Preeto and Other Stories: The Male Gaze in Urdu

by Rakhshanda Jalil

In a world where more women are joining the work force, where ever more are stepping out from their secluded and cloistered world and can be physically seen in larger numbers, the short story collection Preeto & Other Stories: The Male Gaze in Urdu seeks to explore how male writers in Urdu view and consequently present or represent the women of their world.
In her Introduction, Rakhshanda Jalil traces the history of ‘writings on women’ by both male and female writers – from the doyens of Urdu literature to contemporary writers dealing with contemporary issues, setting the mood for the stories in this collection and giving the reader a sampler of what to expect in the ensuing pages.
The collection includes themes which are timeless as well as topics that are an outcome of the times we live in. Starting with two of the four pillars of the Urdu short story – Rajinder Singh Bedi and Krishan Chandar – who can be credited with introducing a realistic portrayal of women in Urdu fiction, the stories in this volume offer multiple ways of ‘seeing’ women.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, India

204 pages, Hardcover

First published September 20, 2018

About the author

Rakhshanda Jalil is a writer, critic and literary historian. Her published work comprises edited anthologies, among them a selection of Pakistani women writers entitled, Neither Night Nor Day; and a collection of esssays on Delhi, Invisible City: she is co-author of Partners in Freedom: Jamia Millia Islamia and Journey to a Holy Land: A Pilgrim s Diary. She is also a well-known translator, with eight published translations of Premchand, Asghar Wajahat, Saadat Hasan Manto, Shahryar, Intezar Hussain and Phanishwarnath Renu.

Reviews

[Ritika Chhabra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Follow Just A Girl High On Books for more reviews.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

'Sometimes, a woman gives everything away in one glance and stands by looking like an empty vessel, alone and innocent. And at that moment she also looks her loveliest."

When I started reading this book, I was completely unaware of the plethora of emotions that would travel through me while I read this beautiful book. Preeto and Other Stories: The Male Gaze in Urdu is a compilation of short stories based on women. The stories are written by various authors and have been translated in English to be read by everyone. Not only is this book a nice gesture to bring alive all that people have written about women, but it also gives the reader an idea of what the image of a woman really is.

I'll start off by saying that each of the story in this collection was brilliant. I loved all of them, and each one of them filled me with new kinds of emotions. It took me some time to read this book, but then, there was so much to take in while reading this that each second was worth it.

Two of my favorite stories throughout the course of this book were the one upon which the title is based: "Preeto" and "The Ash in the Fire". Neither of them was in any way alike the other one. While the former told us the tale of a married woman trying to find her love, the latter was about a nurse who was going through hardships merely because she was a kind lady. Okay, so this statement definitely does not sum up the tales but I have to be honest, I can't say much more without giving away the entire story and I wouldn't want to do that to the writers. In any case, what my point is that I liked these ones the best. And yet, that doesn't have to say that the other stories that I read were not good.

In fact, all of them were amazing. Each told the story of a different woman. Each told the story of a different situation, of a different consequence and of a different surrounding. And each of them was different and unique. I have to admit, now that I have gone through these translations, I feel like I have been missing out on a lot of great fiction. And I don't say that lightly. EVER!

Another thing that I found really great about the book was that even though most of these stories were translated, they were written beautifully. Mostly, the original language of the story gets lost in the translations but that did not happen, adding to the beauty of this book. Each of these stories was engaging and kept me wanting for more. And now, can I please sit and request Niyogi Books to publish more of such books? Because I'm a fan of their books, in any case! <3

[Khubaibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this collection of short stories translated from Urdu by various translators and edited by Rakhshanda Jalil, women are the protagonists, but in the fold of a patriarchal and/or feudal society. It is an essential read to find how even the progressive writers have gazed at women.

[Chitra Ahanthem · Rating 4 out of 5]

This anthology of 13 Urdu Short stories brings a range of male Urdu writers starting from pioneering short story writers like Rajinder Singh Bedi and Krishnan Chandar to writers of the genre in contemporary times. Writer and Critic Rakhshanda Jalil who has edited the anthology and introduced the theme gives an insight into how women are being portrayed over the years: as the muse in poetry and as compartmentalized binaries of virtuous women v/s fallen woman and then slowly, as people with their own agency once progressive writers entered the scene.

