Feminism has been made synonymous with the total annihilation of opposite sex, so, I don't wear my feminist badge on my sleeves, publicly.
Also, I don't express my views on anything and everything, that is dished out in the name of feminism these days, in real life or social media.
My feminist thoughts, at the maximum, on the verge of an outrage, are lashed out in a few chat windows, or on my husband, but, never in public.
However, if you Google Sultana's Dream then, everywhere it will show that the story was written by a feminist author Begum Rokeya.
The statement speaks volumes about the author, who also built schools for the education of young girls. She must have been a brave and a fierce lady in a period which was excessively regressive and counterproductive for women.
I was fascinated with premise of the story, so I dug a bit on the internet, and I found, after reading the manuscript of Sultana's Dream, Begum Rokeya's husband said,
"Terrible revenge."
On Goodreads, not long ago, a reviewer called it, "badass."
Nine out of ten reviewers marvelled at the fact, that, this story was written in 1905, by an Indian Muslim woman, whose first language was Bangla.
"1905! Fascinating," said Gabby, an internet friend whose opinion I have valued ever since I sent her a friend request on facebook.
Sultana's Dream is about a Purdahisin woman Sultana, who travels to Ladyland with another woman whom she mistakes as her friend, Sister Saira.
When she finds out that the woman is not Sister Saira, she is tensed but Sultana is soon comforted by the lady.
In the Ladyland, men are sent in Zenana or Purdah after women of the Land win war against an enemy without any help from men.
In the Ladyland, women are in charge of everything.
Ladyland is full of fearless, confident women and they are everywhere. All the errands are run by a woman.
In fact, these women, call shy Sultana, mannish. Sister Saira tells Sultana,
"They mean you are shy and timid like men."
If you put men or women away in Purdah, then being shy would be natural, irrespective of the gender.
This (Putting Away Men) seems eccentric but Ladyland is prosperous, mud free and science oriented and crimeless.
Sister Saira tells Sultana,
"But we do not trust our zenana members with embroidery!" she said laughing, "as a man has not patience enough to pass thread through a needlehole even!"
A little further in the story, sister Saira tells Sultana about how men work,
"They dawdle away their time in smoking. Some smoke two or three cheroots during the office time. They talk much about their work, but do little. Suppose one cheroot takes half an hour to burn off, and a man smokes twelve cheroots daily; then you see, he wastes six hours every day in sheer smoking."
Today, we have put men in charge of everything- in education, in the judiciary and in government and I find it's effect in my sister's feedback about the story,
"Here we are in 2017 only, and this text is from 1905, we probably will struggle for hundred or more years."
A dream in 1905 and still a dream in 2017.
The story is whimsical as it is Sultana's dream but, is futuristic.
Begum Rokeya's Ladyland is utopian which emphasises on educating women and use of science such as Solar energy, Rain Water (including storms) harvesting and air-cars. Ladyland has Truth and Love as a religion and is war free.
Putting away men was a trope to tell, women, in fact, are equal or in many cases a better than men.
After reading the story I may have changed the glasses with which I view the world.
Also, I don't express my views on anything and everything, that is dished out in the name of feminism these days, in real life or social media.
My feminist thoughts, at the maximum, on the verge of an outrage, are lashed out in a few chat windows, or on my husband, but, never in public.
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| Begum Rokeya |
The statement speaks volumes about the author, who also built schools for the education of young girls. She must have been a brave and a fierce lady in a period which was excessively regressive and counterproductive for women.
I was fascinated with premise of the story, so I dug a bit on the internet, and I found, after reading the manuscript of Sultana's Dream, Begum Rokeya's husband said,
"Terrible revenge."
On Goodreads, not long ago, a reviewer called it, "badass."
Nine out of ten reviewers marvelled at the fact, that, this story was written in 1905, by an Indian Muslim woman, whose first language was Bangla.
"1905! Fascinating," said Gabby, an internet friend whose opinion I have valued ever since I sent her a friend request on facebook.
Sultana's Dream is about a Purdahisin woman Sultana, who travels to Ladyland with another woman whom she mistakes as her friend, Sister Saira.
When she finds out that the woman is not Sister Saira, she is tensed but Sultana is soon comforted by the lady.
In the Ladyland, men are sent in Zenana or Purdah after women of the Land win war against an enemy without any help from men.
In the Ladyland, women are in charge of everything.
Ladyland is full of fearless, confident women and they are everywhere. All the errands are run by a woman.
In fact, these women, call shy Sultana, mannish. Sister Saira tells Sultana,
"They mean you are shy and timid like men."
If you put men or women away in Purdah, then being shy would be natural, irrespective of the gender.
This (Putting Away Men) seems eccentric but Ladyland is prosperous, mud free and science oriented and crimeless.
Sister Saira tells Sultana,
"But we do not trust our zenana members with embroidery!" she said laughing, "as a man has not patience enough to pass thread through a needlehole even!"
A little further in the story, sister Saira tells Sultana about how men work,
"They dawdle away their time in smoking. Some smoke two or three cheroots during the office time. They talk much about their work, but do little. Suppose one cheroot takes half an hour to burn off, and a man smokes twelve cheroots daily; then you see, he wastes six hours every day in sheer smoking."
Today, we have put men in charge of everything- in education, in the judiciary and in government and I find it's effect in my sister's feedback about the story,
"Here we are in 2017 only, and this text is from 1905, we probably will struggle for hundred or more years."
A dream in 1905 and still a dream in 2017.
The story is whimsical as it is Sultana's dream but, is futuristic.
Begum Rokeya's Ladyland is utopian which emphasises on educating women and use of science such as Solar energy, Rain Water (including storms) harvesting and air-cars. Ladyland has Truth and Love as a religion and is war free.
Putting away men was a trope to tell, women, in fact, are equal or in many cases a better than men.
After reading the story I may have changed the glasses with which I view the world.
