'I reject the hegemony of the novel': Banu Mushtaq
'No story is short,' said Ms. Mushtaq, 'I reject the hegemony of the novel. Short stories require a different kind of mastery; in a small canvas, you have to paint the full truth,' she said.
On translation of her stories in Kannada to English, she said, 'I wanted my voice to reach beyond Karnataka. I wanted Western readers to feel our lives. And I believed, even if no one else did.'
Encouraging youngsters to write, she said, 'You don't need to wait for anyone to approve your voice. You don't need a perfect background; you need to live, observe, experience, and write. You will be criticised, misunderstood, doubted. But one day, someone will read your story and say that it's theirs too'.
Ms. Mushtaq reflected on how her early education was shaped by religious expectations, societal prejudice, and limited access to language. 'I studied in an Urdu school for two years without learning a single alphabet,' she recalled. 'My father cried when he saw how little I had learnt. But he never gave up on me,' she said.
Responding to a question, she said she writes about sex, politics, and religion because society tells women not to. 'That's precisely why I must,' she said, adding 'My writing is not just imagination. It is documentation'.
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Time of India
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- Time of India
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'Tresna started with education for the underprivileged and grew to cover women's health and skill development,' says Bakshi. You Can Also Check: Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad Here, children from govt and semi-govt schools find more than just academic support. "They learn all subjects, from English to mathematics, but more importantly, they discover their potential,' says Jalpa, who has been nurturing these young minds for six years. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Cách giao dịch ETH/USD mà không cần nắm giữ Ether IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo Jalpa talks about the teething troubles. "Getting children to attend was an uphill task. We went house to house. Parents didn't see any value in it. When we started out with just five children, even that seemed like a big victory,' she says. The initiative has led to a change in the community. Mothers who once hesitated to send their children to the class are now volunteers themselves. And then there are student volunteers from colleges and those from well-to-do homes. 'Because the children get good exposure, learn good values, and have role models, they feel motivated to come here without fail,' says Bakshi. Even rain can't throw a wet blanket on their determination. Studies stop when it pours mid-class, but the students regroup when the skies clear. The transformation of the children is visible in stories like Sunny's. He joined as a third grader. Now in Class 10, he monitors and mentors younger students while nurturing a dream. "I want to join the army," he says, confident that his dreams are within reach. The (Foot)Path to Progress Virat Shah, an instrumentation and control engineer from Ahmedabad's LD Engineering College, was 45 when he decided to quit his high-paying job in the UAE in 2010 to return to his city. 'People's lives have three aspects — social, professional, and personal. I replaced my job with social work. I had earned enough to pursue my dream of educating slum children.' One sees his vision in the bustling streets of Vatva, where dozens of underprivileged children sit attentively, their eyes fixed on their teacher. This makeshift classroom represents Shah's remarkable journey. What began in 2012 as a single class on a pavement with 10 students has evolved into the Sarvodaya Group Trust, an organisation that has provided supplementary education to approximately 1,800 children from migrant families and pavement dwellers over the past 13 years. Does it get tough during monsoons? 'We scurry under any roof that we find when it rains. We have run classes from a nearby gurdwara, even someone's front yard to keep the momentum alive despite the seasonal challenges,' says the now 56-year-old. Early on, Virat could only persuade a few parents living in the slums near Isanpur crossroads. Many would skip classes to be at places where they would get food. 'It wasn't their fault as their priority was the next meal, not long-term academic or career goals.' Shah started serving them meals, gave each of them hygiene kits and uniforms. Shah's dream was shattered many times, but he pieced it together every time. Soon, he was running nine centres. Wanting to do more, in 2015 he took them to a nearby municipal school for admissions. The principal refused because of a lack of documentation. Not to be deterred, Shah became their legal guardian in cases where families did not have papers. Shah even studied LLB to understand legal aspects and help them. Shah's momentum doesn't end at municipal school admissions. 'I feel that these schools don't share my vision of a qualitative outcome. Our trust wants to mould the children for society, shaping them into responsible citizens with ethics, values, education, and skills and neutralise the disadvantages of their being born into poverty or growing up on the streets.' Last year, the trust started an English-medium pre-school. 'This is not for supplementary education.' Encouraged, Shah and his team are now building their state-board-affiliated primary school up to Class 8 for formal education. 'I started to do what I, or any parent, would want for their children — education, strong moral values, and discipline,' he concludes. Success Amid Dust and Din It's around 5.30pm and Kamal Parmar, 79, is sitting outside his automobile-cum-metallurgy workshop in Bhudarpura, chopping onions, unaffected by the pressure washer hissing in the background, the rain and the cacophony of the traffic around him. The onions will go into a hot snack being cooked nearby. 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It offers comprehensive support for academic foundations, life skills and career counselling to these children from Classes 6-12, covering science, arts and commerce. Among their bright students is Harsh Panchal, son of a carpenter living in Vastrapur with his two siblings. Harsh joined Smile when he was in Class 9. In Class 12 boards, he scored 82%, and inspired by the IIM-A team, is currently pursuing an integrated MBA from KS School of Management, Gujarat University. And then, there is Mahima Kotaliya, whose father runs a small grocery store from their home. She aspires to graduate from a prominent college and thereafter, study hard and crack the civil services exam. What started with 20 students has now grown to 120 regular attendees, though the journey has not been without its challenges. 'Every child deserves access to quality education and opportunities for growth. 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NDTV
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