The stories in this collection all feature women who stay on in the reader’s consciousness long after the story gets over. The opening story - ‘Woman’ by Rajinder Singh Bedi is every woman who is both mysterious and vulnerable, helpless and tenacious while Gulzar’s ‘Man’ looks at gendered stereotypes of what a man can get away with and what a woman must endure. The title story of Preeto by Krishnan Chandar is another powerful story in terms of the narrative but still made me ponder over why a particular type of women (damaged or unconventional ones) in most of earlier Indian literature and films have to die in order to be redeemed or pitied.

This is overall an anthology that will leave readers pondering over the agency of women and their portrayal in literature. I will recommend this to readers who love to read translated writing and for students who are eager to look at the representation of gender biases in writing.

[Neha Garg (thereadingowl_) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate it when women are described according to their looks. There are described as having luscious bodies before saying how smart they are.

This is an example of male gaze. It describes how men perceive women. The book ‘The male gaze in Urdu’ is a collection of 13 stories translated from Urdu that depicts how women are perceived in general, from objects that men own, to bodies they can claim, to a vessel that can neither be full nor empty of feelings.

I loved the introduction by Rakshanda Jalil. There, she describes and lists the various writers who tried to present women as they really were, and not how people wanted to read their characters are. I got so moved that I have decided to read as many works by Ismat Chugtai and Manto as I can.

The stories are good but not the best. They were making me furious, reading, how women are described as nothing more than sexual beings whose desires and consent mean nothing. I found them confusing and I could not decide if I like them or not. Some touched really sensitive topics like abuse and incest which was a good thing since these stories are from late 1900s where people never talked about such things.

My favorite story from this collection is ‘The Heavy Stone’ which talks about a woman’s desire to keep her baby but who is forced to abort under the pressure from her husband who is more “PRACTICAL”

But I felt very let down with a few stories. For example, ‘Awaiting the Zephyr’. I am sure it uses some deep metaphor but I failed to discern it. I don’t know if it’s the translation or my intellect which is at fault.

Overall, this is an okay book. But you should definitely read the introduction.

[Ronita Banerjee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Name- Preeto and Other Stories: the male gaze in urdu
Edited and introduced by- Rakhshanda Jalil
Published by- Niyogi Books
Genre- Fiction (Translated short stories)
Pages- 193
Review-
Women has always been a subject of scrutiny, by the society and also the writers who wrote about women in several aspects.
This book in one liner can be labeled as contemplative.
I felt the stories here are for women and about women written from the perspective of some famous male writers. Writers who brilliantly brought out several unexpected or untold stories about women and the several hardships they faced due to the direct and indirect influences of the society.
Each story is unique and fascinating describing some of the most commonest incidences in a sublime manner.
A book which can be finished in a single sitting Preeto and other stories definitely has a potential to create a deep impact in the minds and hearts of the readers.
I would recommend this book to every reader and non readers and also people who are not a great fan of short stories. This book definitely has the capacity to change people's minds.

[Aritri Chatterjee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Preeto and other stories is a collection of literary works in Urdu by male authors where a woman is the protagonist. In other words, it talks of the male gaze in Urdu. And the introduction to this book is absolutely brilliant.

Rakshanda Jalil does an excellent job in creating the path for the readers to tread before they delve themselves into the book. It is so well composed that I really wanted to read some of her original works. Although I wish I could say the same about the entire book.

This anthology is a mixed bag and contains quite a few gems in it while there are a few that strike a little odd, the reasons could be either the different timeline that they are set in or may be the translation didn't work for me. Nevertheless, this book is worthy of a try especially if you want to experience some masterpieces from Urdu literature. Preeto was one of my favourite pieces from this collection.

