Noted poet and prose writer Fahmida Riaz passed away on Wednesday evening in Lahore. She was 72.
Her funeral will be held after Asr prayers in Lahore's Askari 1 area on Thursday.
The eminent progressive writer, who was also hailed by many as a pioneer in feminist literature, had been suffering from illness for the past few months.
Apart from authoring more than 15 books on fiction and poetry, she was also a human rights activist. Her first literary work was published in 1967, titling ‘Pather Ki Zuban’. Her collection of poetry includes ‘Dhoop’, ‘Pura Chand’, ‘Admi Ki Zindagi’ and more. Her novels include ‘Zinda Bahar’, ‘Godaavari’ and ‘Karachi’. She was famous for her revolutionary and contrary to tradition poetry.
When Badan Dareeda, her second collection of verse, appeared in 1973, she was accused of using erotic and sensual expressions in her poetry. The themes prevalent in her verse were, until then, considered taboo for women writers.
Fahmida Raiz also contributed to the Urdu literature as a translator. Whether it was Ismail Kadare from Albania or Maulana Rumi, she was knowledgeable about world fiction and classical poetry.
Born into a literary family of Meerut (India) in July 1946, Fahmida Riaz, in addition to her literary pursuits, always played an active role in social and political activities.
She lived in self-exile for over six years in India when former military dictator Gen Zia-ul-Haq ruled over Pakistan.
She was appointed managing director of what was then the National Book Council of Pakistan during the first PPP government (1988-90). In Benazir Bhutto's second tenure as prime minister, she became associated with the ministry of culture.
In 2009, she was appointed the chief editor of the Urdu Dictionary Board in Karachi.
Condolences pour in
PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb expressed sorrow over the demise of Fahmida Riaz and termed it a loss not only for literature but also for democracy. The former information minister praised the progressive writer for her work. “Fahmida Riaz had worked sincerely throughout her life for the rights of women,” she said.
Famous writer Kamila Shamsie also expressed grief over the death of Riaz, calling her "one of the brightest of lights in the dark days" of dictatorship.
PPP Senator Sherry Rehman on Thursday expressed sadness at Riaz's passing. "She was a poet, activist and feminist in times of profound darkness for the free, creative voice. Her challenge to patriarchy was never ambiguous. May she rest in peace," shared Rehman on Twitter.
Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari also paid tribute to Riaz's work, saying: "Her poetry challenged traditionalism at so many levels as she reflected the voice and emotions of women unchained. Her sensitivity and often sensuality of expression was unique."Renowned Urdu writer Fahmida Riaz passed away aged 72 at her daughter’s residence in Lahore on Wednesday. The poetess was famous for her writing as well as her humanitarian work.
Numerous personalities within the industry have expressed their sentiments and paid tribute to Fehmida Riaz’s life and work alike. They consider her to have been a strong, brave women’s rights advocate; someone who would openly speak of societal issues for the benefit of others.
“I had the opportunity to spend a lot time with Fahmida Riaz as we visited numerous countries together for work,” Dr Sugra Sadaf, the Director General of Punjab Institute of Language, Art and Culture (PILAC) told . “She was a mystical lady; someone who was brave and full of life. All her work revolved around humanity.”
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Sadaf added that Fehmida would speak of taboo subjects and those related to women in her poetry, even though she was highly criticised for it. She also tried to show people the importance of their mother tongue and there are many translations to her credit. “However, her son’s death really took a toll on her and her work. Fehmida was broken… and that reflected in her writings. She will always be in our memories.”
Born in Meerut, India on July 28, 1946, Fehmida rose to fame due to her unique writing style and human rights work. She wrote 15 books during her lifetime. The late activist received her education from the University of Sindh, after which she began working as a newscaster for Radio Pakistan. She was fluent in Urdu, Sindhi and Persian and wrote her first poem aged 15, which went on to be published in Funoon magazine.
“Fahmida Riaz and I had been friends since the 70s… she was one of the closest people in my life,” shared theatre director Sheema Kirmani. “She wrote a lot for me in the form of scripts and poetry, and I brought her work to life through the art of theatre. She was a sincere, loving being and anyone who knew her knows how great she was.”
Kirmani continued, “According to me, she was the biggest female poet of our era as she gave a voice to the the females of this nation. She truly managed to hold her own within the field of literature.”
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Riaz published her first book Pathar Ki Zuban in 1982. Her other publications including Goodavari, Kya Tum Pura Chand Na Dekho Ge, Badan Darida, Khatte-e Marmuz and Ye Khana e Aab O Gil were among the best. She was also the head of Islamabad’s National Book Council.
Back in 2010, Riaz was given the Presidential Pride of Performance Award and Sitara e Imtiaz for her wonderful contributions to Urdu literature.
“We have been deprived of a democratic lover and humanitarian known as Fahmida Riaz. She struggled a lot for the rights of the people, especially females,” said drama writer Asghar Nadeem Syed. “She managed to shed light on social issues through most of her work. For example, she highlighted the matter of the Behari community in Bangladesh through her book Hum Log and even went and lived among them to understand the issues of their community. Her writings have been fantastic.Minister of Health Punjab, Dr Yasmeen Rashid also spoke of Riaz, stating that her work was very influential and contributed a huge amount to local literature. “Fehmida will remain influential for decades and go down in the history of literature. Her death is sad news and I am praying for her.”
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