A smile lights up as she enters the library in her house. While surfing the pages of her poetic collection, a sense of achievement emanates from her. A whiff of inspiration fills the room as Naseem Shafaie recites her poems.
Naseem Shafaie, 72, is the Valley’s first woman to bag the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2011. Born in 1952, she is a contemporary poetess who has deeply influenced Kashmiri literature over the years. She writes about Kashmir and various other themes such as women, culture and religion.
The Journey: Exploring the poetess’s background
Shafaie was born in Guru Bazar, a small area in Downtown Srinagar. Raised in an ancestral house, she boasts of her progressive household where even during traditional times education was highly prioritized, for girls too. Her father, a doctor by profession, desired for her to follow in his footsteps and become a doctor. “You have the hands of a surgeon,” he would often say to young Naseem. However, destiny had a different plan which saw Shafaie become a top name among women writers across South Asia.
Shafaie’s inclination towards literature and poetry was not abrupt. She says she was born with it. However, her interest in the field increased when her elder brother – a well-known artist at Radio Kashmir – exposed her to the works of famous writers such as Saadat Hasan Manto, Ismat Chughtai and Krishan Chandra in her childhood.
“I never liked Math, Science and arithmetic. Underneath my Chemistry books, I would secretly read Deewan-e-Ghalib (a collection of ghazals written by legendary poet Mirza Ghalib),” says Shafaie, while remembering her school days. These small steps made a huge impact on her life – from a young age, the poetess recited and memorized hundreds of Ash’aar (poems) from multiple Kashmiri and Urdu poets. Upon seeing her uncompromised persistence towards literature, Shafaie’s parents were convinced to let her opt for the Arts stream.
During the 90s, in the midst of an era where Kashmiri women were limited to a couple of career options – such as being a teacher or a doctor – Shafaie chose the road less taken. She relentlessly pursued a career in poetry and literature. In 1976, she graduated with Urdu and English literature. It was during her college days that she started writing poetry. Later, she pursued post-graduation in Kashmiri from the University of Kashmir.
All these distinctive choices, sometimes being questioned, steadily paved the way to her fame and success. Shafaie was initially invited to literary functions as she became known, and eventually to writers’ meet-ups at local, national and then international levels where she received acclamation from fellow writers.
Ms. Shafaie published her poetry collection Derche Maechrith (Open Windows) in 1999. As she waited for more inspiration, her second collection Na Thsay Te Na Aks (Neither Shadow Nor Reflection) was published 10 years later in 2009. It is the same anthology that bagged her the Sahitya Akademi Award for Kashmiri poetry. The book revolves around the theme of women’s individuality. Naseem Shafaie through the verses in this poem “re-imagines the whole relationship of a male and female based on mutual love, self-respect and dignity.” This piece was also among the eight winners of the inaugural Tagore Literature Award in the same year.
Feminism redefined
In an exclusive interview, Naseem Shafaie’s unconventional ideologies are reflected even today in her thoughts. She not only redefines feminism and empowerment but also relocates the same within the socio-cultural fabric of Kashmir. Shafaie says, “In our part of the world, Kashmir – feminism existed since times immemorial, maybe just not the way the world defines it today.” According to her, Kashmir has been ahead of its times. While referring to girl education, she asserts, “Our fathers embraced the concept of education for girls way before the idea seeped into other communities. They believed education was Gaash (light) for a woman.”
While recalling the age-old concept of matriarchy, Ms Shafaie notes that the women in Kashmir have always had the authority to participate in decision-making vis-à-vis their male counterparts. “While females in other parts of the world were expected to remain silent, Kashmiri women’s voices dominated the socio-cultural decisions,” says Shafaie with great conviction. “I have seen gender equality when my grandmother and mother were the final authority in every small and big decision,” she adds.
After travelling to various Western countries, Shafaie concludes that the women of the Valley have always been empowered, and feminism, therefore, has been practised in multiple ways here. “Our women used to, and still work hand in hand with men, not just in their lands and farms, but also in their businesses,” she says.
According to research, women have been an integral part of Kashmir’s famous handicraft industry. Women artisans have been involved in Shawl making, paper mache, Sozni work, Namdha embroidery and other such forms of art in the Valley. The official figures, quoted by The Hindu, reveal the same. As per its report, women once made up 47.4% of the workforce in the handicrafts sector in Kashmir.
Shafaie remarks that “in today’s time when there is more access to resources, the opportunities for Kashmiri girls have become endless. As a result, they are excelling in their respective fields.”
Shafaie expresses that a woman must joyfully embrace her feminine energy and every phase of womanhood. In another interview, with Awaaz – The Voice, Ms Shafaie commented, “Every woman in Kashmir is a creator as she sings and murmurs in every situation, be it happiness or sadness.” While highlighting how much she enjoys being a grandmother, the poetess emphasizes that a woman must be empowered in every role of her life – be it as a mother, a sister, a daughter, or a wife.
When asked about her ideation and writing process, she mentions, “In a few moments of solitude when I feel inspired, I sit down and craft my pieces. These moments, exclusively mine, may come once in a year, once in a month, or sometimes once in a couple of days. But these are the times I can come up with a masterpiece.”
Empathy in Verse: Shafaie’s heartfelt narratives on Kashmir
Naseem Shafaie has written widely from a woman’s perspective, especially from that of a Kashmiri woman stuck in a turbulent atmosphere of conflict. Her poem, Akh Aes Paadshah-Bai (Once There Was A Queen), is about a Kashmiri mother who loses her sons one by one. In another poem titled Tchandaaw (Search), she depicts the pain of those who lost their husbands and sons to disappearances. Hence, she admits her writings are deeply influenced by the decades of turmoil in the Valley where women bore an equal brunt of pain.
A proud daughter born of Kashmir’s soil, she eloquently calls herself the admirer of the Valley’s beauty and the confidant of its despair. Having witnessed the atrocious episodes of its history, Shafaie says that “through the tears I shed for my motherland, I find inspiration to write.”
While remembering her award-winning piece Na Thsay Te Na Aks (Neither Shadow Nor Reflection), she narrates an anecdote of how it came into being – after its revival from the ashes. “Once I draft something, I usually keep the final work on one side and trash on the other.” However, by error, this poem was pushed to the other pile and burnt in the process on the same day of its inception. “Devastated and broken by this loss, I was crying till 5 in the morning when my husband encouraged me to rewrite the whole poem.” In a few hours, simply from her memory, Shafaie was able to write the poem back. “I still can’t believe I did it,” she says with great pride.
Heavily inspired by Rehman Rahi (1925-2023) – a famous Kashmiri poet, also an awardee of India’s highest literary award, the Jnanpith Award, Ms Shafaie’s works are a testament to her well-earned title as the Valley’s Parveen Shakir (an international feminine voice in Urdu literature) and a modern-day Habba Khatoon (16th century Kashmiri poetess).
Naseem Shafaie has also taught the Kashmiri language at the University of Kashmir, Srinagar. Her poetry has been translated into English, Urdu, Kannada, Tamil, Marathi and Telugu over the years. She has also received the State Award for Literature in 2021. The poetess continues to inspire and encourage Kashmiri youngsters to pursue their mother tongue and carry it with pride.