[Krutika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Preeto & other stories.
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Thank you for sending this book over @niyogi_books :)
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Urdu stories are like poetry; an art in itself. They are melodious, intense and beautiful like a crystal clear pond. Preeto is a book comprising of 13 short stories which are translated from Urdu. A book that talks about women from male perspective. A book that puts forward stories from 13 different writers, worked on closely and edited by Rakshanda Jalil.
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The reason behind this book was to understand how men perceive women and Rakshanda has collated stories aptly to portray the same. In this world of modern times where women are voicing their opinions, stopping people from taking advantage of their ideas and opinions and are capable of being independent, these stories talk about how over the years women haven't had the chance to just be themselves. There are few stories which I absolutely loved, one of them is 'The Heavy Stone' in which a woman had to go through abortion against her wishes. She imagines her unborn child calling out to her but she is held back by societal and husband's pressure.
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In another story written by Gulzar called 'Man', a woman who comes out of an unhappy marriage and is still not free to find love post her divorce. There's a line which struck a chord with me in which she says 'No matter what a woman might do, she always has to offer an explanation to a man. To a father, sometimes to a husband, and sometimes to a son.' This book is an anthology which talks about forbidden things like a woman's desire for another man even though she's married, unhappy marriages and loveless lives, bound by the shackles of society. Every story portrays a different shade of woman.
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Rakshanda Jalil has done a tremendous job in bringing these stories together and making them perfect. Though there were few stories that I could not connect to, this book overall is a beautiful and intense read that I really enjoyed. Any story about women and their lives hold a special place in my heart.
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I would rate this book 4.2 / 5.

[Manu Smriti · Rating 5 out of 5]

'The tune that springs from her heart- it contains the burbling of a brook. And the mellifluous rustling of the breeze, and the chirping of birds'
- Awaiting the Zephyr

[Afifa · Rating 3 out of 5]

In here, there's a male stranger who falls for a married woman as he looks on at her taking care of her child, a man who kills his wife's paramour, a teenage boy who supports his mother whilst she goes through her divorce due to the father's affair with another but rages at the same mother when much later she develops a relationship of her own.

Reading on, there's an old man lusting after his young female caretaker, a girl deceived into loving the one pretending to be her fiance, a newly-wed aborting her much-beloved unborn child due to the father's doubts.

There's also an old sick woman once essential to those around her but now mostly ignored due to her inability to offer more, a girl molested by her father, a woman who is left a destitute when her abusive husband's own increasing anger makes him bedridden.

Lastly, there's a man willing to pay for sexual services from a married woman but uncomfortable to carry out the actions in front of a god's idol, a young girl who originally becomes a caretaker for money but continues the job for the sake of kindness to the male invalid and in exchange loses herself, a female college student who maintains her distance from the boy she likes because she identifies as asexual, a boy who doesn't take his female cousin seriously but is angry when she starts liking another and happy when she loses him.

There's more to the short stories, of course, but the above points at all the ways men have been treating women of all ages over the years. We are deceived, sexualized, abused, 'owned', taken for granted. It's never been fun and games, and this compilation emphasises so. I haven't read the original stories so I can't say for sure but the translations seemed to be missing a little something: I felt nothing. Or maybe I'm desensitised to it all since this is everyday life for most women, and comes to notice or is experienced on a daily basis. Regardless, an important read.

[Aditi Varma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Week 22 Book 16
Preeti and other stories: by Rakhshanda Jalil
Rating: 3/5

This is a compilation of short stories by some of the most celebrated modern Urdu authors, like Bedi, Gulzar, Kishan Chandar etc.

As per Jalil in her intro, the book attempts to understand how men perceive, see women. It deals with the objectification of women, of looking at them as fodder for sexual fantasies, blank canvases for painting ideals, empty vessels for pouring pent up emotions by men.

Women are often buried under the pressure of social and male expectations. Any deviation from the path accorded to them, and tongues wag, fingers point - there are consequences.

The stories revolve around a variety of women and situations... Young girls, old women, married women with children, prostitutes. Each with a story.... Some happy, mostly sad.

Some of the stories really touched my heart, resonated with me, some really shocked and upset me. But they all managed to evoke emotions I've not felt while reading a book in a long time.

It's a fairly short and fast read, but not for everyone. It's not an easy or a happy read. I highly recommend it to women, and men who want to understand the male gaze. I learnt a thing or two about society and gender: this book is totally worth your time.

