OPPRESSION
- Publication
Journal of Asian Civilizations, 2016, Vol 39, Issue 2, p67
- ISSN
1993-4696
- Publication type
Article