Google on Tuesday celebrated Urdu author Ismat Chughtai’s 107th birth anniversary through a doodle.
Chughtai, who is considered by many as a champion of free speech, social liberation, and gender equality, a facet that can be seen through her writing, was born on August 22, 1911. This is contrary to most reports that she was born in 1915.
Born in Uttar Pradesh, Chughtai was the ninth of 10 children. She began writing at an early age, inspired by her elder brother Mirza Azim Beg Chughtai, a novelist known for his playful humorous works.
According to Google’s blog that paid tribute to her, Chughtai ‘attended a meeting of the Progressive Writers Association and became interested in using her talents to advocate for human rights.’
As she was raised in a traditional household, her best works questioned the double standards seen in society, and encouraged liberation. Her short story “Lihaf” (The Quilt), narrated in the voice of a young girl, was viewed as controversial given its portrayal of a relationship between an upper class woman and her servant. This was also the case for another of her famous stories, “Gainda” (Marigold), which told the tale of a domestic worker who falls in love outside the caste system. Chughtai’s character violated the rules prohibiting different castes from associating with one another, as well as the social custom forbidding widows from pursuing a second love.
Chughtai was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 1976 In recognition of her literary accomplishments and her fearless dedication to her beliefs. In 1980s and 1990s, a new generation of Indian writers picked up where Chughtai left off. Today, she continues to be regarded as a national feminist icon.
Many of her writings, including Angarey and Lihaaf, were banned in South Asia because their reformist and feminist content offended conservatives (for example, her view that the Niqab, the veil worn by women in Muslim societies, should be discouraged for Muslim women because it is oppressive and feudal.
She died in 1991.
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 "Google's tribute to Ismat Chughtai")
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