[Aishwarya Rathor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Women has always been a flawed character in a male dominated shack. For a long time, women has been considered a supporting part in a man's life, fictionally and in reality.
This book has a cluster of stories written by both male and female writers in urdu, translated by Rakhshanda Jalil.
The issues discussed are classic and ever-lasting. These stories are realistic and are inspired by hardships faced by women of the society.
13 great stories by 13 brilliant writers. My favoirite has to be 'Man' and 'preeto'. Gulzar is exceptional.
Each story has its own relevance and impact. Many messages to take from.

[Reemaayana · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Preeto and the other Stories' edited by Rakhshanda Jalil shares a beautiful collection of Urdu translated stories regarding visual perspectives carried by men for women. The book begins with an introduction texted by the author sharing her opinion and how history have 'gazed' women in different ways. Then the book swirl its readers beautifully through every story; personally, some were hard hitting and understood whereas some were deep and ironical and found bit difficult to comprehend and finally, some were creating more than one kind of perspective. Overall it is an nice collection which I enjoyed reading and 'gazing' ;)

[Neha · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing book, contains 13 short stories that are translated from Urdu. The author has chosen all male author's point of view on Women of different era. Some stories are straight forward, while some are deeper than what is written.
Full review will be posted soon.

[Blatantly Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

The introduction by Rakhshanda Jalil could alone be the reason I would give this book a 5 star rating and here is why;

As a reader and a beginner at that, I am constantly learning about the art of reading, getting to know the characters and through them, getting to know more about myself as a reader too. This compilation of short stories by Rakhshanda Jalil forced me to read critically and dissect the term "male gaze in Urdu" through these stories. I was glad for the introduction because it reminded me of how prevalent and common it is in Urdu literature to perceive women as sexual beings, devoid of personalities and depth, existing simply to please men and their desires. They are written as empty vessels, as wives of, as sisters of, as daughters of - lacking of their own identity.

Did I necessarily enjoy all the short stories in this book? Not at all but I am better at identifying authors who write female characters with depth and emotions. A common theme within all these stories was that the protagonists were unapologetic women who demanded to be heard, women with and without sexual desires and their ability to navigate their lives on their own. These stories have depicted women through a better, more realistic viewpoint.

Jalil writes 'The woman has been both subject and predicate in a great deal of writing by male writers. In poetry she has, of course, been the subject of vast amounts of romantic, even sensuous imagery. Be it muse or mother, vamp or victim, fulsome or flawed, there has been a tendency among male writers to view a woman through a binary of this' or that' and to present women as black and white characters, often either impossibly white or improbably black. Since men are not expected to be one or the other but generally taken to be a combination of contraries, such a monochromatic view inevitably results in women being reduced to objects, of being taken to be things' rather than people'

And so this complication is an attempt as changing that narrative and appreciating writers who wrote women as more complex characters. Some of my favourite titles were "Preeto", "A Bit Odd" and "Ash in the Fire" and every story is distinctly different than the other. Some took me by surprise and others had me close the book and reflect on the endings. I would suggest this book to anyone interested in Urdu literature and the male gaze in Urdu literature.

[Uday Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The world is advancing and so are its women. And it’s about time that society starts accepting the upcoming reality of a world where both sexes are treated equally. This book is a collection of literature from the pens of contemporary authors of Urdu language. Going around various themes, this book shows the reflection of women in Urdu literature.

The bigger aim of the book is to represent perspectives of and about women to the readers. And the way in which the stories are written they touch you deeply. They are beautiful, emotional and may change your views about a lot of stuff. The way each story is implanted in it book reflects the great efforts of the editor whose creative introduction to the book sets the perfect emotion and base for reading it.

As for the writing style, the stories are well paced, free from flaws and surely keep you hooked. The poetry in the introduction was another healthy addition. And what every story offers you is completely unique from the rest yet in sync with the flow. I don’t think it’ll be right to have a favourite entry from it, but I really loved The Heavy Stone, Gulzar’s Man and obviously, Preeto.

This book splendidly depicts how well known male writers, who predominantly write in Urdu, has portrayed female characters in their works. Regularly the essential thought of the first work becomes mixed up in the interpreted variant. However, in this book, Every one of the tales has been flawlessly interpreted.

One thing I can be sure of is that once you finish the book, you are going to feel just like I do whenever I finish any book by Niyogi Books. That we guys are missing a lot on literature from other languages and on ideas we don’t expect to see in books. Now, I can’t explain what makes this book special without giving spoilers, so don’t wait, trust me and get a copy

[Chetana Thakur Chakraborty · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of thirteen short stories, originally written in Urdu, translated into English: Preeto & Other Stories is a book which makes you contemplate and leaves a huge impact. Each one of the stories is thought-provoking and unique in its own way.
Female characters in stories and novels have always been viewed by male authors through a monochromatic tinted glass. There can be no in-between, no 'grey' area in the female characters.

This book brilliantly portrays how famous male authors, who mainly write in Urdu, has depicted female characters in their works. Often the primary idea of the original work gets lost in the translated version. However, this has not been an issue here. Each of the stories has been impeccably translated and has retained the original idea and feel. I personally liked most of the stories. Among all the thirteen stories, I liked Preeto by Krishan Chandar, Man by Gulzar and Driftwood by Deepak Budki the most. There is one single thread that connects all the thirteen stories - portrayal of the female characters in a particular way. Each of the women in the stories has their own set of difficulties and problems in the course of their lives.

The stories are very well narrated and described. The readers can relate to most of them and feel the different feelings and emotions that the characters go through in the stories. Some of them are indeed very deep and thought-provoking.

Overall, I really liked reading the intriguing and gripping tales. I definitely recommend this book to my fellow bibliophiles! You'll absolutely love reading the stories.

[Ronak · Rating 4 out of 5]

**recommend** Preeto & other stories.

Thanks a lot for this amazing book @niyogi_books

What a book. I always love reading short stories. This book contains 13 different shot stories translated from urdu. A must read book to understand the different perspective of women and man. Rakshanda jalil has done great work.

One of my favorite stories are,
Preeto
The heavy stone
The woman
Man.

Almost all stories have something to learn from. Some of them will touch your heart. Some of them will break your heart.
Rakshanda translated one of story of Gulzar called "man". Even after divorce she is unhappy. Story says women have to explain what matters what she did.(personal favorite story)

I loved the way editing is done. Each and every story offer's you something important to understand, analyze, and apply in life. Seriously kudos to author of choosing such a great stories to translate. Some of them you will not love or hard to connect.

Overall its awesome read. This stories are must read

[OvyReadz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a collection of short stories translated from urdu by different authors.
These are intense and powerful that punch you in the guts! Most of the stories are women centric and multiple scenes were so realistic and relatable!
The narration was crisp with character driven plots.
I have multiple favourites but those that top the list are, A Bit Odd, Woman, Asexual. They left me pondering over so many things🙇‍♀️
This one is a quick read and I highly recommend this if you are up for some realistic plots.

[Arbaz Fahad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rakshanda Jalil deftly accumulates a fine assortment of Urdu stories, wherein the very idea of the portrayal of feministic characters in Urdu literature is challanged. A woman willing to kill her husband to avenge her shattered dreams, another seeking sensuous gratification from a dead corpse, yet another giving in to another man's whims to make her ends meet. Each story is unique in it's own way and makes you wonder, how deeply have Urdu writers delved into the myriad complexities of a women's existence.

[Vinayak Hegde · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an eclectic collection of stories originally written in Urdu and translated into English by various translators. The theme as the title says is about the male gaze and human desire. Many of the stories have a very haunting quality to it as well as unexpected ending showing the full range of human emotion. I quite enjoyed this curation of stories. Rated 3.5*

[Raju Narsing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked the short stories.a welcome change both in the location of the stories and the genre.Many of stories tackled bold themes.This was a good introduction for me to pursue reading these authors and translators.

[Sheetal Maurya - Godse (Halo of Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stories with deeper meaning, full review follow soon.

[Tavleen Kaur (Travelling Through Words) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Preeto and Other Stories edited by Rakshanda Jalil is a collection of translated stories about women through men's eyes. This is a very unique collection of stories. I found some of the stories very hard-hitting and beautifully written while I failed to understand the meaning of few of the stories. However, I would highly recommend this collection as it represents many aspects of a woman.